Telescopic wheel loaders are becoming more popular on North American construction sites. Popular in Europe, telescopic wheel loaders have been gaining greater popularity in North America due to the diversity of applications in which they can be used and due to their greater reach and dump capacities.
Another reason that contractors choose telescopic wheel loaders over traditional wheel loaders is that the extended reach oftentimes allows them to purchase a smaller machine (so long as they don’t need high break out forces). Truck loading, hopper loading, pallet work for example, can easily be achieved with a smaller, less costly telehandler. Other benefits include maneuverability, versatility, and easy ingress/egress into the cab.
Greater Capacities, Smaller Machines
“A small telescopic wheel loader is a great choice when your main focus is load over height,” says John Dotto, market product manager, Wacker Neuson. “Because of the additional lift height of these machines, contractors don’t necessarily need to invest in a larger machine to achieve the same lift height. Because of the smaller footprint versus a larger loader, a telescopic compact loader is a great choice for confined spaces. They are versatile machines designed for loading, stacking and dumping materials and can easily manage high sided trucks and material containers.”
For the North American market, Wacker Neuson offers the popular 8085T. It is a non-articulated telescopic wheel loader that features a 74-hp Deutz engine, a hinge pin height of 15 feet, 4 inches, an operating weight of 12,125 pounds, a bucket tipping load of 6,349 pounds, and a maximum travel speed of 24 mph.
To serve markets outside of the US, Wacker Neuson sister company, Kramer Werke GmbH (Kramer), just made several changes to their 8145T telescopic wheel loader (which is not available in the US or Canada). Being in the 9-to-11-metric-ton range, it is much larger than the Wacker Neuson 8085T. It features an operating weight of 24,626 pounds, a bucket tipping load of 12,125 pounds, a 134-hp Deutz engine, and a maximum travel speed of 25 mph.
“Kramer’s telescopic wheel loaders, such as the 8145T, are full-featured wheel loaders with a plus in reach, stacking height and dumping height,” says Daniel Fechtig, product manager wheel loader, Kramer. “The telescoping loading facility reaches even greater heights and distances safely and precisely. Not only do they open up new possibilities, but they can also improve existing work processes decisively. This significantly improves productivity and economic efficiency.”
Safety
All Wacker Neuson telescopic wheel loaders feature a safe load indicator system in the cab. The safe load indicator provides the operator with feedback related to the loader’s capacity with a series of lights that indicate how close the loader is to full capacity. “When the loader is nearing capacity the lights in the indicator advise the operator when they’re nearing capacity, and the system gives a final warning when the limits have been pushed too far. At this point, the operator must retract the boom and lower the loader arm to a position that is within the machine’s capacity” says Dotto.
The all-wheel steer design on the Wacker Neuson 8085T provides a constant center of gravity in the middle of the machine, thereby making it extremely stable, whereas the 8145 relies heavily on an undivided chassis for a higher level of stability.
Steering
The 8085T provides a constant payload regardless of whether the machine is going straight or turning. The AWS system offers three steering modes (all wheel, front wheel, and crab steering) that sync electronically. Operators can change between two-wheel mode for faster forward travel speed to all wheel drive for travel over rough terrain to crab steer that moves the machine horizontally in order to fine-tune placement in tight spaces. The operator can simply change the steering mode with the flip of dashboard switch and the machine will automatically synchronize to the desired steering mode.
The 8145T also provides smart driving via three steering options: all-wheel, crab and front-axle steering; all improve maneuverability on congested job sites and increase application versatility.
Power
The load-sensing hydraulics on the 8145T allows for the increase or decrease in hydraulic power to match the minimum power needed to lift the load. This leads to a decreased energy usage and less wear and tear on hydraulic systems.
The machine’s new transmission increases the machine’s pushing power. “The continuously variable hydrostatic ecospeedPRO transmission not only achieves higher tractive forces and travel speeds than before, but also achieves this while retaining all the advantages of previous hydrostatic travel drives in terms of compactness, energy efficiency, operator comfort and sensitivity,” says Fechtig.
The 8145T features Kramer’s ecospeedPRO for the speed range up to 25 mph. According to the company, the ecospeedPRO transmission achieves higher tractive forces and travel speeds.
Convenience Features
The Z-kinematics on the Kramer 8145T is characterized by a higher tearing force can be generated when the bucket is tipped in with the same cylinder size. This is made possible by acting on the piston side of the hydraulic cylinder during tilting. Due to the very compact design of the telescopic wheel loader kinematics, the advantages of the Z-kinematics come into their own here.
Adding to the versatility of the Wacker Neuson 8085T is the hydraulically operated universal attachment plate which enables the operator to quickly switch attachments without leaving the operator’s station, saving time and effort. In addition, the universal plate allows owners to use their current of new skid steer attachments on these unique loaders which increases their return on investment and provides new job opportunities.
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