Equipment World
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Betting on the growing popularity of compact wheel loaders, Wacker Neuson is bringing its WL250, previously available only in other countries, to the U.S.
“We believe that skid steers are, step by step, going to be replaced, also here in the North American market, by compact wheel loaders. That’s why we’re expanding our range,” said Gert Reichetseder, president and CEO of North America for Wacker Neuson.
The 2-metric-ton WL250 is designed with a compact profile and a low overall height of 6.5 feet, allowing it to fit into buildings or under gates for construction or landscaping work. The model made its U.S. debut at the recent ARA Show in Las Vegas.
The WL250’s low center of gravity enables easy machine entry and increased stability while handling heavy loads, the company says. The bucket capacity corresponds to the model number, with WL250 standing for 0.25 cubic meters (0.32 cubic yards).
The low front-end design also allows for good visibility of attachments, while the hydraulic quick-change system speeds up attachment swaps.
The drive system uses four wheel-hub motors mounted directly on each wheel, and driven by a travel hydraulic pump, enabling high pushing power, fast acceleration and responsive driving performance, the company says. Lifting-arm dampening minimizes machine rocking at high travel speeds.
An articulated pendulum joint with a 12-degree oscillating angle ensures that all four wheels maintain traction on uneven terrain.
Inside the cab of a Wacker Neuson WL250.Equipment WorldReichetseder notes that while compact wheel loaders don’t have as tight of a turning radius as skid steers, they make up for it in operator comfort.
“The main advantage of skid steers is that you can turn around in one spot, but how often do you really need to do that?” he says. “With compact wheel loaders, operator comfort is much better. It’s not as bumpy, and you don’t need to crawl over the arm system to get in.”
The left-hand side of the cab features a low-entry, wide-opening door with non-slip steps and easy-to-reach handholds for increased safety. On the right-hand side, operators can fully open and lock the window. Gap ventilation is also available.
