The engine runs both the hydraulics and the transmission, and these in turn move the front attachment (a bucket, forks, sweeper, etc.) to manipulate the material being handled, and the wheels or tracks to move the machine around the jobsite. The major components included in a loader are the engine (diesel in almost all cases), the hydraulic components (such as pumps, motors and valves) and the transmission components (gearbox, axles, wheels/tracks, pumps, motors, etc.). The term 'loader' is also used in the debris removal field to describe the boom on a grapple truck. Heavy equipment manufacturers offer a wide range of loader sizes and duties. The tradeoff is that when the machine is 'twisted' to one side and a heavy load is lifted high, it has a greater risk of turning over to the 'wide' side.ДЇront loaders gained popularity during the last two decades, especially in urban engineering projects and small earthmoving works. Since the front wheels and attachment rotate on the same axis, the operator is able to 'steer' his load in an arc after positioning the machine, which can be useful. Articulated steering provides better maneuverability for a given wheelbase. This is referred to as 'articulated steering' and allows the front axle to be solid, allowing it to carry greater weight. Instead, they steer by a hydraulically actuated pivot point set exactly between the front and rear axles. Unlike backhoes or standard tractors fitted with a front bucket, many large loaders do not use automotive steering mechanisms. High-tip buckets are suitable for light materials such as chip, peat and light gravel and when the bucket is emptied from a height.Д¬lose-up of articulated steering apparatus They are sometimes used as snowplows with a snowplow attachment but commonly have a bucket or snow basket, which can also be used to load snow into the rear compartment of a snowplow or dump truck. In construction areas loaders are also used to transport building materials such as bricks, pipe, metal bars, and digging tools over short distances.ДЇront-loaders are commonly used to remove snow especially from sidewalks, parking lots, and other areas too small for using snowplows and other heavy equipment. Wheels provide better mobility and speed and do not damage paved roads as much as tracks, but provide less traction. They are successful where sharp-edged materials in construction debris would damage rubber wheels, or where the ground is soft and muddy.

Unlike most bulldozers, most loaders are wheeled and not tracked, although track loaders are common. Other companies like CASE in America and Whitlock in the UK had been manufacturing excavator loaders well before JCB. Large loaders, such as the Kawasaki 95ZV-2, John Deere 844K, ACR 700K Compact Wheel Loader, Caterpillar 950H, Volvo L120E, Case 921E, or Hitachi ZW310 usually have only a front bucket and are called front loaders, whereas small loader tractors are often also equipped with a small backhoe and are called backhoe loaders or loader backhoes or JCBs, after the company that first claimed to have invented them.

The bucket can also be augmented with devices like a bale grappler for handling large bales of hay or straw. Often the bucket can be replaced with other devices or tools-for example, many can mount forks to lift heavy pallets or shipping containers, and a hydraulically opening 'clamshell' bucket allows a loader to act as a light dozer or scraper. The loader assembly may be a removable attachment or permanently mounted.

A loader is commonly used to move a stockpiled material from ground level and deposit it into an awaiting dump truck or into an open trench excavation. Loader removing snow in JyvГ¤skylГ¤, FinlandДЄ loader is a type of tractor, usually wheeled, sometimes on tracks, that has a front-mounted wide bucket connected to the end of two booms (arms) to scoop up loose material from the ground, such as dirt, sand or gravel, and move it from one place to another without pushing the material across the ground.

Backhoe loader