Multiple Choices - FOCUS: Skid-Steer/Loaders

Aksar, owner, Outdoor Finishes, Walkersville, Md., owns a mid-size skid-steer loader that "is big enough to lift a full pallet of pavers at ground level, yet small enough to get it into residential properties," he described. And, like most landscape contractors, Aksar focused on a few keys when choosing his equipment.

"Our choice was based on size, brand loyalty, function, abilities and price," he said. "We felt the machine we purchased was built for durability and longevity. Also, the machine is engineered plain and simple - it practically has autopilot capabilities."Some contractors rely on full-size skid-steers to for their heavy-duty needs. Others use compact skid-steer loaders or compact utility loaders because they need a smaller machine to access work areas. Even more are finding that small and large loaders can be used together to increase productivity.

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. John Palasek, owner, Aspen Garden Designs, Yaphank, N.Y., has been in business for six years. Palasek’s business is based on design/build jobs, particularly landscape renovation tasks, including ripping out driveways, installing ponds, moving pallets of stone and, essentially, "tearing the place apart," he described.

He rented skid-steer loaders the first three years he was in business because he didn’t have the cash flow to purchase a major piece of equipment. When the time came to buy the machine, he knew which one he wanted. Due to the nature of his work, Palasek doesn’t need to gingerly move his machine over turf he doesn’t want to disturb, but he does need to carry heavier landscape materials and remove trees and concrete with a machine that is forceful and stable.

"I can’t see bringing a compact utility loader into the job for what I do," he explained. "I clear out wooded areas, grade properties and add planting areas. None of those apply to that machine."

Most landscape contractors choose larger loaders if their jobs typically involve lifting heavy objects. "Larger units are used to move heavy loads of sod and landscape stones," explained Randy Vargason, marketing manager, Mustang, Owatonna, Minn.

"Larger skid-steers are much heavier and have a longer wheelbase, which allows them lift to larger payloads to higher heights," added Dana Ellefson, director, maintenance products division, Finn Corp., Fairfield, Ohio.

This is precisely the reason Robben Salyers, chief executive officer, Jake’s Garden, Maple Plain, Minn., relies on skid-steer loaders. "With my skid-steer loader, I can pick up retaining wall blocks or pallets of sod," he said. "We lay sod 35 or 40 yards at a time. My machine with counter weights can pick up what we need in a safe manner - I can lift 2,000 or 3,000 pounds. With a compact utility loader, you’re talking about only a 500- or 600-pound lift capacity."

SOMETIMES SIZE MATTERS. Even if landscape contractors depend on medium- or full-size skid-steer loaders for their lifting needs, sometimes the size of the machine becomes an issue.

For instance, Len Brochu II started a landscape job last September that required the installation of more than 1,000 trees.

In one particular section of the site, Brochu, co-owner of L.A. Brochu Landscaping & Nursery, Concord, N.H., had a difficult time squeezing his skid-steer loader or backhoe into the 4- to 5-foot-wide entrance. The trees, which were being planted every 10 feet on center, also narrowed his access.

After starting the job, Brochu rented a compact utility loader. Not only could he utilize the machine to speed tree installation on this job, but he also could test it to determine the potential value, if any, it could add to his equipment fleet.

By the time the job was half complete, Brochu purchased the machine. "The time it saved me in digging holes paid for itself," Brochu said, pointing out that in addition to unloading five trailers full of trees, including one load of 8- to 10-foot white pines, he used the machine to plant more than 4,000 trees last fall.

"The goal is to be more efficient," Brochu explained. "But if you can’t find the labor, you need to do something."

Like Brochu, contractors with specific design/build needs who require a smaller machine or need to speed-up manual labor tasks are jumping on the compact utility loader bandwagon.

When the compact utility loader was introduced, the marketplace considered it "a toy," said Ken Lange, engineer, Ramrod Equipment, a division of Leon’s Manufacturing, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. "People thought they were tiny toy skid-steer loaders you could fit into backyards and confined spaces or through gates."

But throughout the last four years, their reputation has improved. "Market development by the main players has done much to remove the ‘toy’ image," explained Alan Porter, president, Kanga Loaders, Broken Arrow, Okla.

Today, people view this machine as the "Swiss Army Knife of the job site," pointed out Marc Bowers, marketing manager, Toro Sitework Systems, Minneapolis, Minn. The reason being that the general purpose contractor who does a little bit of everything, such as building fences and ponds, laying driveways and installing sprinkler systems and electric wires for lighting, can have one machine to handle multiple jobs.

"Versatility describes these machines," added Carol Dilger, corporate marketing services manager, Ariens Construction Equipment, Brillion, Wis.

The compact utility loader also has been looked at as replacement labor, particularly during times when there is a manpower shortage, because it was designed as a substitute for time-consuming, shovel-and-wheelbarrow tasks, such as tree and shrub planting, backfilling and hauling, Bowers said. The machine’s characteristics, including stand-up operation, 360-degree visibility, rapid change attachments and a hydraulic system, are meant as one-man body extensions.

WE GO TOGETHER. As for frequent comparisons between the compact utility loader and its supposed ‘big brother’ - the skid-steer loader - most manufacturers discourage evaluating the two machines against each other.

"How are they the same? They both employ skid-steer style steering," Bowers explained. "Beyond that, they are completely different machines."

"Compact skid-steer loaders only share the name ‘skid-steer’ with the larger units," Ellefson agreed. "The compact units are a different design. For instance, the weight-to-strength ratio is greater for compact units, they generally run at higher system pressures and they have better visibility. Their forte is operating attachments that require significant flow, such as augers, box rakes, trenchers, etc., and/or operating in tight environments."

Despite their differences, many manufacturers and contractors say that skid-steer loaders and compact utility loaders can be used together to increase productivity on the job.

"It is not uncommon to see both sizes operating on large projects, with the compact unit being used for trenching, auguring or performing operations close to the foundation, while the larger unit is used for loading or hauling," Ellefson explained. "Almost all attachments available for the large units are available for the compact units."

Using both machines also allows contractors to offer more services.

Most contractors purchase a loader with a purpose in mind, such as planting trees or digging postholes, Lange said. "Once he has the basic package and gets accustomed to the machine, it’s easier for him to offer other services," he explained. "Maybe he started off planting trees, but now he wants to get into irrigation. Maybe he couldn’t do it before or had to hire an outside contractor, but the trencher attachment isn’t that big of an investment once he has the machine."

Instead of displacing workers, a contractor can expand the business while still utilizing his or her current workforce. "With each addition of a unit and its system of tools, contractors can split their workforce into more viable profit centers and take advantage of means to enhance profits," Ellefson explained.

Additionally, a contractor who is just testing a new area of business doesn’t want to make a huge investment on a dedicated machine when he or she doesn’t know if the new service will be profitable. "If I wanted to buy dedicated attachments for each area of business I wanted to get into, I could easily add up the investment to $75,000 or $100,000," Lange pointed out. "But contractors purchasing a loader with attachments will have a hard time spending $30,000."