DESIGN/BUILD: Hit the Skids

If a landscape contractor could instantaneously morph into a giant, muscle-bound monster like the Incredible Hulk, he could probably do without large equipment purchases. Of course, contractors aren’t comic-book characters with super-human strength and must sometimes work in rugged conditions that require a little help.

For years, contractors have relied on skid-steer loaders to perform functions like transporting sod pallets, digging holes or smoothing surfaces. These machines have always helped contractors increase productivity, but the newer skid-steer loaders are even more versatile and user-friendly than previous models.

Today’s skid-steer loaders are being built for comfort with more ergonomically friendly features. They also come equipped with more attachments so contractors can complete more tasks in less time. And the added versatility does not mean skid-steer loaders are more likely to cause turf damage from increased weight. Manufacturers are building more machines with rubber tracks instead of wheels to reduce ground pressure.

SMOOTH OPERATORS. Skid-steer loaders are becoming more like cars every year. Contractors can now choose from options that include heat and air conditioning, low-effort controls and keyless startup. The most significant change on skid-steer loaders in the last three years has been technological advancements in operation and comfort, says Rob Otterson, marketing manager, Bobcat, West Fargo, N.D.

Air conditioning and heat are becoming more common in skid-steer cabs today compared with several years ago when very few manufacturers offered climate control as an option, says Larry Foster, product marketing manager, John Deere Construction & Forestry Division, Moline, Ill. Enclosed cabs with heat and air conditioning can lower operator fatigue and are popular options for  contractors who work in various weather conditions, Otterson says. An enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning can raise the skid-steer loader’s retail price $2,500 to $4,100 without installation, points out Otterson, adding that the heat-only option can add $1,600 to $2,500 not including installation.

Some instrument panels now feature a multilingual reporting function that can be beneficial for service notifications or attachment operation, Otterson says. “For instance, a Spanish-speaking operator can read information on the display panel in his or her own language without needing additional assistance from the owner,” he explains.

These deluxe instrument panels, featuring the multilingual reporting and keyless startup, cost approximately $545, Otterson says. Several manufacturers are also offering joystick controls that allow the operator to steer and advance the machine with one hand and operate boom and bucket functions with the other hand, says Jorge DeHoyos, brand marketing manager, New Holland Construction, Carol Stream, Ill. Joystick controls can add $1,500 to $2,000 to the machine’s base price, according to DeHoyos.

Some of these joysticks feature speed-reduction buttons that provide contractors with more control when using different attachments by reducing the skid-steer loader’s speed while maintaining full engine power. This built-in “inching” button allows the operator to select speeds, in 1 percent increments, from 3 to 99 percent of the loader’s standard travel speed, Otterson says.

Operators will also have the ability to switch between hand and foot controls on some machines. In the past, skid-steer loaders featured either hand or foot controls, but newer machines now come equipped with both controls, which operators can activate by flipping a switch, DeHoyos says. Contractors will pay an additional $1,000 for this function, according to DeHoyos.

Attachments are becoming easier to connect and remove with quick-attach buttons. The quick-attach feature is typically an option on skid-steer loaders and adds $700 to $800 to the machine’s price, according to Foster. With the quick-attach feature, operators can drive up to an attachment, connect it and push a button to lock in the attachment, Foster says. “This way, you don’t have to climb in and out, you don’t have to exert effort or force like you would with a manual quick-attach system, so it takes seconds vs. maybe minutes to change an attachment,” he explains.
 
In addition to ease of operation, manufacturers are making skid-steer loaders easier to maintain. Contractors can purchase skid-steer loaders that contain small ports in the engine compartment where they can take oil samples and send them to a dealer to test the oil quality, says Eric Mangum, marketing project engineer for skid-steer loaders, Caterpillar, Peoria, Ill. “You can find out if there’s trash or other types of particles in the oil that you can get taken care of before you have a major failure,” he says.  

More skid-steer engines are also being designed to last longer between oil changes. Contractors can now find engines that can run 500 hours before an oil change is necessary, Foster says. 

GENTLE GIANTS. One option that’s becoming more popular with landscape contractors every year is a type of loader similar to skid-steers that moves on rubberized tracks rather than wheels. These machines have grown industrywide in sales from $10 million in the late 1990s to $300 million presently, according to Jay Lemke, director of product development, ASV, Grand Rapids, Minn.

Rubber-track units cost an estimated 25 percent more than traditional skid-steer loaders, DeHoyos says, explaining that a $32,000 skid-steer loader would cost approximately $40,000 with the rubber track. Lemke says the units can range from $22,000 to $50,000 for the largest model, but the extra cost should be offset by the additional tasks contractors can accomplish with these machines.

These machines are ideal for the green industry because they can minimize ground damage when working in sensitive, soft-soil areas, DeHoyos says. “You can work in more applications and on more surfaces than you could with a wheeled vehicle, so the amount of rain delays are minimized and the amount of applications extended,” he explains. “And you don’t need to cover up the tracks that a normal wheeled skid-steer loader would leave.”

