The WL110 Wheel Loader is the largest machine in Wacker Neuson’s compact wheel loader line. Greg Monk, Product Manager, explains what makes it a productivity powerhouse for any industry with something to move.
Greg Monk’s career with Wacker Neuson has spanned more than three decades – long before the two German brands Wacker and Neuson joined forces.
“The business is 175 years old, and has had a presence in Australia since 1966,” he says. “It was just known as the Wacker Company back then, which dealt in light gear like rammers and plate compactors. We then merged with Neuson in 2008, which introduced all the earthmoving gear.”
Wacker Neuson then began bringing earthmoving equipment into Australia in 2010 starting with its excavator range, with telehandlers and wheel loaders soon to follow.
Greg says this means the company is no household name in Australia, but given its premium German-made product line, Wacker Neuson won’t remain Europe’s best-kept secret in the local earthmoving space for long.
Fully loaded
One recent addition to the Wacker Neuson earthmoving range is the 11-tonne WL110 Wheel Loader, which has already begun making its mark in the Australian market. As Wacker Neuson’s largest compact wheel loader, the WL110 is well suited to applications such as earthworks, quarrying, and waste management.
“Wheel loaders like the WL100 are the primary size used in local government recycling centres,” Greg says. “Every recycling centre in Australia and New Zealand will have one, two, or three of these going around.”
Greg says this means such wheel loaders are generally purchased as part of a fleet, and tend to be put to work on quite long days.
“Wacker Neuson deals a lot in smaller 1.7-tonne excavators, which will often only be running for two hours a day,” he says. “On a loader like the WL110, it’s more like six or seven hours. This makes operator comfort absolutely critical.
“We’ve spent a lot of time reducing the noise levels inside the cabin, as well as making sure operators are in a comfortable, ergonomic position when they’re working the machine.”
Greg says the WL110 has been designed to ensure all main operating functions are at the fingertips, making operation intuitive for less experienced operators, and reducing the range of motion required.
“With machines in a fleet, you’ll often have different operators getting in these machines all the time,” he says. “They might be very experienced in another brand of 10-tonne wheel loader, but have never used ours before. So, all critical components and functions need to be clearly identified and intuitive. And that’s where we differentiate ourselves from others in the marketplace.”
Operator first
Stepping into the WL110’s cab, operators will find the joystick console mounted on the operator’s seat and cushioned against vibrations, ensuring the most important controls are always in the right place for any operator – especially important for longer days on the machine.
“When you move this seat, the joystick comes with you,” Greg says. “With some brands, the joystick stays in the one spot – so if the seat moves forward, the operator’s no longer in an ergonomic position.”
This console is also home to the jog dial, which allows operators to easily select hydraulic flow presets for different attachments.
“For less experienced operators, this limits the potential for them to cause damage when switching between attachments,” Greg says. “They just have to select the right option, the system will detect what’s on there, and it adjusts accordingly.”
These features are all in line with Wacker Neuson’s operating philosophy, which aims to make the operation of all Wacker Neuson machines a consistent experience – even across product groups.
This is further supported by a range of other standard inclusions, such as an intuitive seven-inch touch screen, integrated rear camera, air conditioning, automatic bucket return, as well as the enhanced productivity provided by the Ecospeed Pro hydrostatic transmission.
“Ecospeed Pro functions similarly to cruise control,” Greg says. “The WL110 can do a maximum of 40kmph, and this feature can hold that speed, whether you’re going up a hill or down a hill – but you’re still able to control that speed with your foot throttle. This helps operators get to and from the load and dump points quicker and more safely.”
What’s more, Greg says the Ecospeed Pro transmission not only helps simplify operation, but also eliminates the need for gears.
“A lot of other brands out there will have power shuttle or power shifting systems,” he says. “Going fully hydrostatic is a more expensive way of doing it, but it means you never have to change gears – it’s just a forward and reverse switch on the joystick.
“The problem with a gear system, like you’d have on a tractor for instance, is you’re changing gears 1000 times a day. That means wear and tear on both the machine and operator.”
Combined with a Stage V-compliant Deutz engine, Greg says the efficiency of Ecospeed Pro also helps keep the WL110’s emissions down – especially important in local council settings, where the emissions of earthmoving equipment are increasingly under scrutiny.
The real deal
With a trusted dealership network covering every Australian state and territory – as well as New Zealand – Greg says Wacker Neuson is in a great position to support an upswing in local demand for its products.
“Wacker Neuson machines are premium German-built products,” he says. “They offer all the modern productivity, efficiency, and safety features you’d expect – but they’re still competitively priced.”
WL110 Wheel Loader key features and specs:
Operating weight: 11,250kg
Payload: 1724-2083kg
Bucket capacity (heaped): 1.55 cubic metres
Engine: Deutz TCD 4.1 S5, Stage V, 115kW @ 2300rpm
Transmission: Ecospeed Pro hydrostatic
To view the full range of Wacker Neuson products, visit: www.wackerneuson.com/au