Wheel loaders are self-propelled loading and transport machines with rubber-tyred all-wheel drive and a front-mounted bucket. Operating weights range from 4 tonnes for farm loaders to over 250 tonnes for large wheel loaders used in mining and opencast mining. Standard sizes range from 8 to 30 tonnes.
Variants include farm loaders (small, articulated), standard wheel loaders (8–25 t), large wheel loaders for quarries and open-cast mining (over 50 t), telescopic loaders with extendable arms, as well as specialised models such as timber or high-tipping wheel loaders.
Common manufacturers include Caterpillar, Volvo Construction Equipment, Liebherr, Komatsu, JCB, Hitachi, Wacker Neuson, Doosan, Hyundai and Kramer.
Wheel loaders are used in earthworks, recycling, agriculture, municipal depots, timber handling, gravel production and winter maintenance. Attachments include buckets of various sizes, pallet forks, high-tipping buckets, snow ploughs, grapples and interior fittings.