Wheel Loader

How to operate wheel loader in a safe way 

Wheel loader is a kind of earth working construction machinery widely used in highway, railway, construction, hydropower, port, mine, and other construction projects. It is mainly used for shoveling bulk materials such as soil, sand, lime, coal, hard soil, etc. for light shoveling and digging operations. It can also carry out bulldozing, lifting, and loading and unloading of other materials such as wood by changing different auxiliary working devices.

But how can we operate a wheel loader safely? Let's focus on the following 4 tips. 

1. General Safety Precautions

① Before using the loader, the driver and related personnel must carefully read the operation and maintenance manual or operation and maintenance manual provided by the manufacturer, and follow the instructions specified in the data. Otherwise it will bring serious consequences and unnecessary losses.

②The driver's clothing should meet the safety requirements and wear the necessary protective equipment.

③ If the operating area is small or in a dangerous area, warning signs must be displayed within the range or at the dangerous point.

④ It is strictly forbidden for the driver to drive after drinking or excessive fatigue.

⑤When performing maintenance or inspection operations in the central hinge area, an "anti-rotation bar" should be installed to prevent the relative rotation of the front and rear frames.

⑥After the loader has stopped, get on and off the loader at a place with ladder handrails. Never jump up and down while the loader is working or walking.

⑦When the loader needs to be raised for maintenance, the raised boom must be firmly padded to ensure that the boom will never fall under any maintenance conditions.

2. Safety precautions before starting the engine

① Check and ensure that the lighting of all lamps and each display lamp can display normally. In particular, check the normal display of the turn signals and brake indicators.

② Check and make sure that no one is working under the vehicle or close to the loader when starting the engine, so as to ensure that there will be no accidents

Endanger the safety of yourself or others.

③The shift control handle of the loader should be moved to the neutral position before starting.

④For the brake system without an emergency brake, the hand brake handle should be moved to the parking position.

⑤ Only start or run the engine in a place with good airflow. If it is running indoors, the exhaust port of the engine should be connected to or facing the outside.

3. Safety precautions after starting the engine and during operation

① After starting the engine, wait for the brake pressure to reach the safe pressure before preparing to start, so as to ensure the braking safety when driving. If there is an emergency brake, press the button of the emergency and parking brake valve (only when the air pressure reaches the allowable starting pressure, the button can be pressed, otherwise it will automatically jump up when pressed), so that the emergency and parking brake is released, and then the Start in gear. If there is no emergency brake, just put down the parking brake handle and release the parking brake to start.

⑥Before starting to walk, try all the joysticks, pedals, and steering wheel first, and make sure that they are in a normal state before starting to work. Pay special attention to checking whether the steering and brake are in good condition. Make sure that the steering and braking are completely normal before starting to run.

⑦When traveling, place the bucket at a height of about 400mm from the ground. When working on slopes in mountainous areas or crossing ditches and other obstacles, you should slow down, make small turns, and pay attention to avoid tipping. When the loading surface starts to slide to one side on a steep slope, it must be unloaded immediately to prevent further sliding down

⑧ Try to avoid too many tires and excessive skidding during operation; try to avoid two wheels hanging in the air, and it is not allowed to continue working with only two wheels on the ground.

⑨When used as a tractor, it is only allowed to hook up with the traction device, no one is allowed to stand between the towed object and the loader, and a certain safe distance must be kept to prevent safety accidents.

②Remove the faulty objects on the road where the loader is walking, and pay special attention to obstacles such as iron blocks and ditches to avoid cutting the tires.

③Adjust the rearview mirror so that the driver can have the best view after taking the seat.

④ Make sure that the loader's horn, back signal lights, and all safety devices can work normally.

⑤ When you are about to start or check that the steering is flexible, you should first honk the horn to warn the surrounding people to pay attention to safety.

4. Safety precautions when shutting down

① The loader should be parked on flat ground and the bucket should be placed on the ground. When the engine is turned off, it is necessary to repeatedly pull the operating handle of the working device several times to ensure that each hydraulic cylinder is in a non-pressurized rest state. When the loader can only be parked on the ramp, the tires should be well cushioned.

② Put various handles in neutral or middle position

③ Take away the electric lock key first, then turn off the main power switch, and finally close the doors and windows.

④ Do not park in areas with open flames or high temperatures to prevent tires from exploding due to heat and causing accidents.

⑤ When using a combination valve or an air storage tank to inflate a tire, people must not stand in front of the tire to prevent injury from an explosion.