These vehicles also are reportedly more stable than traditional skid-steer loaders because they’re about 30 percent heavier and the weight is distributed over a larger area, DeHoyos says. A wheeled unit applies 25 to 28 pounds of ground pressure per square inch whereas a rubber-track unit applies less than 5 pounds per square inch, he adds. Some tracks contain small wheels inside that help spread the vehicle weight over a larger area, providing even more stability, Lemke says.

“The contractor is going to notice it’s heavier than the wheeled skid-steer loader,” DeHoyos says. “The wheeled skid-steer loaders are traditionally known as being rough on the operator because it does jiggle and move you around as you work. The rubber-track machines are going to be a little more stable because of their weight. Therefore, you can expect the operator to get tossed around a lot less.”

The added traction also means that some of these units can operate at a 3-1 slope, Mangum says. “The undercarriage has a suspension that gives a smoother ride than a skid-steer loader and also gives you better traction, especially when there are wet, soft conditions,” he explains. “It’s also a lot more stable for slope work.”

Achieving this extra traction does mean more maintenance. Operators must keep the undercarriage clean just as they would with a track-type tractor or a bulldozer, Mangum says, adding that contractors typically accomplish this with a pressure washer.

GO WITH THE FLOW. Landscape contractors obviously have more design options than ever before on skid-steer loaders. And as skid-steer loaders become more diverse, engine power is increasing to provide the extra push needed for the added functionality. Each manufacturer offers skid-steer loaders with a wide range of horsepower. But contractors should take more into account than simply engine horsepower. Hydraulic performance is critical, especially when adding attachments.

To determine the optimum hydraulic horsepower, contractors should consider hydraulic flow and pressure. “People tend to look at gallons per minute (gpm), and they don’t understand that it’s gallons per minute times pressure,” Foster says. “You can have a lot of flow but no pressure behind it, and it’s not going to do any work for you. You can have a lot of pressure and no flow, and the attachment is not going to work.”

Skid-steer loaders typically range in hydraulic pressure from 2,500 to 3,500 psi, DeHoyos says. The higher the hydraulic flow and pressure, the more attachments the skid-steer loader can accommodate. High-flow skid-steer loaders typically run between 35 and 40 gpm, says Neil Rosenbaum, service training coordinator, Case Construction Equipment, Racine, Wis. High-flow machines are $1,500 to $2,000 more expensive than standard-flow skid-steer loaders, according to DeHoyos. A standard-flow skid-steer loader will operate basic attachments, such as augers, hammers, sweepers and brooms. Standard-flow skid-steer loaders operate between 12 and 22 gpm, Rosenbaum says. A high-flow, high-pressure skid-steer loader is ideal for more rugged attachments such as cold planers, augers with higher diameters and dual-function or six-way buckets, DeHoyos says.

“The standard flow is adequate flow to run the loader attachments, and then if you want to run certain hydraulic attachments that don’t need a lot of horsepower, then that’s a very good system for that,” says Rusty Schaefer, marketing manager, Case Construction. “But let’s say you have an attachment that has the capability to take all of the engine horsepower, then you need a higher flow system.”

The best way to determine the necessary amount of hydraulic power needed is by asking the dealer, Otterson says. “The dealership should help the customer determine how much auxiliary hydraulic flow is needed to power the attachments the customer will be operating,” he says. Matching the skid-steer loader’s auxiliary hydraulic flow to an attachment is important because if there’s too much flow, the owner can experience problems long term with the attachment’s durability.”

In addition to power, contractors should consider lift capacity. Skid-steer loaders can range in operating capacities from 700 pounds to 3,000 pounds, according to Otterson. Most landscape contractors will need lift capacities between 1,750 to 2,200 pounds, DeHoyos says. At this range, contractors can operate buckets, forks, landscape rakes and augurs, Schaefer says. Skid-steer loaders with a lift capacity less than 1,000 pounds will range in price from $12,000 to $16,000, according to DeHoyos. Lift capacities between 1,001 pounds and 2,000 pounds generally cost $16,000 to $25,000, and heavy-lift machines with operating capacities more than 2,000 pounds can cost up to $40,000, DeHoyos adds.

Overall, lift capacity, horsepower and hydraulic power should be examined closely when shopping for a skid-steer loader. Foster recommends testing skid-steer loaders before purchasing them. Many dealers will provide free one- to two-day trials, he says. “Contractors should try the machine out in their applications, and if possible, try it at the same time or same day as other machines so you get a side-by-side comparison in the same conditions,” Foster says. “Make sure the salesman gives you a professional walk around, driving home the benefits they feel would be good attributes to consider when running a machine. Those things can be breakout forces on the motor, tractive effort, visibility, the variety of attachments it’s capable of running and serviceability.”