When Less Equals More: Compact Utility Loaders

Skid-steers/loaders are clearly one of the more versatile and valuable machines in a landscape contractor’s arsenal, particularly those contractors involved in some type of landscape construction. But every contractor has run into a situation where a full-size skid-steer/loader wasn’t the ideal machine for a job.

Perhaps the job was for a residential client and required work be done in the backyard that was fenced in. Full-sized machines don’t get in those areas unless portions of the fence are brought down and later re-installed.

Or maybe the work involved partially renovating a landscape but required that the turf area not be negatively impacted too much by the work being done. That can also be a challenge with the full-sized machines that can weigh hundreds of pounds.

The need for full-sized skid-steers/loaders will never go away due to the amount of work they can do and the versatility they offer contractors. But, as a result of these other on-the-job needs, an Australian innovation has led to one of the hottest product categories in the landscape industry – the mini skid-steers or compact utility vehicles.

"These machines have been around since 1982, but the market just wasn’t ready for them and contractors didn’t understand what the machines could do," related Don Reed, sales manager, Ramrod Equipment, Yorkton, Saskatchewan. "Now, the market is coming of age and contractors understand that these machines can be a valuable extension to their skid-steers."

BIGGER ISN’T BETTER? These machines are proof that the common misconception that ‘Bigger is better’ doesn’t necessarily ring true in all situations.

"Compact utility loaders are designed for use in areas where manual labor is still the norm," noted Pat Capucci, marketing manager, Toro Sitework Systems, Minneapolis, Minn. "These machines give contractors the option to use hydraulic power in areas where they would otherwise use manual labor, and the hydraulic power lets them boost productivity."

"Getting a mobile power unit that can perform so many functions through a gate and into someone’s backyard, for example, can do a lot for productivity," agreed Reed.

"These machines, at about 33 inches wide also let contractors put more equipment on a trailer," noted Dick Burkhardt, marketing services manager, Gehl, West Bend, Wis.

Cindy Sutherland, president, Sutherland Landscape, Debary, Fla., said her compact unit complements the company’s use of tractors and skid-steers, and her most common uses for the compact machine are on residential and commercial irrigation jobs.

"We needed something that would eliminate the hand digging but that wasn’t too large to fit on residential jobs," she explained. "Now we can use the same machine to dig a 4-inch mainline on a commercial job and then turn around and perform a residential install the next day."

"We do a lot of residential landscape remodeling, and the suburbs of high-end properties don’t offer a lot of room, especially if there is already a landscape in place and you’re trying to not cause too much damage," commented Tom Page, president, Page Landscaping, Farmington Hills, Mich. "Our compact unit is lighter and narrower than a full-size skid-steer, and the compact machine also packs more punch than one guy with a wheelbarrow."

In fact, despite the myriad attachments available to make the machines do this and that, Page said simply attaching a bucket to the front of the machine and using it to move materials around a job site has paid off for him.

"We’ve never done an intensive labor analysis, so saying how much time we’ve saved with the machine is difficult, but we have certainly improved our employee morale and sped up our work process," he noted. "We’re getting more work done with happier employees, and that can’t be all bad."

ARE YOU ATTACHED? How rapidly are new attachments for compact utility loaders arriving on the market? That’s difficult to say, but even the manufacturers of the base units themselves have difficulty keeping up. That there are between 35 and 40 attachments for the different machines is safe to say, however, and their applications range from augers, material handling forks, trenchers and tillers to posthole diggers and demolition tools.

"Operators can use the auger to dig a hole, then quickly go switch attachments to move a tree over to the hole," noted Capucci. "That switching capability is what also makes the design and construction of the operator cockpit area important so the operator isn’t inhibited getting on and off of the machine."

(Regarding operator mobility, readers should note that Power Trac and Gehl offer models that feature a sit-down design for operators, while the Toro, Ramrod, Kanga Loaders and Gravely machines feature the stand-on platform for operators. Toro also offers a walk-behind model.)

Reed classifies the attachments in three categories and said he expects a fourth category to arrive on the market before long.

"The first category is the basic attachments – the buckets and forks," he explained. "The second category would be the motorized attachments, like an auger. These are the attachments that really start to make the machine pay off.

"Next, we have the group of attachments that operate in conjunction with hydraulic pumps so added pressure is delivered to the wheels and the operator has better traction," Reed continued, pointing to some trenchers and vibratory plows as examples of this type of machine. "In the future, I think we’ll see a third pump come online so contractors can do three things at the same time in terms of running the attachment, putting pressure on the wheels and using increasingly complex attachments that may be pneumatic-driven or have increased hydraulics."

Reed was quick to comment, however, that contractors need to spend some time examining how they will use a compact utility machine in order to make sure they obtain the appropriate attachments.

"If you are going to do a great deal of trenching, then get a dedicated trencher," recommended Reed. "These machines will not be as effective as a dedicated machine will, but the compact utility loaders will let you do more with less."

Chris Asbury, sales manager, Power Trac, Tazewell, Va., focused on the hydraulic capabilities of the compact units when identifying the keys to their success.

"The hydraulic power lets manufacturers get away from a standard mechanical drive because while the hydraulics may not always be as efficient delivering power they do provide operators with increased control of the machine and the attachment," Asbury explained. "So contractors should also make sure they match the hydraulic needs of their attachments to the hydraulic power offered by the base machine."

"The use and benefits of hydraulic power, in addition to the standardization of attachment systems, is what has really driven the number of available attachments for skid-steers and these machines forward," agreed Burkhardt.

GETTING AROUND. The question of operator learning curve is one manufacturers commonly encounter from contractors, and the different manufacturers all agree that an operator’s learning curve will vary based on the individual.

"The learning curve can be anywhere from four hours up to 80 hours, depending on how savvy the operator is with hydraulic equipment," noted Capucci. "This hydraulic familiarity is important because the challenge is getting comfortable with the instantaneous controls and the valves since the transition from start to stop isn’t always smooth.

"But operators learn how to ‘feather’ the controls instead of running the machine in an ‘all-out’ stage, if you will," Capucci continued.

Operator education wasn’t a problem at Sutherland Landscape, but the presence of the machine did create one other problem.

"The employees all love to use the machine, so sometimes they argue over which crew will take it out for the day or which employee will get to run it," noted a pleased Sutherland.