Skid steer loader
The skid steer loader (Engl. Skid loader ) is a construction machine and belongs to the group of wheel loaders . These devices are suitable for use in cramped conditions on construction sites, in gardening and landscaping or as yard loaders in agriculture, as they are characterized by their small dimensions, low weight and high maneuverability. Skid steer loaders are equipped with either a wheel drive or a crawler drive .
The wheels are rigidly mounted. Change of direction effected by skid steer (engl. Skid steer ) by the lateral Radpaare- or endless belts are driven at different speeds or in opposite direction of rotation. Skid steer loaders can turn on the spot.
With a variety of attachments, skid steer loaders can be used as universal multi-purpose devices. Instead of the bucket for bulk goods, sweepers , earth drills , snow blades or trenches can be attached.
Components
The skid steer loader essentially consists of four components:
- Attachment (e.g. loading shovel)
- engine
- Wheel drive
- Driver's cab
Parameters
Depending on the model, skid steer loaders have rated outputs between 10 and 40 kW. The operating weight (dead weight) is between 0.7 and 3.5 t, the payload (lifting capacity) from 200 kg to 1500 kg and the front shovel holds up to 1.4 m³. Typical skid steer loaders have a short wheelbase and the machine width is only 0.9 to 1.75 m.
Technology and equipment
Skid steer loaders have four-wheel drive with hydraulic motors . They reach a top speed of up to 20 km / h.
The wheels are rigidly attached to the frame, and the steering is achieved via a different running direction or speed of the wheel pairs on each side. This drive steering, known from tracked vehicles, enables turning on the spot. The subsurface should be paved for this purpose, otherwise it will be disturbed.
As an alternative to wheel drives, crawler tracks are also used, which are particularly suitable for use on soft and slippery surfaces, as the machine weight is distributed over a larger area and traction is improved. Devices with a triangular chain run are also called delta loaders .
Special chains exert even less pressure, have no profile and are smooth throughout, so that they can be used on particularly sensitive surfaces such as golf turf .
The loading shovel usually performs a radial movement, as a result of which it moves significantly backwards when the load is lifted to a greater height in order to be unloaded there. The guiding of the shovel arm on two lever arms results in a four-jointed coupling gear in newer models , which enables the “vertical stroke” of the shovel. As a result, the payload can also be increased compared to the radial lifting devices, since the bucket is not so far away from the loader when it is swiveled up.
The control of the devices is optionally mechanical, hydraulic or electro-proportional.
In order to enable versatile use of the devices, many devices are equipped with an additional hydraulic connection for attachments (over 200 different), with which hydraulic devices with up to 40 kW can be operated.
use
Due to the small size and the high maneuverability, compact loaders are suitable for use on smaller construction sites or in gardening and landscaping. A large number of different attachments mean that the machines can be used universally, for example in road , mining or winter service. Small skid steer loaders can also be used inside buildings as they are narrow and low and fit through doorways.
If the condition of the ground and the available space allow a sufficiently flat ramp to be built, skid steer loaders can also dig pits where there may not be enough space for the gripper arm of a mini excavator to swing around .
Attachment tools
In addition to various shovels, over 200 different attachments and tools are offered for special purposes.
Road construction:
- Asphalt milling machine
- Taring machine
- 2D / 3D dozer blade
- Compressor plates
- Trench / cable cutter
Agriculture:
- Grab bucket
- Hay bale fork
Winter service:
- Snow blower
- Snow blade
General use:
- Dustpan
- Broom
- Hydraulic hammer
- Mixer
- Pallet fork
and much more.
In order to level surfaces precisely, for example in road construction, devices with laser level control or global positioning systems are used.
safety
The statutory accident prevention regulations (short UVV ) look for earth-moving machines with an output of 15 kW equipped with ROPS -Schutzeinrichtung ( Roll O ver P rotective S tructure) and with a FOPS -Schutzeinrichtung ( F alling O bject P rotective S tructure) ago.
Due to the design, the areas to the side or behind the compact loader are difficult to see for the operator . Particular caution is required when reversing, and a guide may be required.
Manufacturer
The skid steer loader class was initially a niche product that was only manufactured by a few manufacturers. This is where the Bobcat Company made a name for itself . Since the 1990s, more and more companies began to expand their machine range to include this device class. These include Case , Gehl Company , Komatsu , Hyundai or Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB), Caterpillar and Wacker Neuson .
See also
Web links
literature
General:
- Willi Dolder : 1000 excavators and other construction machines , NGV-Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-625-10374-5
Germany:
- UVV "vehicles"
- BGR "Operation of work equipment"
- VGB 40 "Excavators, loaders, graders, scrapers and special machines for earthworks (earth-moving machines)"
Individual evidence
- ↑ Manfred Hoffmann: Number tables for construction operations , Teubner Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-519-65220-X , page 619