Dig Deep: Skid Steer Loader Basics

A History of Skid Steers

The first skid steer was a three-wheel model built by Cyril and Louis Keller in Rothsay, Minnesota, in 1957. It was designed and built to help a friend clean the manure from his turkey barn, and it was able to operate in tight spaces while still getting the job done just as well as their large loader. In 1958, the Melroe brothers, who owned Melroe Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, North Dakota, bought the rights to the loader and continued to perfect the

machine with the help of the Keller brothers. They soon developed the M-200 Melroe self-propelled loader with a 12.9 hp engine and a 750lb lift capacity. They continued to alter and produce better units, and after a few years, they developed the M440 Melroe Bobcat, which is widely considered the first true skid-steer loader. By 1969, the Keller brothers had built 10,000 skid loaders, and their 371 model was named "Mini-Bob" and retailed for $4,729. 

Since then, many manufacturers have put their own spin on the original Bobcat skid steer, including Case, John Deere, New Holland, Caterpillar, Kubota, and many others. Over the past 50 years, many improvements have been made to increase the productivity, comfort, and safety of the skid steer loader.

Key Skid Steer Features

Skid Steers can be classified in several ways: lift, wheel/track, frame size, horsepower, controls, and amenities. 

Lift

There are two main types of skid steer lift designs: radial and vertical. Each offers advantages and trade-offs in terms of performance, and each is more suited to some applications than others. Radial lift skid steers' bucket or attachment follows an arc as the loader arms are raised from ground level to maximum lift height. As an operator raises the lift arms on a radial lift skid steer, the edge of the bucket or forks will pull back closer to the front of the skid steer. Vertical lift skid steers use linkages in the lift arm mechanism to ensure that the bucket or attachment is the same distance forward through the full arc of the lift cycle from ground level to maximum lift height. Vertical lift skid steers are ideal for lifting and placing loads. Oftentimes, vertical lift skid steers will be equipped with a self-leveling mechanism that provides further productivity in lift-and-place applications. Radial lift skid steers have a simpler lift arm design (minus the linkage) and are ideally suited for digging, pushing, and other ground-level applications. 

Wheel vs Track

For the first 40+ years, skid steers could only be purchased with wheels. At some point during that time, over-the-tire track solutions were developed to convert wheeled skid steers to tracks in order to provide more floatation in difficult conditions. Today, full-time track models, commonly referred to as Compact Track Loaders or CTLs, are the fastest-growing segment in the skid steer market. While wheeled skid steers still have advantages, including a lower initial cost, ability to operate on hard surfaces, and reduced operating weight, CTLs have found great popularity due to the floatation, traction, and stability provided by the tracks. While this comes with a higher initial price and higher operating costs (replacing tracks and undercarriage components is more expensive the replacing tires), many contractors find the trade-off more than worthwhile due to the extra productivity provided by CTLs in a variety of applications.

Frame Size

Skid steers differ in weight and height, which affect their mobility and suitability for specific applications. Large frame models with 2,200+ pound minimum rated operating capacity and at least 70HP offer the HP and capacity to take on jobs where heavy loads are the norm, and high productivity is required. Medium frame machines with 1,750-2,200 pound rated operating capacity with 60-70HP offer a more "all-around" machine with the capacity to take on most jobs and attachments while retaining a smaller footprint and lower price tag. Small frame skid steers <1,750 pounds rated operating capacity and around <60HP are mostly used for farm chores or other non-construction applications. 

Controls

Normally, the biggest sticking point for experienced operators is between those who prefer to run all the controls through hand-operated joysticks ("hand controls") and those who prefer to use foot levers to control the boom and bucket functions on the skid steer ("foot controls"). Some manufacturers offer packages that allow operators to choose either "hand" or "foot" on the same machine and swap between the two to cater to different operator's preferences. In general, hand controls have become more popular and most machines today use joysticks to control all functions of the skid steer electronically - referred to as "EH Controls" which is short for electronic hand controls. 

Choosing the Right Skid Steer for Your Application: 6 Performance Features to Consider

Skid Steers are highly versatile machines that can be used in a wide variety of applications. Many operators use one skid steer in a variety of applications. When choosing one machine to do everything, consider what the majority of the work will be and choose the machine that best fits that application knowing that most skid steers can perform adequately in applications that they are not optimally designed for. An example would be a landscape contractor who does snow removal during the winter off-season. In this case, most of the work is landscaping, which would favor a CTL. Although a track machine is not ideal for snow and ice, it's still able to perform adequately in the winter while being the optimal choice for the main application.

