Thursday, December 31, 2015

Skid Steer Loaders For Versatility And Maneuverability

By Robert Cook


If you do not work on a farm or in some type of construction, you may never have heard of this vehicle and all the jobs it is capable of doing. It is called a skid steer loader or excavator. Unlike most four wheeled vehicles the wheels on the left side are mechanically locked as are the wheels on the right side. The left and right wheels are aligned with the side of the machine and do not turn at an angle. The skidding motion is what enables the machine to move over soft terrain.

Operating the left and right wheels at different speeds causes them to skid. The vehicle was invented in 1957 for a farmer who needed to move some turkey manure. As one could imagine, a machine with the traditional type wheel base would just spin and spin and get further stuck into the soft manure. The skidding motion enables the machine to move over areas like soft earth, gravel, manure and other soft terrains.

The frame of the machine is exceptionally rigid, and the wheel bearings incredibly strong. These features prevent the dragging motion from damaging the vehicle. The machines function very well in small spaces. As the saying goes, they can turn on a dime, or more technically stated, they are capable of zero radius turning. If this is difficult to envision, watch some YouTube videos and you will get the picture.

These little worker machines are pretty incredible. They can accomplish jobs that other machines simply cannot. Due to its size, versatility and maneuverability this mighty little excavator can fully function with very little overhead space or surrounding space. Relatively speaking, this is a good thing in a small package.

The attachments are purchased separately and allow the vehicle to perform many different jobs. You can purchase buckets, levelers, mowers and rakes to perform the needed task. A new attachment is almost like having 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 mower attachment works great when a lot of acreage needs to be cut. With the correct attachment, it can be turned into a cement mixer. When heavy drilling is required, an auger attachment can easily do the job. Living in a rural community, you may need to grade some earth and spread some gravel to create a driveway. The machines are excellent for moving some earth and creating different levels in 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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment