May 2009: Cover Story

Wheel Loader Riddler
Answering the Tough Questions About the Movers and Carriers
By Jason Morgan

BREAKING NEWS!!! “The Wheel Loader Riddler is at large and has been seen heading toward Utility Contractor headquarters. He should be considered extremely puzzling and should not be approached without up-to-the-minute info on those mobile load-moving machines.”

Moments after the announcement of the Wheel Loader Riddler (coined the “Wh-iddler” by local media) hit the air waves, the Utility Contractor office was taken captive. The Wh-iddler, determined to test our wheel loader knowledge, riddled the UC staff with brain-busting questions. How are the wheel loader markets doing in this economy? What are the latest technologies? What are popular machine applications?

The ever dutiful UC staff quickly went to work tapping the greatest minds in wheel loader manufacturing.

Gathering info from manufacturers like Case and New Holland to Terex and Wacker Neuson, the UC team fought the Wh-iddler’s onslaught of questions with concise answers. Discouraged by the thorough work, the Wh-iddler slinked away defeated. Luckily for UC readers, the answers to his riddles were recorded and over the next five pages no riddle is left unsolved.

Jason Morgan is Associate Editor of Utility Contractor.

Mapping the Market
Finding the Light in Economic Gloom
By Mitch Blake

The North American wheel loader market consisting of new units sold in Canada and the United States was approximately 14,600 units in 2008. By comparison, roughly 20,000 units were sold in 2006. The primary markets that 75 percent of all wheel loaders are sold are road and bridge construction, rental, residential construction, commercial construction and agriculture.

All of the primary markets have been affected by the recent economic downturn, except for the agriculture market, which has seen a 14 percent increase in wheel loader sales since 2006. While many wheel loader markets are experiencing a decline in sales, not all markets are being dramatically affected by the current economic conditions. In addition to the agriculture market, the scrap/recycling market has been steadily growing since 2006.

Within most of the markets, there exists a variety of purchasers. To generalize these purchasers, they are typically either a commercial contractor or a government end-user (states, municipalities, airports, etc.). For the most part, government purchasing has remained steady in the market segments. Considering most market segments are in a decline, the commercial purchasers have contributed the most to the wheel loader industry sales decline. This is not surprising in that construction as a whole has experienced a major downturn and appropriation of funds for government purchases primarily come from taxes received from prior years.

Even within a particular market, the purchasing actions of the specific segments to that market can vary dramatically. One example is the rental market. The rental market is made up of two segments: independent rental companies and OEM dealer rental fleets. It is interesting to observe that since 2006, the independent rental companies have reduced their wheel loader purchases in North America by 73 percent while OEM dealers have reduced their rental fleet purchases by only 30 percent.

The wheel loader is a versatile and widely used piece of heavy equipment within North America. It is a mature product with contractors and government users who are comfortable with its uses in their specific applications. Generally, there haven’t been many new applications for wheel loaders in recent years, but the wheel loader can be tasked in varying applications by region. For example, where many regions may use an excavator to dig a basement, some areas of North America regularly see this task being undertaken by a wheel loader. While recent economic downturns have noticeably affected the construction industry, one can be rest assured that the wheel loader will be seen in the building sites, streets, highways and landscape of North America well into the future.

Mitch Blake is the Brand Marketing Manager for Case Construction Equipment, Racine, Wisc.

A New Multipurpose Tool in Town
Attachments Making Wheel Loaders Jack-of-all-trades
By Amber Reed

Wheel loaders have traditionally been used in repetitive load-and-carry applications, but thanks to today’s trend of maximizing an equipment investment by using one machine for multiple functions, wheel loaders are now doing more.

“Wheel loaders can excel when used in tool-carrier applications,” says Scott Sikkink, Terex ASV Product Marketing Specialist. “Models designed to be tool carriers can work on all types of projects, from general construction tasks to more specialized landscaping and utility work.”

Features like an articulating center point, oscillating rear axles and rear-mounted engines offer wheel loader operators an advantage when working on challenging jobsites. These features offer operators a combination of speed and maneuverability, particularly in space-restrictive and sensitive-turf environments. Also, a wheel loader’s hydrostatic drive system provides infinitely variable speed control, giving these machines the ability to easily adapt to a wide variety of tasks.

But, Sikkink says, it’s these machines’ ability to work with a variety of different attachments that allow them to excel as tool carriers. Most tool carrier-designed wheel loaders come equipped with a universal skid steer loader quick-attach system, letting them marry up with skid steer and compact track loader attachments, including buckets, forks, augers, brooms, hydraulic breakers, trenchers, snow blowers and more.

