What Is a Skid Steer Used for in 2024?

Skid Steers and their Attachments

Not everybody that stops by our site is already an expert on everything about Skid steers. And hey, everybody has to start somewhere!

In this article, let's go back to the basics and look at some of the most popular uses for skid steers.

Key Takeaways:

• Skid Steers are used in construction, farming, forestry, snow removal, cleanup, and demolition.
• Each year, manufacturers create new attachments allowing the skid steer to expand its use cases.

Skid Steers: A Brief History

In 1957, the first skid steer was invented by two brothers named Louis and Cyril Keller.

It was requested by a successful turkey farmer, Eddie Velo, for the brothers to make a small and lightweight machine to assist in cleaning out turkey manure from his multi-leveled barn.

Little did Louis and Cyril know, their invention would later become the starting point for an entire revolution in how the agricultural, industrial, and construction world operates.

The name “skid steer” comes from the way the vehicle maneuvers. The wheels and tracks are fixed in position and therefore don’t steer like a car.

Instead, when turning, you skid the machine around by having one set of tires or tracks in forward, and the opposite side either stopped or in reverse.

Common Skid Steer Uses

Modern skid steers are very powerful and versatile machines. 

For example, a Takeuchi TL12 has a tipping load over 11,000 pounds, over 100 horsepower, over 12” of ground clearance, and a hydraulic circuit that can power pretty well any attachment.

Given that skid steers can be purchased with tracks rather than wheels (or fitted with tracks over their wheels), they can pretty much operate on any surface. 

The power and versatility are unmatched by any other machine.

Here are some common skid steer uses:

Construction

You’ll see multiple skid steers at nearly all job sites. Here are a few examples:

Roofs and Trusses

The maneuverability and reach of a skid steer are perfect for setting roof trusses. It’s very common to find skid steers with truss boom attachments lifting trusses into position.

Mixing And Pumping

The powerful hydraulic system on modern skid steers makes it the perfect machine for mixing and pumping concrete, grout, and mortar.***How much does a concrete pump cost

A skid steer with the right attachment can use its hydraulic system to mix aggregate and water, and then transport it to exactly where it's needed.

A skid steer with a concrete pump attachment can often meet the cement truck on the road and pump the concrete through its own hoses hundreds of feet to where it is needed.

Fence Installation

Skid steers are the perfect machines for pounding fence posts into the earth. You’ll often see them with post driver attachments driving fence posts into place in under a minute.

A skid steer can also install chain link, woven wire, and barbed wire fences.

With the right attachment, you can pick up 50’ rolls of fencing, dispense, and tension the fence with minimal outside help.

Grading

When it comes to achieving a precise final grade, no machine compares to a skid steer.

In 2024, many skid steer grading attachments have the option of using lasers and GPS to achieve a very precise grade.

Not only that, but many of the graders have the ability to operate on autopilot, achieving the grade itself without any trouble from the operator.

Trenching

Installing underground cables and pipes is easiest with a skid steer.

Skid steers can have trencher attachments that can cut deep, wide, and clean trenches in the earth very efficiently.

In fact, many trenchers are so powerful that they will cut straight through rock and frost. There is almost no way you’d be able to do this without a skid steer.

Road Construction

When a layer of concrete or asphalt needs to be removed from the road, you’ll find a skid steer doing the job.

A cold planer is a skid steer attachment that uses the skid steer auxiliary hydraulic power to cut through the road surface.

Farming & Forestry

When Louis and Cyril first invented the skid steer, they did so to make farming easier. 67 years later, you’ll still find a skid steer on many farms.

Here are a few examples of their uses:

Cutting Brush

Cutting brush is one of the most common skid steer uses.

When clearing new pasture, right of ways, or just keeping headlands clean on a farm, you’ll usually start with a skid steer brush cutter attachment. Many brush cutters can cut down 6” diameter branches.

Skid steers are used with mulchers to maintain forests for fire protection, and to clear land for new development.

Mulchers can take down much larger trees, and in the process turn the wood into mulch.

Moving Bales

The loader arms on a skid steer make it perfect for picking up and dropping bales.

Bales are often stacked in the field to help protect each other from the elements. Being able to pick bales from the top of the stack, and then drop them into a round bale feeder requires a lot of lifting power and precise maneuverability. A skid steer is perfect for this task.

Wood Processing

One of my personal favorite uses for a skid steer is splitting wood.

Skid steers can produce 35+ tonnes of force with their hydraulic system, making them the perfect wood splitter.

Additionally, skid steer wood splitters are “inverted,” meaning you can drive up to the log, pick it up with the loader, and split it all in one move.

Snow Removal

Many municipalities in North America are entirely dependent on skid steers for snow removal in the winter.

Skid steers excel at snow removal because no other machine can maintain traction on the slippery surface as well as they can.

Skid Steers Make Great Snow Blowers

Skid steers are often used for snow blowing because they are much easier to operate than a tractor.

On a skid steer, the snow blower is mounted on the loader arms, and therefore the operator drives forward and looks forward while it’s in use.

Many tractors have a 3-point snow blower which requires you to drive backward and look behind you while you blow snow.

Pushing Snow

“Snow pushers” and buckets are often used to clear parking lots in the winter.

The problem is that wet snow is heavy, and the ground is slippery, making this a difficult job for many machines.

Cleaning Up

After unfortunate natural disasters and demolition jobs, you find skid steers at the ready. Here are a few examples:

Carrying Bulk Material

When you need to move junk material such as waste from a job site or a bush and rock pile, the best tool for the job is a skid steer with a heavy grapple.

Many skid steers can lift thousands of pounds at a time with a grapple. The clamps on the grapple allow the load to be uneven and poorly balanced without affecting the skid steer.

Sweeping Up

Being able to sweep material into a bucket and dump it into a trailer can come in handy. Skid steers can do this without any problems using a pickup broom attachment.

A skid steer's hydraulic system is perfect for running a hydraulic motor to operate the sweeper, and the loader arms make it possible to lift the sweeper and dump its contents into dumpsters or trailers. 

Conclusion

Each year, manufacturers around the world figure out more ways to get jobs done with a skid steer. The powerful hydraulics, ability to lift thousands of pounds, and maneuverability make it the perfect tool for hundreds of different jobs.