A skid steer, also known as a skid loader (especially when it is equipped with a bucket attachment) is a highly versatile piece of heavy equipment that can fill a wide range of roles in agriculture, industry, logistics, and so much more.
But they can cost several thousand dollars when new (typically from $10,000 to $50,000, depending on size and capacity) so if you’re weighing the possibility of buying, let’s take a look at what they can do.
Why Is It Called a Skid Steer?
Skid loaders are commonly called skid steers because they usually have no steering mechanism, and their wheels are oriented in a fixed, straight line. The wheels on each side of the machine are also powered by separate drives.
In order to turn, the driver manipulates the speed of the wheels on one side of the skid loader; the wheels on the other side remain motionless or “skid” over the ground, allowing the skid steer to turn – hence the name.
Is a Skid Loader Better Than a Tractor?
Tractors are specifically designed for a wide range of agricultural applications like tilling, planting, reaping, and baling.
Many skid steers are capable of completing these agricultural functions as well as performing a variety of other jobs, such as leveling, excavation, land-clearing, and post-hole drilling.
However, both machines are versatile and can accommodate a wide range of attachments that are specialized to perform a wide range of specific functions.
Can a Skid Steer Clear Land?
Skid steer loaders can often be equipped with highly specialized attachments for land clearing. For instance, some manufacturers, like Spartan Equipment, make skid steer attachments such as:
● Brush cutters & mowers
● Chippers
● Tree shears and tree saws
● Limb saws
● Dozer blades
● Grapple buckets
● Log grapples
● Levelers
● Landscape rakes
● Rocks rakes & buckets
These attachments can be mounted to a skid steer and will make it easier to use a skid loader for land clearing, as well as for wildland management, depending on your goals.
Can a Skid Steer Dig a Pond?
Skid loaders, when equipped with the right skid steer attachments, can serve as the ideal piece of machinery to facilitate pond excavation.
There are many specialized skid steer attachments, including but not limited to auger attachments, backhoe attachments, and a wide range of buckets that streamline excavation and leveling that are necessary for creating an agricultural pond, a retention pond, or even just a fish pond. Can a Skid Steer Remove Stumps?
Skid steers are compatible with attachments that make them suitable machines for the removal of stumps.
While attachments like augers, buckets, grapples, and more can be used to improvise when it comes to removing stubborn stumps, some manufacturers like Spartan Equipment have developed purpose-driven attachments that are specifically designed for stump removal.
For instance, consider their stump bucket, stump grapple, and stump grinder attachments, which can be used to rip, load, move and grind even the toughest stumps. What Else Can You Do with a Skid Steer?
In addition to clearing land, removing stumps, and digging ponds, skid loaders can be used for a wide range of other applications and jobs, including:
● Excavation and digging.
● Drilling fence and piling holes.
● Setting posts and pilings.
● Handling and installing fences.
● Snow removal.
● Handling, loading, and moving loose materials like soil, sand, gravel, and stone.
● Soil conditioning and aeration.
● Managing palletized goods.
● Baling, loading, and moving bales.
● Breaking up and removing concrete slabs.
● Mixing concrete.
● Grading.
● Cutting down trees, processing them, and splitting the wood.
● Grappling roots, logs, and other uneven materials.
● Digging trenches and drains.
● Planting trees and bushes.
●And much more.
Considering the wide range of skid steer models, the operating capacity and hydraulic systems associated with them, and the scope of the skid steer attachments available for them, skid steer loaders can be truly indispensable fixtures of agricultural, commercial, industrial, or construction equipment.
Never Surrender with Spartan Equipment Skid Steer Attachments
If you’re looking for the industry’s toughest skid loader attachments, choose Spartan Equipment (SpartanEquipment.com).
They carry a wide range of attachments for skid steers, mini skid steers, and tractors, all made in America using only American steel.
Their attachments will Never Surrender – and they’re versatile and tough enough to take on any of the jobs mentioned in this article.
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