Waldon wheel loaders

[fendtman]

looking for a cheap small loader, anyone have experince with a waldon 7000 to 8500 model waldon loaders. need at least a yard bucket, in compact size.

[surfer-joe]

It's been a few years, but yeah, I operated one in Colorado that we used for miscellanous work around an asphalt paving crew. The paver, the loader, and the roller could all be hauled on one trailer.

The Waldon was powered by a Ford industrial 4-cylinder diesel. Hydrastatic drive, no cab or ROPS. They are faster than a skid-steer and seem to have higher reach, I could load tandem dumps with it. It had a two-speed drop box in it.

Noisy, smoky, and leaked oil and fuel everywhere, but was usually reliable. Worked well for cleanup around the paver or dumping hot mix in tight areas in refineries or around buildings and some of the goofy-designed parking lots we paved. The articulation joint in it was badly worn, so it tended to buck a little, seat was none to comfortable.

[laketreefarm]

We have a Waldon 5000 which is a tank. Does not dig well. No down pressure. But is a great super hd yard loader. Always starts even in coldest weather. Had one repair in 10 years. New starter. 1" thick fenders make it bullet proof in yard operations. Most parts are available at NAPA as Waldon uses lot's of off-the-shelf parts. They are top heavy so do not use on slopes. We rolled ours crossing a ditch line our other loaders would have crossed easily. It sat there on it's side still running. ROPS saved the operators life (me). Rolled it back over and continued to work it.