Quick Data: 2022 Top-Selling Wheel Loaders and Auction Trends

Quick Data is a snapshot of new and used wheel loader sales trends from Randall Reilly’s EDA equipment financing data, TopBid auction price service and EquipmentWatch market trend reports.

Sales of new financed wheel loaders were up year-over-year from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, according to Randall Reilly’s EDA equipment financing data. Used financed wheel loader sales were flat during the period, as inventory levels across the industry remain depleted.

Financed new wheel loader sales were up 8.1%, while sales of financed used machines rose only 0.3% during the same comparative period.

Of all manufacturers, Cat sold the highest volume of financed new wheel loaders during the period. Approximately 25.4% of total loaders sold were Cat, followed by Deere (19.6%) and Komatsu (12.1%). Topping the list of new financed sales were the Komatsu WA270-8, Cat 938M and Deere 544P.

Cat also snagged the top spot for the highest number of financed used units and commanded a higher percentage of total sales at 27.9%. Deere again claimed the second spot at 24.4%, with Case coming in third at 13.9%. At the date we examined the data, the top-selling models were the Case 321F, Cat 938M and Deere 544K.

Equipment World; Data: EDADuring this period, there were more buyers of new loaders in Florida (977) than in any other state. Buyers of new wheel loaders were also prevalent in Texas (944) and Illinois (561).

The top states for those financing used wheel loaders were Texas (832), Florida (498) and Michigan (425).

EDA data is compiled from state UCC-1 filings on financed construction equipment. EDA continually updates this data as information comes in from each state.

Used Wheel Loader Market

Used wheel loader sales fell 12.6% for the 12-month period from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, according to Randall Reilly’s EquipmentWatch market trend data.

The average price for a used wheel loader was $135,946 in July 2022 compared to its five-year peak of $153,667 in January 2022. The average age of used wheel loaders increased slightly during the period, rising from 8.02 years to 9.11 years.

The average age and price were calculated on 152,832 resale listings during the period in the EquipmentWatch database.

Over the last 12 months, prices for used wheel loaders have in general decreased, with the largest drops in April (-4.8%) and May (-2.9%).

EquipmentWatch defines fair market value (FMV) as the monetary value of an asset that can be expected in a transaction with a single seller and single buyer, neither of whom is under any compulsion or time restriction to complete the transaction. FMV for heavy equipment is most closely associated with the private, resale market, as opposed to the public, auction market.

Wheel Loader Auction Prices

Looking at the top 20 wheel loaders sold for the 12-month period of October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, in terms of auction price, we see a similar trend. Cat accounted for more than half of the top-20 price spots. Deere and Komatsu were the only other manufacturers to make an appearance on the charts.

Caterpillar’s 966M garnered the top-three auction price spots on the list, and all were sold by Ritchie Bros. A 2021 with 2,188 hours was sold for $400,000 in Orlando, Florida, on September 1, 2022. A 2019 with 1,976 hours was sold for $390,000 in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 17, 2022. The third-highest price paid was for another 2019 model year 966M with 1,725 hours that was sold for $375,000 in Las Vegas on March 25, 2022.

Equipment World; Data: Top BidIn total, there were 263 wheel loaders sold at auctions tracked by Top Bid during this time, with an average price of $107,267. (This does not include any units sold for less than $5,000.)