Do-It-All Machines: Skid Steers

Just as landscape maintenance contractors depend on mowers to get the job done, contractors focusing on landscape construction rely on skid steers and/or loaders in order to be productive.

“If much of your business is preparing landscape areas literally from the ground up, a skid steer is the workhorse that really gets ‘down and dirty,’” explained Joe Dunn, manager of market research and development, John Deere Commercial Work Site Products Group, Raleigh, N.C.

BASIC TRAINING. Manufacturers are quick to differentiate between the capabilities and applications of skid steers from loaders.

“Skid steers are fixed wheel vehicles that skid when they turn,” explained Larry Henkensiefken, products manager, Mustang Mfg. Co. Inc., Owatonna, Minn. “Wheel loaders have the same wheels, but they are articulated because they bend in the middle.”

“We think skid steers offer contractors a number of benefits over loaders because skid steers are more compact, more versatile, and more agile,” commented Kelly Moore, product development manager for skid steer loaders, Gehl Co., West Bend, Wis. “Wheel loaders are really the next step up from skid steers. They are better for lifting loads of 3,000 pounds or more or lifting materials higher because of their design.”

“A loader is the right machine to use if the application is stockpiling materials in one location or loading trucks all day long,” agreed Ray Szwec, compact equipment product manager, JCB Inc., White Marsh, Md.

BULL MARKET. Manufacturers across the board agreed that sales for skid steer products have been on the rise for the last few years.

“The skid steer market was considered to represent about 30,000 unit sales annually five years ago for North America,” recalled Mac McPherson, president, Glenmac Inc., Jamestown, N.D. “Now, the market is probably about 50,000-55,000 units sold.”

“Skid steers have really grown in popularity because of the labor savings they offer,” Moore added.

This growing popularity was further supported by an independent survey of Lawn & Landscape readers that asked them how much money they spent on certain products in 1997 and expected to spend in 1998. While 9.5 percent of respondents indicated they purchased a skid steer or loader in 1997, 10.9 percent said they will buy one in the next 12 months, with an average expense of $17,100.

As the overall market continues to grow, manufacturers said they have seen much of the growth centered around the 1,350- and 1,750-pound categories of skid steers.

“The most popular machine size is still the 1,000-pound class, but the two sizes with the most growth are the 1,350- and 1,750-pound ones,” observed Henken-siefken. “There’s a definite trend toward the larger machines that have these higher lift capacities.

“These larger machines are selling more because when skid steers were first introduced to the market they were more of a luxury item in general and the 1,000-pound machines were most popular skid steers,” Henkensiefken reasoned. “Today, skid steers are more of a necessity because of the versatility of the equipment. So we’re seeing a lot of second machine buyers. If they already have one skid steer, then they want the next one to have more power and lift capacity.”

ARRANGING THE BUY. Manufacturers offer a number of suggestions to contractors shopping for a skid steer, starting with understanding what it will be expected to do.

“It’s important for contractors to consider the operating capacity required for specific applications,” cautioned Szwec. “If this is underestimated, the owner will soon realize the machine’s limitations.”

Szwec noted that the amount of hydraulic power available on different units is also important. “Skid steers offer high and low flow options. If the work required is mainly bucket and auger work, then low flow hydraulics will do,” he said. “However, if a trencher attachment is part of the line up, then a high flow hydraulic option will be needed.”

“The more hydraulics offered by a machine equal better performance and capabilities,” Moore agreed. “Hydraulic capabilities are especially important for the contractor looking at a range of attachments for a skid steer.”

Moore also recommended contractors compare the operator comfort, visibility from the cab, and accessibility of the controls for competitive units.

Brad Lemke, sales/marketing manager, ASV Inc., Grand Rapids, Minn., noted that contractors should also look at the effects of the machine on the ground, depending on where the machine will be used. “Low ground pressure is very nice, especially in residential areas if the machine has to be driven over a street, sidewalk or lawn,” he noted, explaining that ASV’s PosiTrack distributes the weight of the machine over the entire track at 2 psi on the ground, compared to some skid steers with 30 psi on the ground. “This system may cost $10,000 more than another skid steer with comparable horsepower, but it will let contractors get into areas other machines can’t go.”

Henkensiefken noted that different machines may use different types of lift systems, although conventional pivot lift systems represent the majority of the market over vertical lift systems. “Vertical systems are lift-and-carry systems because they are lighter on the front-to-rear weight ratio,” he explained. “This system lifts a little more weight with lighter machines and has faster ground speed, but pivot systems have a little more front-end weight, so they are better for digging.”

And if skid steers’ price tags are out of a contractor’s range, then buying various attachments and renting the actual skid steer is always an option, or vice versa.

“The rental market is growing rapidly,” McPherson recognized. “This is an obvious first step into purchasing one of these machines, and it’s also an excellent trial process for what contractors may initially identify as a specialty attachment that they want to try out before purchasing.”