How Much Does a Used Wheel Loader Cost? Real Prices from PA Dealers (2026)

Used wheel loader prices cover a wider spread than almost any other machine we track. On the same day, Pennsylvania dealers on Heavy Listing had a 1976 Caterpillar 950 for $15,900 and a 2015 Cat 988K for $405,500. Both are “used wheel loaders”. So asking how much a used front end loader costs only gets a useful answer once you add size, age and hours.

We took every used wheel loader listed by Pennsylvania dealers on Heavy Listing, sorted them by size class, and broke the asking prices down by model year, hour meter, dealer and budget. You will also find real listings side by side, so you can see what a $10,000 or $150,000 gap looks like in practice.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure here is an asking price from a Heavy Listing ad, pulled on November 10, 2026. The machines come from three Pennsylvania dealers:

• Old Forge Power Equipment in Carbondale: 23 loaders, mostly Caterpillar, from 1976 to 2021.
• Five Star Equipment, with loaders at its Dunmore, Williamsport and Waterford branches: 9 machines, all John Deere except one Liebherr, all 2023 to 2025 models with under 720 hours.
• Kurtz Trading in Littlestown: 3 older or high-hour loaders under $36,000.

Read the numbers with these caveats in mind:

• Asking prices are not sold prices. Most dealers expect some negotiation, and nobody publishes what a machine finally sold for.
• Five Star listed two identical 2025 John Deere 544Gs (same price, same 192 hours). We counted that machine once, which is why the count is 35 and not 36.
• Seven Old Forge loaders show “0 hours”. On that dealer’s feed a zero means the hours were not listed, not a brand-new meter, so those seven are left out of every hours figure.
• One Old Forge machine, an International M10A, has no model year. It counts in the size and budget numbers but not in the age table.
• The groups are small. Use the ranges as a reality check before you call a dealer, not as a price guide.

How much does a used wheel loader cost by size?

Size is where pricing starts. Dealers rarely list bucket size or operating weight in the ad, so we sorted by model number, the way most buyers already think about loaders. Our rule: John Deere 300-series models (304G, 324L, 324P) are compact; Deere 500 and 600-series and Cat 930 to 950 are mid-size; Deere 700-series and up and Cat 966 and up are large. The five loaders from other brands are shown on their own line, because one machine per brand is not enough to place them reliably.

Size class	Machines	Median price	Price range
Compact (Deere 304G, 324L, 324P)	3	$81,500	$35,500 to $119,600
Mid-size (Deere 544 to 644, Cat 930 to 950)	18	$124,000	$15,900 to $258,400
Large (Deere 724 and up, Cat 966 and up)	9	$112,500	$36,500 to $405,500
Other brands (Case, Volvo, Kawasaki, Liebherr, International)	5	$35,500	$21,500 to $165,000

The large loaders have a lower median than the mid-size ones, and that is the age mix, not a bargain. All nine large loaders are Old Forge machines, none newer than 2021, and three were built before 2000. The mid-size group includes six 2024 and 2025 John Deere 544Gs and 644Gs from Five Star at $195,500 and up.

Compare the same years and size wins again. Among loaders from 2017 to 2021, the four mid-size machines (a Cat 930M and three 938Ms) had a median of $127,500, while the four large ones (Cat 966M and 972M, Deere 724P and 844K III) had a median of $154,000.

Used wheel loader prices by age

Across all sizes, here is how model year lines up with the asking price:

Model year	Machines	Median price	Price range
2022 and newer	9	$213,200	$81,500 to $258,400
2017 to 2021	9	$129,500	$35,500 to $175,500
2006 to 2016	6	$94,000	$35,500 to $405,500
2005 and older	10	$36,500	$15,900 to $72,500

The jump at the top is steep. A late-model 644G at around $215,000 costs roughly $90,000 more than a 2019 Cat 938M, and you pay that for a machine with a few hundred hours instead of four to six thousand. Whether it is worth it depends on how many hours a year you will put on it and whether you need a warranty.

The bottom of the table is where older loaders live. Ten machines built in 2005 or earlier had a median of $36,500, and none was over $72,500. That band includes a 1977 Cat 988B, one of the biggest loaders in the sample, at $48,900. On a loader this old the year tells you little. What you are really buying is the engine, transmission and hydraulics, so ask what has been rebuilt and when, and price it from there.

How hours change the price

28 loaders listed their hours. The 27 with both hours and a model year had a median of about 270 hours per year of age, so a 2019 loader with around 1,900 hours would be typical. That is half the rate we see on excavators, because many loaders spend their lives in yards, farms and municipal garages rather than on production sites. Our guide on how many hours is a lot on heavy equipment has the normal ranges by machine type.

