Topic summary
Wheel loader
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Loader (equipment).
Wheel loaders
The first wheel loader was invented by Frank G. Hough in 1939, it was called the Payloader. This machine consisted of a vertical mast affixed to the front of a tractor with a pair of loader arms running from the back of the machine ending in a forwards bucket, with the main lifting mechanism being driven a cable tensioned via vertically lifting hydraulic cylinder located inside the mast. Today wheel loaders are articulated, a design choice introduced in 1953 via Mixermobile's Scoopmobile series of wheel loaders. This articulation allows them both a superior turning radius and the ability to move the bucket in a small horizontal arc without having to move forward like a conventionally steering chassis.