Many of us do not know the difference between bulldozers and front loaders. Although they are very common and can be seen at almost every construction site, for many people they are just gigantic machines designed to complete tough industrial tasks. Also, for many these two machines are the same but in reality they are very different. They do have some similarities, but are designed to perform completely different construction jobs. In fact the cabin is the only thing that makes these construction machines look almost the same. Here, we will highlight few of the major differences between these two machines.
Both bulldozers and loaders can be found in different sizes and models. Bulldozer usually comes with a metal blade attached in the front end and can mostly be found at mining sites, farms, quarry areas. The metal blade is lowered to the ground and it is used to push different kinds of materials like sand, dirt, etc. Three types of bulldozer blades are available: U-shaped blade, S-shaped blade and a combination of the two. The U-shape blade is also known as universal blade, while the S-shaped blade is known as a straight blade. Some bulldozers also have a ripper at the rear end. This attachment is used to rip, brake and shatter earth material.
On the other hand, if the main function of the bulldozer is to push materials, the primary function of a front loader is to load and move different kinds of materials from one place to another. The loader is also used to load materials on other vehicles like dump trucks. A metal bucket is attached at the front end of the loader, and this attachment helps loader scoop and lift materials from the ground and to load them on other places. So, the loader does not push materials like bulldozer. For some models, the metal bucket can be replaced with other types of attachments, like forks or scrapers, enabling the loader to be used for different purposes.
How these machines move and how they are transported, is another major difference. Most of bulldozers are on tracks and because of that an additional vehicle, like a flatbed truck, is required to transport a bulldozer to the construction site. On the other hand, front loaders are usually on wheels and can be driven to the construction sites, of course if the road regulations allow this. The bulldozer sits lower to the ground because it is on tracks, while the big wheels make the front loaders much taller.
In the end, due to their differences, these two machines are used to handle different tasks and are very useful and important.