Hours on the meter	Machines	Median model year	Median price
Under 1,000	10	2024	$204,350
1,000 to 4,999	6	2018 to 2019	$115,700
5,000 to 9,999	8	2007 to 2008	$50,700
10,000 and up	4	2004	$74,000

Look at the model year column before you read the price column. Hours and age move together, so most of the drop from the first row to the third is age. And the 10,000-plus group is priced higher than the 5,000 to 9,999 group because two of its four machines are big loaders: a 2012 Cat 980K with 21,266 hours at $112,500 and a 2017 Deere 844K III with 10,564 hours at $145,500. On a large loader, five-figure hours are normal, and the price follows the size.

Where hours do stand out is against age. A 2020 John Deere 324L at Kurtz Trading has 7,246 hours, about 1,200 a year, more than four times the typical rate, and it is listed at $35,500. A 2023 Deere 304G with 430 hours is $81,500. At the other extreme, a 1976 Cat 950 shows 4,589 hours, under 100 a year. On a 50-year-old machine that can mean the meter was replaced or stopped working at some point, so ask.

Prices by dealer and brand

The three dealers sell very different stock, and that shows up in the medians:

Dealer	Loaders	Median price	Price range	What they list
Five Star Equipment	9	$213,200	$81,500 to $258,400	2023 to 2025 Deere 304G, 324P, 544G and 644G, plus a Liebherr
Old Forge Power Equipment	23	$75,500	$15,900 to $405,500	Mostly Cat, 1976 to 2021, from 930s to 988s
Kurtz Trading	3	$35,500	$19,500 to $35,500	Budget loaders: 1988 Deere 644E, 2006 Volvo L70E, 2020 Deere 324L

By brand, Caterpillar and John Deere account for 30 of the 35 loaders, 15 each. The Cat median was $105,500 and the Deere median $145,500, but that gap comes from the dealers, not the paint: almost every 2023 to 2025 loader in the sample is a Five Star Deere, while the Cats are mostly older Old Forge machines. The other five brands were one machine each.

What can you buy at each budget?

Here is what the 35 listings offered at each price level on November 10:

Budget	Machines	What it bought
Under $50,000	10	Loaders from 1976 to 2006 (Cat 950, 980F and 988B, Deere 544G and 644E, Case 721B, Kawasaki 115Z IV, Volvo L70E), the International M10A, and the high-hour 2020 Deere 324L
$50,000 to $99,999	6	Cat 938Hs from 2008 and 2010, a 2005 Cat 950G Series II, a 1998 Cat 980G, a 2001 Deere 624H and a 2023 Deere 304G compact
$100,000 to $149,999	9	2019 Cat 930M and 938Ms, a 2018 Cat 972M, a 2014 Deere 644K, a 2012 Cat 980K, a 2017 Deere 844K III and a 2025 Deere 324P
$150,000 to $199,999	4	A 2019 Cat 966M, a 2021 Deere 724P, a 2023 Liebherr and a 2025 Deere 544G
$200,000 and up	6	Five 2024 and 2025 Deere 644Gs with under 720 hours, and a 2015 Cat 988K at $405,500

For a mid-size loader, the dividing line is about $100,000: every one listed below it was built in 2010 or earlier, and every one from $105,500 up is a 2014 or newer. And $100,000 to $150,000 is where most mid-age production machines sit: 8 of the 9 loaders in that band are 2012 to 2019 models.

Same model, different price: what the listings show

Matching models is the fastest way to see what sits behind a price tag:

• Three 2019 Cat 938Ms from Old Forge: 4,382 hours at $125,500, 4,456 hours at $135,500 and 6,036 hours at $129,500. Seventy-four extra hours do not explain $10,000, and the highest-hour machine is not the cheapest. Tires, bucket, coupler and options do, so ask what each one has.
• Four 2024 Deere 644Gs from Five Star sit between $213,200 with 713 hours and $218,500 with 161 hours. On nearly new machines, about 550 hours were worth roughly $5,000. A 2025 644G with 250 hours is $258,400, about $40,000 more for one model year.
• Two Deere 544Gs, 32 years apart: a 1993 with 7,200 hours at $36,500 and a 2025 with 192 hours at $195,500. Same name on the side, very different machines. Always search by model and year.
• Two Cat 938Hs from the same dealer: a 2008 at $75,500 and a 2010 at $65,500. The older one costs $10,000 more, and neither lists hours. That is your first question for the dealer.
• Two Cat 988s: a 1977 988B at $48,900 and a 2015 988K at $405,500, the most expensive loader in the sample, with no hours listed. At that price, get the hours, the service history and an oil analysis in writing.

