Work machines, such as loaders are often configured with the engine behind the back wheels and the loader portion extending beyond the front wheels. This arrangement allows the weight of the engine to offset the load carried in the bucket of the loader portion. Such an arrangement allows for a significant variation in the amount of weight carried by each of the axles. This in turn is expressed by a varying effective diameter of the wheels and the torque needed to move the loader as the torque is individually applied to each wheel.
The power train in a conventional four-wheel drive loader includes a prime mover, and a device to mechanically couple the prime mover with the various wheels. Conventional power train configurations control excessive wheel spin by mechanically constraining the wheels, either laterally or transversely, or both. Work vehicles with multiple independent drive motors, such as electric motors, can utilize electric traction control.