  As in the car industry for quite some time, dynamic simulation of complete
vehicles is being practiced more and more in the development of off-road
machinery. However, specific questions arise due not only to company structure
and size, but especially to the type of product. Tightly coupled, non-linear
subsystems of different domains make prediction and optimisation of the
complete system's dynamic behaviour a challenge. Furthermore, the demand for
versatile machines leads to sometimes contradictory target requirements and can
turn the design process into a hunt for the least painful compromise. This can
be avoided by profound system knowledge, assisted by simulation-driven product
development. This paper gives an overview of joint research into this issue by
Volvo Wheel Loaders and Linkoping University on that matter, lists the results
of a related literature review and introduces the term "operateability". Rather
than giving detailed answers, the problem space for ongoing and future research
is examined and possible solutions are sketched.
