Skid Steer Loader: Types and Operation

You would use a skid steer loader as opposed to a mini loader if you have a much larger job on your hands. With the weights of the machines, skid steer loaders have more torque and power.  So if you need to dig an area that's quite large or deep, if you have a really large amount of material that you want to traverse through a site, you might find these are much more suitable for the job.

These skid steer loaders have rollover protection system for operator safety and also have the seated position for the operator which is an advantage on longer or bigger jobs. With the mini skid steer loader, you can generally transport these to your own site on a trailer, provided you have an acceptable towing vehicle. If you're using the larger machine, you will need to have it delivered to site or provide your own tilt tray for transport.

You must be seated in order for the machine to start.  Once seated, simply turn the key to start up the skid steer. Make sure the safety bar is down before you start your work.  The machine will not engage unless the safety bar is also engaged.

While the controls on these machines can sometimes be in different areas on the machine across brands or size, the functions of the controls are basically similar across each type. The two control handles on each side of the seat handle the driving direction.  Push both controls forward to go forward, back towards you to go back.  To turn left or right, simply have one handle pushed forward, and one handle pushed back. There are pedal controls at your feet which will control the bucket. One will lift the arms up and down, moving the bucket up and down. The other will tilt the bucket down and up. There is also a control in the middle of the foot pedals for the four in one bucket.  Typically you use a 4-in-1 bucket if you're spreading soil around the site.  If you push it one way, it’ll open the bucket, and push it the other way, it will close the bucket.