ABSTRACT
A loader is a self-propelled machine with a bucket mounted on the front end. As with dozers, loaders are mounted either on tracks or on wheels. A straight-frame loader costs less to purchase and maintain per hour, but the productivity of an articulated loader is greater for truck-loading operations, because of its shorter turning radius. Tracked loaders have the advantage of good flotation and traction when ground conditions are soft or uneven. They also operate over sharp objects that would penetrate the rubber tires of a wheeled loader. The most common types of loader buckets are the general purpose bucket and the multipurpose bucket. Other attachments manufactured for loaders include augers, blades, brooms, compactors, forks, snow blowers, and snowplows. A contractor is planning to use a tracked loader to excavate for the foundation a small building. Dividing the total volume of work to be performed by the loader productivity provides an estimate of the time required to perform the task.