“The compact wheel loader market in North America is still much smaller than the skid steer and compact track loader market,” states Sikkink. “So most attachments are actually designed for skid steers but may work with wheel loaders.
“Because of the difference in auxiliary hydraulic flow between wheel loaders and skid steers or compact track loaders, it is important to understand how your wheel loader’s driving, braking, steering and lifting functions may influence the performance of an attachment, particularly ones that require continuous hydraulic flow,” counsels Sikkink.

When choosing attachments for a wheel loader, it is important to pay particular attention to the attachment’s flow requirements. Attachments that require continuous hydraulic flow, such as augers and brooms, do not work as efficiently if the wheel loader’s hydraulic specifications do not meet the attachment’s needs. In this case, the demands of the rest of the wheel loader’s systems can result in sluggish attachment operation or may cut hydraulic flow to the attachment altogether. This can be very frustrating to owners and operators who are trying to increase the usage of their equipment.

“It is a good idea to source your attachments through the distributorship where you purchased your wheel loader,” recommends Sikkink. “Your distributor knows the wheel loader’s exact hydraulic specifications and will counsel you on which attachments will work with your machine. It is important to let your distributor know all of the potential applications you want to perform because this will influence what advice your distributor gives you when making a machine purchase.”

With so many wheel loader options and models available, an attachment will work differently depending on the wheel loader.
For example, continuous-flow attachments require wheel loaders designed with higher auxiliary hydraulic flow or dedicated auxiliary hydraulic circuits. Without this design option, certain continuous-flow attachments would need to be run on larger units in order to work effectively. The larger units, however, may not work well on space-restricted jobsites and can increase operating costs by increasing fuel and maintenance costs. Also, as Sikkink points out, since the attachments are designed for smaller, more compact machines, they may not fit well on larger wheel loaders.

Terex, however, offers an additional dedicated auxiliary hydraulic circuit option with a second pump on its TL80 and TL100 wheel loader models, explains Sikkink. This option allows Terex units to run a wider variety of attachments without sacrificing the operation of the machine.

In tough economic times, wheel loaders are no longer expected to perform just one task, but to do everything they are capable of doing. “By consulting your equipment distributor on the right attachments and options for your wheel loader,” concludes Sikkink, “you can significantly enhance the productivity of your machine to maximize your investment dollars.”

Amber Reed is a Technical Writer for Performance Marketing, West Des Moines, Iowa.

Minis on a Growth Spurt
Compact Wheel Loaders Is an Expanding Market
By Jay Baudhuin

Compact wheel loaders are growing in popularity in the U.S. The wheel loader market is expanding into a wide variety of applications such as landscaping, golf courses, cemeteries, construction, municipal and utility sites, as well as commercial and industrial material handling applications.

Compact wheel loaders are becoming a popular replacement for traditional skid steer units. The wheel loaders typically do not tear up turf on the jobsite, offer better weight distribution and the wheelbase lends itself to better loading, pushing and grading of materials. Many contractors are finding that wheel loaders are improving their overall efficiency, especially in applications where turf damage is a consistent issue such as landscaping projects, curb and gutter work and golf course rehab.

Typically compact wheel loaders are classified by horsepower. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) categorizes the units from 1 to 40 hp, 40 to 60 hp, 60 to 80 hp and 80 to 100 hp. Many manufacturers, including Wacker Neuson, offer several sizes. There are typically two different styles — articulated steering and rigid frame all-wheel steer (AWS). Articulated wheel loaders offer excellent maneuverability with a wide choice of power and performance ratings and rigid AWS are very comfortable to operate and provide excellent stability especially on jobsites with steep grades.

Many skid steer applications can be achieved by either the articulated or AWS machines; however, each type has distinct advantages. The AWS machines have a rigid frame, so their operating capacities do not change when turning the machine. They also have a great deal of stability and can handle a 40-degree side slope. Most articulated machines are equipped with an on-demand differential lock that allows both axles to lock 100 percent for maximum traction when pushing and loading material. For example, the Wacker Neuson’s WL 30 has a monstrous amount of breakout force, over 9,000 lbs of breakout in a 7,000-lb machine.

While skid steers still have their place in the market, more and more contractors are finding that wheel loaders can get the job done more efficiently and safer. Fuel and tire economy are huge benefits in this competitive market. Because wheel loaders do not use shear force to turn, they can be operated with far lower horsepower than what a skid steer will use.

