A loader clearing a landslide.

A Komatsu front loader with articulated steering.

A loader, also called a front loader, front end loader or shovel, is a type of tractor, usually wheeled, that uses a wide square tilting bucket on the end of movable arms to lift and move material.

The loader assembly may be a removable attachment or permanently mounted. Often the bucket can be replaced with other devices or tools.

Large loaders, such as the Caterpillar 950G or Caterpillar 966G, usually have only a front bucket and are called Front Loaders, whereas small loader tractors are often also equipped with a small backhoe and are called backhoe loaders or loader backhoes.

Loaders are used mainly for uploading sand, dirt and mud into trucks, clearing rubble and digging, though a loader is not the most efficient machine for digging as it cannot dig very deep below the level of its wheels, like a backhoe can. Their deep bucket can store about 3-5 cubic meters (exact number varies with the model) of earth. The front loader's bucket capacity is much bigger than a bucket capacity of a backhoe loader.

In construction areas, mainly when fixing a road in a middle of a city, loaders are also used to transport building materials - such as bricks, metal bars and digging tools - over short distances.

Unlike bulldozers, most loaders are wheeled and not tracked. Wheels provide better mobility (and speed) and do not damage paved roads.

External links

• Calculating the capacity of a loader's bucket
• CAT 966G Wheel Loader.

See also

• Backhoe loader
• Bulldozer
• Crane
• Engineering vehicles
• Excavator
• Grader
• Skid loader
• Tractor