All You Need To Know About Skid Steer Loader

All You Need To Know About Skid Steer Loader

If you ask a layman, all heavy equipment seen in a construction site might look same and so might its functions. But for each equipment there is a unique name as well as function. One such equipment is skid steer, also known as a skid loader. It is a compact machine used for digging. It also has the ability to push, pull and lift material. It is lighter and more maneuverable than a tractor front loader, and is used typically in construction and landscaping work. Since it is been widely used in the construction sites the trend of skid steer sale in Dubai as well as the whole world has increased considerably.

For the ones who have heard about skid steer, usually Bobcat is a name taken along with skid steer so it might be confusing whether both are the same. But it is different and the difference is as per mentioned below.

The Skid Steer

Skid steers are available in various sizes. As the size increases so does the load capacity. Skid steers have a load capacity of less than 800 pounds to over two tons. Skid steer attachments enable the machine to perform various tasks that generally would take significant time and effort without machine assistance.

The Bobcat

Bobcat is a brand name. Bobcat offers skid steers and many other types of construction equipment. There are over a dozen models of Bobcat skid steers. Bobcat also offers more than 70 attachment options.

Attachments for Skid Loaders

Skid loaders have numerous attachment options, including buckets of various types and sizes, backhoes, forks, hammers, brooms, and augers. These attachments enable the loader to move material, dig, and aid in landscaping tasks and perform many other jobs in construction.

The wheels on a skid steer typically have no steering mechanism; they are in a fixed, straight line relative to the body of the machine.  By turning the left and right wheel pairs at different speeds, the machine turns by skidding, or dragging its wheels across the ground.  The rigid frame and strong wheel bearings prevent the torsion forces caused by this dragging motion from damaging the machine.  This skidding motion tears up the ground on which the machine operates.

SSL (skid steer loader) refers to the standard wheeled machine.

CTL (compact track loader) and MTL (multi-terrain loader) refer to different undercarriage designs.

CTLs feature a steel embedded track and steel undercarriage components for maximum life in many applications.

MTLs have a rubber track undercarriage that delivers lower ground pressure compared to an SSL and CTL so they don’t tear up the ground as badly.

 

To mention some of the applications of skid steer loader, at times a large excavator can be replaced by skid-steer loader by digging a hole from the inside. The skid loader first digs a ramp leading to the edge of the desired excavation. It then uses the ramp to carry material out of the hole. The skid loader reshapes the ramp making it steeper and longer as the excavation deepens. This method is particularly useful for digging under a structure where overhead clearance does not allow for the boom of a large excavator, such as digging a basement under an existing house. Several companies make backhoe attachments for skid-steers. These are more effective for digging in a small area than the method above and can work in the same environments. Transporting raw material around a job site, or assisting in the rough grading process are some of the other applications of the same.

Welcome to Machinery Planet International