Wheel loaders designed for operators

Anyone who has looked at the new generation of wheel loaders for the construction market has probably taken note of the futuristic designs. No more “square edges”, these loaders feature short, rounded rear ends with high-visibility cabs. But this is more than a design exercise — these wheel loaders offer many productivity boosting advantages.

It’s about more than glass

Some manufacturers boast about the surface area of glass used in their cabs, but this is not necessarily a good measure of the wheel loader’s visibility. “Really it’s the obstructions on the machine that ultimately limit your visibility,” says Dan Snedecor, wheel loader business line, Volvo Construction Equipment. “There are companies that put in a lot of glass that goes all the way down to the floor, and basically all you see is the back of your front frame or the back of your fenders. You really don’t see anything we deem as practical.”

This can actually have a negative influence on the operator environment. “Glass is a very poor insulator of noise and vibration,” says Snedecor. “We really pride ourselves on operator comfort, keeping the internal cab noise to a minimum. So we have stuck to our guns as far as limiting glass to real visibility and not just doing it for the aesthetic effect.”

In addition, the shape of the glass can affect visibility. “Case has maintained basically flat glass throughout its cab,” says Dave Wolf, marketing manager, Case Construction Equipment. “It is easier to replace and you eliminate any kind of distortion that you would have with curved glass.”

Snedecor adds that visibility to attachments is also critical on utility-sized wheel loaders. “You should put the attachment all the way to the ground. From a normal seated position, identify how much of the attachment you can see,” he advises. “You want to be able to see those things function at ground level because that is where you are picking up objects. You shouldn’t have to stand up or lean forward or adjust your position in any way.”

Designs improve sight lines

Many manufacturers have addressed obstacles that do impair important sight lines. For instance, rear hoods have been sloped to increase rear visibility.

This was no small task. “What Case has done on the D Series wheel loader, we have a mid-mounted cooling module,” says Wolf. “That means that all of our coolers are in a box located directly behind the cab.” That enabled the placement of the engine behind the rear axle and lower. “So we gained excellent visibility to the rear of the machine.”

John Deere also concentrated on rear visibility with its latest design. “Our Quad-Cool design provides for a narrow and tapered rear to the machine for better visibility to the back tires and to the back,” notes O’Keefe, “especially in tight quarters for maneuverability and in case someone was approaching from the side or rear.”

“Our frame posts have been made smaller and moved out of the operator’s line of sight forward,” says Komatsu America ’s Post. “Front windshield panels are joined together using clear silicon adhesive rather than rubber sashes or steel bars.”

Similarly, many manufacturers have redesigned the loader linkages and re-routed hydraulic lines to improve visibility to the work tool. “We have re-routed our hydraulic lines,” says Case’s Wolf. “Instead of a high, looping hydraulic line, it is now tucked and runs directly alongside the lift arms. So it is a very low-profile routing of the lines.”

Komatsu relocated the cylinders on its tool carriers for increased visibility. “Hydraulic cylinders have been moved from atop in-line loader arms on tool carriers to give better visibility to bucket corners,” says Post. “Hoses to the cylinders are routed under the cylinders for better visibility to the attachment.”