Additional ergonomic efficiencies can be gained with a more comfortable operator’s platform that allows 360-degree visibility and a birds-eye view that not only allows the operator to be more efficient in digging and grading, but also much safer on the jobsite when loading and unloading materials. Add to that the smooth hydraulics and automotive style steering that allows a new employee or rental operator to get into a wheel loader and be productive immediately. Finally, because the engine does not constantly run at full throttle, the way a typical skid steer works, a large amount of engine and pump life is saved. This allows the end-user/owner to capitalize on low input and maintenance costs, as well as resale value.

Wheel loaders in Europe are as common on the jobsite as skid steer units in the North American jobsites. However, as more contractors learn about the many advantages of wheel loaders, that trend might shift.

Jay Baudhuin is the Compact Equipment Product Manager for Wacker Neuson Corp.

Wheel Loaders Green with Energy
New Technology Makes for Eco-Friendly, Efficient Machines
By Mike Murphy

In a world with limited natural resources, volatile energy prices and increasingly strained ecosystems and manufacturers’ long-term commitment to make use of technological innovations to advance energy efficiency, low emissions and overall eco-friendliness are indispensable. With the ultimate engineering target of developing the green machine in mind, evolutionary concepts of wheel loader technology have and will continue to shape each new product generation.

The ultimate goal remains a machine with minimal environmental impact and maximum operator comfort.
Green machine concepts therefore focus on features such as fuel efficiency, reduction of the overall carbon footprint, biodegradable fluids, reusable or biodegradable components, recyclable electronics, heat and energy recovery and noise reduction.

Engine and Fuel Technology

Research and development are following many different roads and have already made huge strides in terms of fuel efficiency and reduced emissions over the past few years. With Tier 4 technology in sight for January 2011, manufacturers continue to aggressively pursue concepts such as diesel-electric hybrid engines, hybrid transmission systems, brake energy recovery, more sophisticated and energy-efficient hydraulic systems, and electronic control of transmission, engine and diagnostics.

Many manufacturers are working towards the long-term goal of significantly reducing fuel consumption. New Holland Construction, for example, aims to reduce fuel consumption by at least one-third and biodiesel-operated machines are already a reality for smaller size models.

Maintainability

Aside from engine and fuel technology, maintainability is another priority when it comes to technological advances.
The industry is moving to increasingly longer service cycles that reduce both time and expense needed over a machine’s life cycle.

Engine oil changes that were in the past required every 100 hours are now only necessary every 500 hours, and similar maintenance schedules apply to transmission fluids and coolants.

As engine oil and filter changes can also have a potentially negative environmental impact through accidental spills if not properly executed, environmental drain is another key area for improvements. New Holland Construction has implemented advanced maintenance solutions on all wheel loaders. Quick coupling for draining hoses enables easy and clean drainage of engine oil and hydraulic oil, as well as coolant. Thus it allows for more controlled disposal, minimizing the chance of environmental pollution.

Operator Comfort

While the concept of the green wheel loader focuses primarily on the machine’s environmental impact, operator comfort and overall controllability are also considered, especially as the growing challenge to recruit qualified operators comes to the fore. Manufacturers are put to the test to make the operator’s “mobile office” as comfortable and efficient as possible.
In this context, noise reduction, both inside the cab and as it relates to the environment — already a differentiating factor in densely populated areas such as Europe or other urban centers worldwide — has a significant impact on overall workplace quality.

In wheel loaders, wide doors allow convenient cab egress/ingress while tightly sealed, heavily insulated and isolation-mounted cabs use maintenance-free oil-filled dampeners to keep out dust, dirt, noise and vibrations. Adjustable seat and tilting steering column add additional operator comfort, and an expansive flat area of nearly 50 sq ft of seamless glass provides optimum visibility. Without any front corner posts to obstruct the view to the front bucket and a low rear hood and frame design that offers outstanding rear visibility, the operator can focus on the task at hand, even during a long work day.

The Machine of the Future

Last but not least, while working towards minimal environmental impact and maximum operator comfort, engineering and design advances always need to maintain and enhance the machine’s optimum productivity. Each new product generation faces the challenge of creating a product capable of using more tools to handle more applications and to increase the machine’s overall efficiency on the jobsite.

On-board load weighing devices, rear camera systems that improve safety, increasingly sophisticated monitoring systems with satellite transmission to one single location monitoring a complete fleet of machines and ultimately, the autonomously operating machine of the future without operator on board are just some of the features we can envision and in some cases already encounter in experimental stages.

Mike Murphy is the New Holland Global Product Marketing Manager.