Friday, December 25, 2015

Skid Steer Loaders For Many Types Of Jobs

By Robert Cook


Farmers, builders and construction workers are familiar with this versatile excavator machine. It is known as a skid steer and to the uninformed it might look like a small tractor. Usually this is a four wheel machine with wheels locked mechanically on the left side and on the right side. The wheels on the left side of the vehicle are driven independently from those on the right side. The vehicle actually moves with a skidding motion. The wheels are held in straight alignment with the body, unlike most vehicles where the wheels turn on an angle.

It is the process of operating one set of wheels faster than the other that causes the vehicle to skid into motion. It was first invented in 1957 by two brothers who worked with this type of heavy machinery. They created it for a farmer who needed to clear a significant amount of turkey manure. With its skidding movement it was able to go over the soft terrain, load the manure and move it to the appropriate location. The brothers and other collaborators continued to refine the newly designed vehicle.

The extremely strong rigid frame and exceptionally strong wheel bearings allow the skidding without any damage to the machine. They come in a variety of sizes, but the smaller sized machines work especially well in small spaces where larger machines cannot be maneuvered. Amazingly, they can turn at a zero radius, a movement that has been compared to a pirouette. Since this is hard for the untrained mind to picture, watching some YouTube videos of the machines in action is very helpful.

It is pretty amazing all the things these excavators can do. The ability to function in small areas with low overhead space is unmatched. Picture digging a new basement under an otherwise fully constructed house. Large machines could not do this. Sometimes small is better.

All manner of attachments are available to create its almost unlimited versatility. If you want to clear a road of snow, this is the machine. For raking, moving earth, mowing and moving pallets of goods, this loader can do it all. A new attachment virtually makes a new machine.

There are several well known manufacturers, such as John Deere, Caterpillar and Bobcat. Depending on the size of the machine, the costs range from around fourteen thousand to sixty thousand dollars. The attachments start around three thousand dollars and go much higher, around fifteen thousand. Many people purchased used machines to get a lower price.

The vehicle can make easy work of mowing a lot of land with soft terrain. Other machines would sink into the surface below, but this machine skids right over it. With the right attachment it can become a mini cement mixer. It can perform heavy drilling with the auger attachment. They are the perfect tool for moving earth and creating different levels in larger landscaping jobs.

The loaders are also available with tracks, in which case they are called a multi terrain loader. Otherwise they still have the mechanically locked left and right sides and the same rigid frame. If you only need the loader on rare occasions, they are also available for rent. They are great machines that serve multiple purposes. Learning how to operate one of these loaders is another story.




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