What else moves the price of a used wheel loader

Once size, age and hours are matched, these are the things that explain most of the remaining gap:

• Tires. Loader tires are big and expensive to replace, so worn or mismatched rubber is a common reason two similar machines are priced apart. Check tread on all four and whether they match.
• Bucket and coupler. A general-purpose bucket, a rock bucket and a light-material bucket do different jobs. A quick coupler, or extra forks and buckets in the deal, adds value.
• Transmission and axles. Shifting under load, delay when changing direction, and noise from the axles or differentials point to costly repairs.
• Articulation joint and loader pins. Play in the center joint or the bucket and boom pins means wear that someone has to pay to fix.
• Options. Ride control, auxiliary hydraulics, a scale and an enclosed cab with heat and air all add to the price. In a Pennsylvania winter, the cab matters.
• Service records. Documented oil changes and repairs make a machine easier to price fairly and easier to sell later.

Dealer, auction or municipal sale?

Dealer asking prices are not the only route. Townships and boroughs replace loaders on a schedule and sell the old ones, and our guide to buying used municipal equipment in Pennsylvania explains where and how. Auctions are the other route, and the auction calendar lists the next sales in the state.

Just compare like with like. An auction hammer price is not the number you pay: add the buyer’s premium, any online bidding fee, transport (a large loader needs a lowboy) and Pennsylvania sales tax, which is 6% statewide plus 1% in Allegheny County and 2% in Philadelphia. Our guide to PA sales tax on heavy equipment covers the exemptions. If this is your first sale, read how to buy at an equipment auction before you register.

Example:

❌ “A loader like this went for $40,000 at auction, so $52,500 from a dealer is too much.”

✅ “The $40,000 was the hammer price. Add the buyer’s premium, sales tax and a lowboy haul, and the gap is smaller than it looks. And I can run the dealer’s machine under load before I pay.”

How to tell if a used wheel loader is fairly priced

1. Pin down the size class. Compare a 644 with other 544 to 644-size loaders, not with “wheel loaders”.
2. Match the age. Use the year table above as your starting range.
3. Work out hours per year. About 270 is typical in our sample. Far above that means a hard life; far below it on an old machine means asking about the meter.
4. Check the tires, bucket and pins. They explain most of the gap between two similar loaders.
5. See it work. A cold start, a full lift and dump cycle, and a few direction changes under load tell you more than photos.
6. Add the costs that are not in the price: transport, an inspection and sales tax.

Our used excavator inspection checklist covers the engine, hydraulics and paperwork checks that apply to loaders too.

Common mistakes when comparing wheel loader prices

• ❌ Comparing a compact 324 with a 980 because both are “loaders”. ✅ Compare within the same size class.
• ❌ Trusting the model name alone. ✅ A 1993 and a 2025 544G were $159,000 apart in our sample; check the year.
• ❌ Reading a “0 hours” field as a new meter. ✅ On many feeds it means the dealer did not list hours. Ask.
• ❌ Assuming 10,000 hours means a worn-out machine. ✅ On a large loader it is common; what has been rebuilt matters more.
• ❌ Comparing a dealer’s asking price with an auction hammer price. ✅ Add premium, fees, tax and transport to the auction number first.
• ❌ Ignoring the tires. ✅ Price a set into any loader with worn or mismatched rubber.

Used wheel loaders for sale in Pennsylvania

These are some of the loaders listed right now:

Shopping for something smaller? See our breakdowns of used skid steer prices and used compact track loader prices, or used excavator prices if you need to dig as well as load.

The bottom line on used wheel loader prices

Start with size, then year, then hours per year. In our November 2026 sample, the median used wheel loader was $105,900, but that number hides a range from $15,900 to $405,500. What it means for your budget:

• ✓ Under $50,000 buys a loader from 2006 or earlier, or a younger one with very high hours. Inspect it closely.
• ✓ $100,000 to $150,000 buys a 2012 to 2019 mid-size or large loader, most with 2,000 to 6,000 hours on the meter.
• ✓ A 2024 or 2025 mid-size loader with under 1,000 hours starts around $195,000.

Whatever you spend, check the class, the year and the hours per year against the tables above, and ask the dealer to explain anything that does not fit.

Disclosure: Heavy Listing is operated by Lucuma Agency, which also provides marketing services to Kurtz Trading. Kurtz Trading, Old Forge Power Equipment and Five Star Equipment list inventory on Heavy Listing.