Skid steers are used to load and carry material, level and backfill, dig shallow trenches, clear sites, lift pallets and run attachments such as augers, brooms and grapples. In Australia they work hardest in landscaping, residential building, farming, light demolition and indoor jobs where bigger machines can't fit. The attachment and the machine size decide which of those jobs a skid steer does well, and the basics of what a skid steer is and how it works explain why it suits tight spaces.
The main jobs a skid steer does
Most skid steer work comes down to eight jobs, and changing the attachment is what moves the machine from one to the next.
| Job | What it involves | Attachment |
|---|---|---|
| Loading and carrying | Moving soil, gravel, mulch and rubble around a site or into a bin or truck | General purpose bucket |
| Levelling and backfilling | Spreading fill, backfilling trenches and footings, preparing a pad | Bucket or 4-in-1 bucket |
| Shallow digging and trenching | Stripping topsoil, digging cable and irrigation trenches | Bucket or trencher |
| Site clearing | Picking up branches, scrub and building waste | Grapple bucket |
| Pallet handling | Unloading and moving pallets of bricks, pavers and bagged products | Pallet forks |
| Drilling holes | Post holes for fences, footings and signs | Auger |
| Sweeping and clean-up | Clearing roads, car parks, sheds and factory floors | Broom or sweeper |
| Light demolition | Breaking small concrete slabs and paths, carrying rubble out | Hydraulic breaker and bucket |
Before buying an attachment, check that it suits the machine's rated operating capacity and hydraulic flow. A heavy attachment leaves less capacity for the load, and some attachments need more oil flow than a small machine can supply.
Skid steer uses by industry
The same eight jobs turn up in a different mix in each industry, and the size and power source of the machine change with them.
Landscaping and residential building
Landscapers and builders use skid steers to get through side gates and into backyards, strip and level soil, spread mulch and road base, prepare lawn areas and backfill around footings and retaining walls. A small machine that fits through a narrow access saves hours of wheelbarrow work. On finished lawns and paving, tracks or turf tyres do less damage than standard tyres, because wheeled skid steers scuff the surface when they turn.
Construction and civil works
On building and civil sites, skid steers keep the site clear, move pallets of materials to where the trades need them, backfill service trenches and break up small slabs with a breaker. They often work alongside a mini excavator: the excavator digs, and the skid steer backfills, levels and cleans up behind it.
Driveways, paths and roadwork
For driveways, paths and small road repairs, a skid steer digs out the old surface, breaks up concrete with a breaker, spreads and levels road base and sweeps up when the job is done. Milling asphalt is a different scale of work: it needs a cold planer attachment on a large skid steer with high-flow hydraulics, well beyond what a compact machine can run.
Farming and livestock
On farms, skid steers clean out sheds and yards, move feed, handle hay with a bale spear, drill fence post holes and clear fence lines. Their tight turning suits narrow alleys in sheds and barns, which is exactly the job the first skid steer was built for. In enclosed sheds, an electric machine avoids exhaust fumes around animals and workers.
Demolition and renovation
Renovation and strip-out crews use small skid steers inside buildings to break up floors, load rubble and carry it out to the bin. Weight and fumes are the limits indoors, so check the floor can carry the machine, and use an electric skid steer where diesel exhaust isn't acceptable.
Warehousing, nurseries and indoor sites
Nurseries and greenhouses use skid steers to move soil, potting mix and pallets of plants along narrow rows. Warehouses and factories use them with a broom to clean floors or with forks for awkward loads outside the racking. These are the sites where electric skid steers have the clearest advantage, because they run without exhaust and much more quietly.
Councils and site maintenance
Councils, contractors and property managers use skid steers to sweep roads and car parks, maintain parks and sports grounds, clear debris after storms and keep depots tidy. One machine with a bucket, a broom and forks covers most of that work.
Can you dig with a skid steer?
Yes, but only shallow digging. A skid steer digs by driving its bucket into the ground, so it handles stripping topsoil, levelling and digging into loose material well. With a trencher it cuts narrow trenches for cables and irrigation, and with an auger it drills post holes.
A skid steer can't reach below its own wheels, so it isn't the right machine for footings, deep trenches or holes with straight sides. Those are core excavator uses, and a mini excavator does them faster and more accurately.
Matching the machine size to the job
Choose the size from the heaviest regular job and the space you have to work in, not from the biggest job you might do once a year.
| Main job | Size that usually fits |
|---|---|
| Indoor work, tight backyards and small landscaping jobs | Compact or mini skid steer |
| Residential building sites and small farms | Small skid steer |
| General construction and loading trucks | Medium skid steer |
| Heavy earthmoving and high-flow attachments such as mulchers and cold planers | Large skid steer, often on tracks |
The Yuchai S35 Pro electric skid steer that DJJ Equipment sells sits at the compact end, with a 1.5 t operating weight, a 0.35 t rated operating capacity, a 0.29 m³ bucket and a 3,245 mm maximum operating height. It suits light loading, levelling, clean-up and indoor work. With dense material such as wet soil or crushed rock, a full bucket can approach the rated capacity, so load less and make more trips. Bulk earthmoving and high-flow attachments need a larger machine.
Where electric skid steers fit best
Electric skid steers make the most sense where fumes or noise are a problem.
- Inside buildings: strip-outs, renovations, warehouses and factories
- Livestock sheds: cleaning and feeding without exhaust around animals
- Nurseries and greenhouses: enclosed rows where fumes would build up
- Residential streets: early starts and noise-sensitive sites
- Food and clean sites: where diesel exhaust and fuel spills aren't acceptable
Run time is the main thing to plan around. The S35 Pro takes a 90-minute quick charge for up to 8 hours of operation, so most users charge it at lunch or overnight, and the S35 Max carries a 5-year battery warranty. Check that the site has a suitable power supply for charging before you rely on it for a full day.
Skid steer, mini excavator or wheel loader?
Each machine has jobs it does best, and many sites use two of them together.
| Main job | Usually the better machine |
|---|---|
| Loading, levelling and attachment work in tight spaces | Skid steer |
| Digging footings, trenches and holes below ground level | Mini excavator |
| Loading trucks and moving larger volumes across a yard | Wheel loader |
| Work inside buildings with no exhaust allowed | Electric skid steer |
| Soft, wet or sandy ground | Compact track loader |
Where the main job is loading trucks or building stockpiles, a wheel loader usually works faster and carries more per trip, which is why those jobs top the list of wheel loader uses on farms and yards.
Buy or hire for the job
If you need a skid steer for a few days a year, hiring one from a plant hire company is usually cheaper than owning it. If it works most weeks, owning it saves hire costs and keeps the machine on site when you need it, which is why landscapers, farmers and builders with steady work tend to buy. DJJ sells skid steers but doesn't hire them.
A skid steer earns its place wherever one compact machine has to load, level, clean up and run attachments in tight spaces, and the right size depends on the heaviest job and the space you work in. For indoor, farm and light site work, compare the Yuchai S35 Pro and S35 Max electric models in our range of skid steers for sale, or call DJJ on 1800 355 388 to talk through your jobs.
