Wheel Loader Tire and Undercarriage Replacement Cost (2026)

Tire replacement, axle seal repair, and drive component costs for wheel loaders by brand. Cat 938, John Deere 544, Volvo L70, Komatsu WA270, and Case 621 with real installed price ranges.

Wheel loaders don't have tracks, so "undercarriage" on a wheel loader means something different than on an excavator. The wear items are tires, axle seals and bearings, and the final drives that power the wheels. Tires are the biggest single expense. Here is what it costs to replace them in 2026.

Wheel Loader Tire Replacement Cost

Tires are the highest-cost wear item on a wheel loader. A set of four construction tires runs $6,000-$22,000 installed depending on machine size, tire spec, and whether you are using OEM dealer pricing or going direct to a tire supplier.

Machine	Tire Size	Full Set (4 Tires, Installed)
Caterpillar 926M (2.5-yd bucket)	20.5R25	$7,000-$12,000
Caterpillar 938M (2.5-yd bucket)	20.5R25	$7,000-$12,000
John Deere 524K / 524L	20.5R25	$7,000-$11,500
John Deere 544K / 544L	23.5R25	$9,000-$15,000
Komatsu WA270 (medium)	20.5R25	$7,500-$12,500
Komatsu WA380 (large)	23.5R25	$10,000-$16,000
Volvo L70H (medium)	20.5R25	$7,000-$12,000
Volvo L90H (large)	23.5R25	$9,500-$15,500
Case 621G (medium)	20.5R25	$7,000-$11,500
Case 821G (large)	23.5R25	$9,000-$14,500

Prices reflect L3 or L5 construction tires from major suppliers (Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear) installed at a dealer or tire shop. L5 tires (cut-and-chip resistant for rock and demolition) cost 20-35% more than L3 and are worth it in hard environments.

For smaller compact wheel loaders (Cat 906, Kubota R085, John Deere 244), tires are much less expensive. A full set of four runs $1,800-$4,000 installed because the tire size is much smaller (10.0/75-15.3 or similar).

Tire Type: L3 vs. L4 vs. L5

Loader tires use an L-rating based on tread depth and compound hardness. Matching the tire to the application matters a lot for both cost and life.

Rating	Best For	Typical Life	Cost vs. L3
L3 (standard)	Dirt, sand, aggregate, general construction	2,000-4,000 hours	Baseline
L4 (protective)	Mixed hard surface and dirt, light demo	2,500-5,000 hours	+10-20%
L5 (block tread, cut-and-chip resistant)	Rock, demolition, quarry, slag	3,500-6,000+ hours	+20-35%

Running L3 tires in a rock quarry application burns through tires in 1,000 hours or less. Spending 25% more on L5 tires that last 3x longer is an easy calculation. Match the tire to the work site before you order.

Axle Seal and Bearing Replacement Cost

Wheel loader axle seals leak oil. You will see wet grime building up around the wheel hub and on the inside of the rim before a seal fully fails. Seals that are caught early are a simple repair. Seals that are ignored allow the axle oil to contaminate the brakes, which turns a $400 seal repair into a $2,500-$5,000 brake system job.

Repair	Typical Cost (One Axle, Installed)
Wheel hub seal replacement (planetary axle)	$350-$900 per hub
Wheel end bearing replacement	$600-$1,500 per hub
Axle shaft seal (inboard)	$400-$1,100 per side
Differential seal replacement	$500-$1,200
Brake contamination flush and repair (after seal failure)	$2,000-$5,000

The lesson: fix axle seals before they fail completely. A $600 hub seal job on a Cat 938 is cheap maintenance. A $3,500 brake contamination repair on the same machine is not. Check for wet grime at the wheel hubs at every service.

Final Drive and Planetary Replacement Cost

Wheel loaders use planetary final drives at each wheel end to multiply torque before it reaches the tire. Final drives wear slowly under normal conditions but fail fast when oil is contaminated or runs low. The tell is heat, noise, or metallic particles in the wheel end oil at your scheduled oil change.

Machine Class	Wheel End Planetary Replacement (Per Side, Installed)
Compact loader (Cat 906, JD 244)	$1,200-$2,800
Medium loader (Cat 938, JD 544, Volvo L70)	$2,500-$5,500
Large loader (Cat 966, JD 744, Volvo L120)	$4,500-$9,000

Full final drive replacement on a medium wheel loader at both rear wheels is $5,000-$11,000 installed. At both fronts it is the same range. A full four-corner planetary job on a large machine can run $18,000-$36,000. Change wheel end oil on schedule (every 500-1,000 hours depending on manufacturer spec) and you are unlikely to need a planetary before the machine is retired.

Full Tire and Undercarriage Package

When a medium loader needs new tires plus axle seals and wheel end service at the same time, shops bundle the work since the wheels come off anyway.

Package	Medium Loader (Cat 938/JD 544 class)
4 tires only (L3, installed)	$7,000-$12,000
4 tires + hub seal inspection and service	$7,500-$13,500
4 tires + hub seals + bearing inspection	$8,500-$15,500
4 tires + hub seals + bearing replacement (all 4 hubs)	$11,000-$19,000

When Does the Repair Make Sense?

A new set of tires on a wheel loader is maintenance, not a repair decision. You buy new tires the same way you buy fuel. Tires at the end of their life always get replaced if the machine is otherwise healthy.

The harder question is axle and planetary work. A $5,000 planetary replacement on one side of a machine that is otherwise in good shape is almost always worth doing. A $12,000 four-corner planetary job on a machine that needs tires, hydraulic work, and a cab overhaul at the same time is a different calculation.

A 2019 Cat 938M in good condition is worth roughly $130,000-$175,000. A $12,000 tire set is under 10% of value. Always do it. A $20,000 planetary overhaul on the same machine is 11-15% of value and worth doing if the machine is otherwise clean.

A 2012 Cat 938H with 12,000 hours in fair condition might be worth $55,000-$75,000. A $20,000 repair package becomes 27-36% of value. At that point, compare the repaired machine's value to a clean used replacement at the same total cost.

Check your machine's current market value before approving major repair work: free wheel loader valuation at EquipBook. Then check your specific repair cost range: free repair cost estimator.

Related Guides

For the repair-vs-replace framework: when to repair vs. replace heavy equipment. For excavator undercarriage: mini excavator undercarriage replacement cost. For CTL undercarriage: compact track loader undercarriage replacement cost. For full-size excavator undercarriage: excavator undercarriage replacement cost guide.