Various types of machines are utilized to lift and transport materials such as earth, stone, debris, snow, etc., about a work site. For example, a wheel loader is a type of machine equipped with a work implement that includes a bucket attached to a hydraulically or mechanically powered arm or linkage that can be pivotally raised or lowered with respect to the rest of the machine to lift materials from the ground level to an elevated position and deposit the material elsewhere, such as into a dump truck. Wheel loaders and similar machines also include a system for propulsion such as drive wheels operatively associated with a prime mover such as an internal combustion engine through a powertrain to enable movement of the machine about the worksite. Operation of the machine in lifting and moving materials results in various loads and forces acting on or generated by the machine that change or vary over time depending upon the particular operation the machine is conducting. These dynamically changing loads and forces in turn can affect the operation of the machine, for example, by altering the power requirement allocation among various machine subsystems or changing the efficiency of the machine. Under certain circumstances, the loads may exceed the capacity of the machine causing it to stall or possibly resulting in physical damage to the machine.
Accordingly, systems and methods have been developed to dynamically measure or monitor the loads and forces applied by or on the machine and use that information to assist in operation of the machine. In some of these systems, the forces are measured indirectly using the position or speed of different components or equipment on the machine to estimate the current forces being generated or applied. An example of one system for indirectly monitoring forces is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,254 (“the '254 patent”). The '254 patent describes a system and method for controlling torque generation and distribution in a machine by monitoring operation of a work implement and of an engine associated with the machine. The '254 patent utilizes that information to help improve the efficiency of the machine. The present disclosure is similarly directed to indirectly estimating specific forces and loads applied to a machine through information regarding the speed output or implement position.