A skid steer, or skid steer loader, is a small, rigid-frame loader with lift arms at the front that steers by driving the wheels on each side at different speeds, so it can turn on the spot. In Australia it's often called a bobcat, after the brand that built the first ones. With a bucket it digs, loads and levels, and with other attachments it lifts pallets, drills post holes and sweeps.
Why is it called a skid steer?
A skid steer has no steering wheel linkage and no pivoting axle. The two wheels on the left turn together, the two on the right turn together, and each side is driven separately. To turn, one side runs faster than the other or in the opposite direction, and the tyres skid sideways across the ground. Spinning the two sides in opposite directions turns the machine in its own length, which is why skid steers can work in spaces too tight for most other loaders.
The design started on a Minnesota turkey farm in 1957, when two brothers, Louis and Cyril Keller, built a small three-wheeled loader to clean out a barn full of posts. A local manufacturer took it on, and by 1960 it had become the first four-wheel skid steer. The brand name given to those machines a couple of years later is the one many Australians still use for any skid steer.
Main parts of a skid steer
Every skid steer is built around the same few parts, whatever its size or power source.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Frame | A rigid, compact chassis that carries everything and keeps the weight low |
| Cab | The operator's seat and controls inside a roll-over and falling-object protective structure, with a seatbelt or seat bar |
| Lift arms | Two arms beside the cab that raise and lower the attachment |
| Quick attach plate | The mounting plate at the front that lets the operator swap the bucket for another attachment in minutes |
| Bucket | The standard attachment for digging, loading and carrying material |
| Drive | Wheels or tracks, driven separately on each side |
| Power source | A diesel engine at the rear, or a battery pack and electric motors |
| Auxiliary hydraulics | Couplers at the front that power attachments such as augers, sweepers and grapples |
| Controls | Joysticks or levers for driving, the lift arms and the attachment |
How a skid steer works
Driving and lifting are controlled separately, and how the power reaches the wheels depends on whether the machine is diesel or electric.
Diesel skid steers
Most diesel skid steers use a hydrostatic drive. The engine runs a hydraulic pump, and the pump sends oil to a motor on each side that turns the wheels, usually through chains. The operator changes speed and direction smoothly with the controls, without gears, and the same engine also runs the pump for the lift arms and attachments.
Electric skid steers
An electric skid steer replaces the engine with a battery and electric motors. The Yuchai S35 range, for example, has a 9 kW motor for the hydraulics and a 2 kW motor at each of the four wheels, 17 kW in total. With no engine there's no exhaust and much less noise, so an electric skid steer can work indoors, in occupied buildings and early in the morning in residential streets.
Controls
Most modern skid steers use two joysticks. In the common ISO pattern, the left joystick drives and steers the machine and the right one works the lift arms and bucket. Some machines also offer an H pattern, where each joystick drives one side. Many operators find one pattern easier than the other, so try both if the machine allows it.
Types of skid steer
Skid steers differ in how the lift arms move, what they run on and how they're powered, and each choice suits different work.
Radial lift vs vertical lift
| Radial lift | Vertical lift | |
|---|---|---|
| How the arms move | In an arc around one pivot at the rear | Close to straight up, through extra linkages |
| Reach | Furthest forward at mid height | Furthest forward at full height |
| Best for | Digging, grading and pushing at ground level | Loading trucks, lifting pallets and dumping at height |
| Upkeep | Simpler, with fewer pins to grease | More linkages and pins to maintain |
Wheeled skid steer vs compact track loader
A compact track loader is a skid steer on rubber tracks instead of wheels. Tracks spread the weight over a much larger area, so a track loader works better on soft, wet or sandy ground and does less damage to lawns. A wheeled skid steer travels faster, costs less to buy and run, and suits concrete, asphalt and gravel, where tracks wear quickly. Wheeled machines also scuff surfaces when they turn, which is the trade-off for skid steering.
Diesel vs electric skid steers
Diesel skid steers suit long days on open sites where refuelling is easy. Electric skid steers suit indoor work, noise-sensitive sites and jobs where fumes aren't acceptable, such as inside buildings, warehouses, livestock sheds and food sites. The limit is run time between charges: the Yuchai S35 Pro, for example, takes a 90-minute quick charge for up to 8 hours of operation, so plan charging around breaks or overnight.
