What Can You Do With a Skid Steer?

In need of skid steer training in Perth 

Nowadays, skid steering loaders are popular pieces of heavy equipment that can do a lot more than just clean barns. With a host of attachments to choose from, a skid steering loader can take on a long list of jobs in construction, landscaping, agriculture and material handling.

What’s the Skid Steer?

The skid-steer loader, or skid steering for short, is a small construction vehicle used for a variety of tasks. Skid steering typically includes a bucket as the default attachment, but you can equip it with many different attachments, allowing skid steering to assist in all kinds of construction and landscaping projects. Skid steering also comes in a variety of sizes to suit different applications. Even for jobs that don’t require a lot of heavy construction equipment, skid steering can help you get the job done more efficiently.

The skid steer gets his name from the way he turns. The angle of the wheels or tracks is fixed, so they’re just going straight ahead. The wheels or tracks on either side of the vehicle are locked in synchronisation with each other and have their own engines. This means that you have to steer each side independently from the other side.

Because the wheels are fixed, you can’t steer the wheels in a different direction. Instead, you drive up either the left or the right side of the vehicle, causing the wheels to drag—or skid—through the ground as the skid steering turns. This type of steering is known as differential steering, and allows you to rotate a zero-degree radius, a useful feature in tight spaces, and when the task calls for precision. Of course, the driver must be trained or experienced in differential steering in order to operate the skid steering.

Guide to Skid Steer Size

If you’re interested in using a skid steering wheel on your job site, you’ll want to choose the size that makes the most sense to you. All skid steering wheels are relatively small compared to some other types of heavy equipment, but you can still purchase or rent skid steering wheel loaders in a range of sizes. The size of the skid steering wheel refers to the size of the frame, plus the weight, power and capacity of the frame.

For example, Caterpillar currently offers eight skid steering models with operating weights ranging from 5.849 to 9.573 pounds. These models also range in horsepower, with larger models offering more horsepower than smaller models. The rated operating capacity is another important metric (ROC). The ROC tells you how heavy a skid steer can lift without tipping. The smallest Cat® skid steering wheel can lift 1,550 pounds safely, while the largest one comes with a ROC of 3,700 pounds.

You’re probably wondering, what size of skid steering do I need? The answer depends on your intended application. Here are some of the advantages that each category of size offers:

Small: If you want a skid steering for work in tight spaces, such as interior demolition or underground construction, or for precision work such as landscaping, you might want to choose a skid steering with a small frame. Smaller skid steering wheel loaders are lighter, making them easier to transport to and from the workplace and easier to manoeuvre on the job.
Mid-size: Mid-size skid steering is a good, versatile option that is still relatively small and light while offering more power and capacity than a small skid steering wheel. With the right fittings, these skid steering wheels can be an excellent tool for digging in tight areas where a larger piece of equipment, like a backhoe, would not fit.
Large: Large skid steering is the best option for heavy duty applications such as large-scale demolition, excavation and road construction. A large skid steering wheel will still be smaller than many other common construction equipment, but compared to smaller skid steering wheels, large skid steering wheels are heavier to move and not as good at manoeuvring through tight spaces.

What the hell can you do with a Skid Steer?

What are skid steering wheels used for? A lot of it. Skid steering can help with a wide range of tasks. Here are some examples of work that skid steering can help you do:

Demolition: Skid steering is great for both indoor and outdoor demolition projects. With demolition shears, your skid steering can help demolish flooring, concrete, drywall and other materials. Due to its compact size and precision, skid steering is particularly valuable for demo projects in tight spaces, such as when you tear down a house in a neighbourhood with other houses nearby.

Roadwork: skid steering can perform road building and maintenance tasks. You can attach a cement mixer or a pavement miller to your skid steering wheel and use other attachments for tasks such as demolition, grading, paving and patching.

Snow and debris removal: You can use the bucket attachment on your skid steering wheel to clear snow and other debris, such as a brush. If you use your skid steering for serious snow removal, you can also get a snowblower or snow blade attachment.

Excavation, digging and trenching: skid steering is great for earth moving tasks such as digging, trenching and digging. There are a variety of attachments that you can use for these tasks, depending on your specific needs. Examples include a backhoe, an auger, a trencher and a wheel saw. With the right attachment, the skid steering can dig anything from the foundation of the building to the narrow portholes.

Grading and backfilling: You can also fill holes, level the ground and aerate it with a skid steering wheel. You can use a bucket for these tasks, but when you’re levelling, a rake attachment or a grading bar works even better. With these attachments, you can also scoop up rocks while you’re levelling the ground without leaving large trenches behind. You can use a radial lift skid steering instead of a vertical lift for work that is low to the ground.

Loading: Skid steering can help you carry equipment and materials around the work site using a bucket attachment. If you need to lift materials, you may want to consider a vertical lift rather than a radial lift skid steering wheel, as these models can lift higher loads and achieve higher reach.

Mowing: You may be surprised to know that you can also use a skid steering wheel to mow. With a rotary brush cutter, high grasses and other growth can be cut to clear the area efficiently. You might even be able to cut down some smaller trees. Because skid steering wheels are zero-turn, they offer the precision you need for mowing, but with more capabilities than a typical riding mower.

Landscaping: Some of the tasks that we’ve already looked at are useful for landscaping. Other examples of landscaping tasks that can be accomplished with skid steering include grinding stumps, chipping wood and tilling. You can even use a tiller attachment to help the soil mix in compost or fertiliser. You can transport materials like gravel or mulch or landscaping tools that you would otherwise have to push in a wheelbarrow with a bucket.

Agricultural work: skid steering can also be very useful for farm work. You can use them for tilling and other tasks that we’ve already mentioned. Plus, you can use a bucket attachment to clean barns and stables. You can even purchase a ball attachment to move hay bales—a task that can otherwise be labour-intensive.
Material handling: skid steering can also be useful in a warehouse. You can move pallets and other materials with a fork attachment. If you want a skid steering for lifting materials and put them in a warehouse, you’ll want to opt for a vertical lift rather than a radial lift.

These are some skid steering applications, but this list is not exhaustive. There are so many things that you can do with skid steering as long as you have the right attachment to the job.

Once you realise how much skid steering can help you, you might want to sit your skid steer licence in Perth as soon as possible!