First, determine the attachments you will need; you may find you need more than one.  Skid steer loaders can be used for a wide variety of jobs, so consider your entire project.  Since the arms are attached behind the operator they lift in an arc up and then over the cab.  Most skid steer loaders do not lift much higher than the cab; be sure to check with your KWIPPED network supplier to be sure that your loader will lift your materials high enough to release them where you would like.  The final consideration is the horsepower, be sure to rent or lease a higher horsepower loader if your material is heavy.
If you are working on soft or wet terrain skidding will be treacherous, a track loader should be used instead.  Track loaders can also be rented from a KWIPPED network supplier in the Heavy Equipment Rental Marketlace portion of this site.

Skid steer loaders are made to accommodate a large number of attachments; the mechanisms are created to allow the operator to change attachments easily.  The following is a list of many common skid steer loader attachments:

• Auger
• Backhoe
• Blade, variety of shapes
• Broom/sweeper
• Brush cutter
• Bucket
• Grapple
• Hammer
• Pallet fork
• Ripper
• Saw
• Snow blower
• Stump grinder
• Trencher

The two hydraulic arms are hinged behind the cab where the operator is seated; the arms lift beside the cab.  This keeps the compact nature of skid steer loaders, but requires extra attention to the safety of the operator.  The cab is enclosed to protect the operator from danger as the arms lift by their sides and over their head. 
The name skid steer loader comes from the way the machine is driven.  The wheels are fixed to the sides of the rigid body and can only spin on one axis, not change orientation.  Instead of turning, the wheels on the right side are operated independently of those on the left.  When the wheels on one side rotate at a different speed from the other the loader skids and changes direction.  The operator controls the loader with joystick controls inside the cab.

Skid steer loaders are made to work in small or enclosed spaces.  They have two hydraulic arms that lift a wide variety of attachments.  They are most frequently used to dig and carry at construction sites.  They have a rigid frame for strength and durability.  They are also called skid loaders or skidsteers.

• Construction
• Landscaping
• Confined spaces
• Industry

• Bobcat
• Case
• Caterpillar
• Hyundai
• John Deere
• Komatsu
• Kubota
• New Holland
• Volvo CE