Skid steer sizes and rated operating capacity
Skid steers are usually grouped by rated operating capacity, the load the machine can safely carry in the bucket. For wheeled skid steers, ISO 14397-1 sets it at 50% of the tipping load, the weight that would lift the rear wheels off the ground.
| Size | Rated operating capacity | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Mini and compact | Under about 500 kg | Landscaping, tight backyards, indoor work |
| Small | About 500-800 kg | Residential building, small farms |
| Medium | About 800-1,000 kg | General construction and site work |
| Large | Over about 1,000 kg | Heavy material handling and high-flow attachments |
The rated operating capacity has to cover the attachment's load, not the attachment's own weight as well, so a heavy attachment leaves less margin. 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.
Skid steer vs wheel loader vs mini excavator
Skid steers, wheel loaders and mini excavators often appear on the same jobs, but each does a different main task.
| Skid steer | Wheel loader | Mini excavator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | Skids, turns on the spot | Articulates in the middle | Tracks, with a cab that rotates |
| Main job | Loading, levelling and attachment work in tight spaces | Loading and carrying larger volumes | Digging trenches and holes |
| Strength | Compact, quick attachment changes | Bigger buckets, gentler on surfaces | Digging depth and reach |
| Weak point | Scuffs surfaces, limited lift height | Needs more room to turn | Slow at moving material |
If most of your work is loading and carrying larger volumes, a wheel loader may suit better. For trenching and digging below ground level, a mini excavator is the usual choice.
What is a skid steer used for?
A skid steer is used for loading and moving soil, gravel and mulch, levelling and backfilling, clearing sites, lifting pallets with forks and running attachments such as augers, trenchers, grapples, brooms and breakers. It's common in landscaping, residential construction, farming, demolition clean-up and indoor work such as clearing livestock sheds. The full range of skid steer uses runs from farm clean-up to demolition, and each industry leans on different attachments.
Do you need a licence to operate a skid steer in Australia?
No High Risk Work Licence covers skid steers, so there's no national skid steer licence card like the forklift licence. That doesn't mean anyone can operate one. Under WHS law, the business must make sure each operator is trained and competent for the machine and the job.
The regulators say this directly. WorkSafe Tasmania's guidance on when a high risk work licence isn't required lists front end loaders of the skid steer type among the earthmoving machines with no high risk work licence, and adds that operators must receive specific training and instruction.
In practice, builders and principal contractors usually ask for a recognised skid steer training unit, RIIMPO318F Conduct civil construction skid steer loader operations, or a verification of competency on the machine. Using a skid steer as a crane, such as lifting loads on chains or slings, brings in extra rules, so check with your state regulator before any lifting work.
How to choose a skid steer
Start with the main job and the ground, then work through the details.
- Main job: digging and grading favours radial lift; loading trucks and lifting pallets favours vertical lift
- Ground: wheels for hard surfaces, tracks for soft or wet ground
- Load: the heaviest regular load plus a margin, within the rated operating capacity
- Height: the dump height you need to clear, such as the side of a truck or bin
- Access: gate widths, doorways and the space you have to turn
- Power source: electric for indoor and noise-sensitive work, diesel for long outdoor days
- Attachments: whether the machine's hydraulic flow suits the attachments you plan to run
- Transport: the machine's weight on your trailer and tow vehicle
Weigh the drawbacks too. Wheeled skid steers scuff lawns and paving when they turn, wear tyres faster than wheel loaders, and give a limited view behind the machine, so a reversing camera and a spotter help on busy sites.
A skid steer is the compact loader to choose when space is tight and one machine has to do several jobs, and the right one depends on the work, the ground and the load. DJJ sells the Yuchai S35 Pro and S35 Max electric skid steers, with the S35 Max carrying a 5-year battery warranty, and we sell rather than hire skid steers. Compare both models in our range of skid steers for sale or call 1800 355 388 to talk through your site.