1. Site Development: Large Frame CTLs equipped with Radial Lift

Site development - rough grading, finish grading, etc. - means moving a lot of material around, which is something that the HP, capacity, traction, and stability of a large frame CTL are ideally suited for. And when it comes to doing grade work,  nothing holds a grade better than a CTL with stability that tracks over the roughest, most difficult ground conditions. CTLs provide plenty of floatation in soft or muddy conditions. Radial Lift models typically have a higher HP-to-weight ratio, and the vertical linkage of a Vertical Lift machine is not needed for most site development applications.

2. Digging: Large Frame CTL equipped with Radial Lift

Larger, high HP CTLs have the weight, traction and HP to dig into the ground or stockpile of material and the lift capacity to carry and move material the most efficiently. The radial lift design provides more break-out force and faster cycle times than Vertical Lift models.

3. Material Handling: Large Frame Skid Steer or CTL equipped with Vertical Lift

Different surfaces offer competitive advantages to wheels or tracks. When working on hard surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, or gravel, skid steer tires offer better wear, which results in lower operating costs than CTLs, where tracks and the undercarriage take significantly more wear from operating on hard surfaces. Soft worksite conditions where mud or sand is a constant threat or any uneven, difficult surfaces favor large frame CTLs, which offer floatation, stability, and HP to power through soft spots while avoiding tipping when carrying a load. A Vertical Lift is going to provide the best productivity for any material handling application, as the linkage of the arm keeps the load further away from the machine, allowing the operator better access to drop the load on the trailer or to dump it closer to the center of the truck/trailer.

4. Loading: Vertical Lift Models

The vertical linkage keeps the bucket, forks, or other attachments farther from the front of the skid steer, making it easier for the operator to place the load on a truck or dump a load further toward the middle of the truck. In the Case line-up, all units with a "V" in their model name are Vertical Lift models (ex. SV340 or TV380). 

5. Demolition and Clean Up: Radial or Vertical Lift CTLs

A CTL is usually the best choice for demolition, given the tire hazards normally present on this type of job. The optimal CTL configuration for demolition work will depend on the size of the project, the type/weight of the material, and the tightness of the job site. If maneuverability is a key factor, a smaller frame CTL is probably ideal. If the material is heavy and/or the project is large, then a larger, high-HP CTL that maximizes lift capacity and pushing power would be preferable. In either case, a Vertical Lift CTL is the optimal choice if it's being used to load trucks directly. If the CTL is being used to push or pile debris on the job site, then a Radial Lift design would probably be a better fit.

6. Landscaping: Radial or Vertical Lift CTLs

Landscapers usually choose a CTL due to the floatation and ability to handle large loads such as transplanted trees or landscape materials like rocks, sod, boulders, and dirt. Size is a trade-off in landscaping applications. Large-frame CTLs offer maximum payloads and the ability to move more material with fewer trips. However large, heavy machinery is not always a plus on landscape projects. Smaller CTLs offer advantages for soft ground conditions, or to get into tighter areas in existing yards with fences and trees present. Both radial and vertical lift skids perform well in landscape applications, although Vertical Lift does offer advantages to landscape contractors that do a lot of sod or tree projects that involve frequent unloading of trucks and trailers. 

Safety and Comfort Matter

Lastly, two of the biggest developments in the design of skid steers since the Kellers first developed the concept are safety and operator comfort. Today's skid steers offer a variety of safety features that were absent during the early development of the machines. These include ROPS structures, which protect the operator from being crushed during a roll-over or from material falling onto the cab, safety switches that disengage the controls when an operator is not present in the seat, lap restraints, which protect operators from being thrown into the door or out of the machine during operation, and even integrated back-up cameras which offer a high definition view of what's directly behind a machine while backing up. In addition to these and other safety features, today's machines are much more comfortable to operate for long hours. Features like climate-controlled cabs, heated seats, low-effort EH or pilot hand controls, creeper speed options, hydraulic couplers, 2-speed travel motors, ride control, radio, and many others reduce operator fatigue and make long days "at the office" more enjoyable. 

Titan Machinery is a CASE Construction and New Holland supplier of skid steers. We also offer many used skid steers and CTLs of various brands including Bobcat, Kubota, and Caterpillar.

Visit our Skid Steer Loader page to learn more and browse our complete inventory. Then, check out our newest guide to choosing the right loader for your needs.