Loader is a widely used in civil engineering, mining, logistics and other fields of engineering machinery, its classification is diverse, mainly based on the walking mode, power system, operating scenes and other criteria. The following are common classification methods and specific types:
1. Classification according to travelling device
(1) Wheel loader
Characteristics: Adopting tyre walking, mobile and flexible, fast speed, suitable for flat and hard sites (e.g. highways, ports, construction sites).
Application: Widely used in earth moving, loading and unloading trucks, road construction, etc.
Example: Commonly used in construction sites, harbour loading and unloading.
(2) Crawler Loader
Characteristics: Chassis is tracked, small grounding specific pressure, good anti-skid, adapting to complex terrain (e.g. mud, loose soil, mine, etc.).
Applications: mining, wetland operation, working conditions with large slope.
Examples: wetland coal mine, mountain engineering.
2. Classified according to power system
(1) Diesel-powered loader
Characteristics: powered by diesel engine, strong power, long range, suitable for outdoor harsh environment.
Application: Mainstream choice, especially suitable for mining, infrastructure and other high-intensity operations.
(2) Electric Power Loader
Features: powered by battery or cable, zero emission, low noise, suitable for closed or environmentally friendly scenarios.
Applications: indoor warehouses, tunnels, power plants and other places with high air quality requirements.
(3) Hybrid Loader
Characteristics: Combining diesel and electric power drive, reducing fuel consumption through energy recovery, balancing efficiency and environmental protection.
Application: construction sites with high requirements for energy saving and emission reduction.
(4) New Energy Loader
Characteristics: Adopting clean energy such as lithium battery, hydrogen fuel cell, etc., no pollution, in line with the green development trend.
Application: the mainstream direction in the future, suitable for regions with strict environmental protection policies.
3. Classified according to operation scenes
(1) Universal Loader
Characteristics: Standard bucket design, used for loading and unloading of conventional materials (e.g. earth, sand and gravel).
Application: Most engineering scenarios.
(2) Special loaders
Characteristics: Modified for specific needs, equipped with special attachments.
Common types:
Wood chucking machine: used for handling block materials (e.g. wood, stone).
Snow remover: equipped with snow pusher or snow thrower, used for removing snow from roads in winter.
Road sweeper: equipped with sweeping device, used for road cleaning.
Mining loader: increase the bucket capacity and strengthen the structure to adapt to the heavy-duty operation of the mine.
Skid steer loader: small size, can be skid steering, suitable for narrow space operation.
4. Classification according to tonnage
Small loader (1-3 tonnes): suitable for narrow space or light work (such as gardening, agriculture).
Medium loader (3-5 tonnes): the most versatile, commonly used in construction sites, municipal engineering.
Large loader (5-10 tonnes): used for large-scale earthwork or mine loading and unloading.
Super-large loader (more than 10 tonnes): designed for mines and large-scale infrastructure, with large bucket capacity and high efficiency.
5. Classified according to transmission mode
Mechanical drive loader: transferring power through gears and drive shafts, with high efficiency but big operation impact.
Hydraulic drive loader: adopts hydraulic torque converter, which can achieve stepless speed change, smoother operation and adapt to complex working conditions.
