Skid steer loaders are powerful equipment with a fantastic combination of lifting force, adaptability, and compact size, making them perfect for even the most difficult farm operations. It has a wide range of skills, functions, and attachments for agricultural applications, and can execute a wide range of activities on a variety of operations, including excavation, earthmoving, landscaping, demolition, lifting, and debris disposal.
Skid steer loaders are heavy equipment that has become essential on many farms. Because of their simplicity and versatility, they can be used for almost any work that farmers face daily. Skid steer loaders have the advantage of being able to use a large range of attachments, allowing them to do a greater number of tasks. The efficiency with which these attachments can complete each farm operation is simply amazing.
What are the different ways to use a skid steer loader on farms?
A skid steer loader is an extremely versatile machine that can be customized to accomplish practically any duty a farmer may face with the right accessories. Here are some ways you can use your skid steer loader on your farm:
1. Earthmoving – A skid steer loader is capable of moving dirt, rocks, and sand. It can transport sand or mud without spilling and can pick up huge loads while moving over sloped land using a front bucket. There are two types of buckets available for a skid steer loader: standard and teeth. The leading edges of standard buckets are sharp and have a smooth surface. It’s great for scraping the top layer of soil off the ground or scooping up heavier objects like trees or boulders. The tooth buckets, on the other hand, often have 8 -10 teeth protruding from their front edge. The teeth aid in the excavation of difficult materials such as compacted bark mulch, clay, or rooty soil with thick, stiff plant matter. The teeth function similarly to a knife blade’s serrated edge. They aid the bucket in chewing through items that would otherwise be difficult to remove with just the smooth bucket edge.
2. Road Maintenance – Farm operations require access to all parts of the farm in order to deliver vital goods and equipment. Skid steer loaders have the strength and versatility needed to build and maintain roads around a farm. Having appropriate roadways ensures that day-to-day farm operations are accessible, as well as seamless operations in the event of an emergency. Summer is when fires are most common, especially in barns; therefore, having well-maintained highways to reach these sites in the event of a fire is critical. For grading operations, farmers can use a normal bucket or blade to smooth out roadways and remove potholes. Attachments like saws and brush cutters, on the other hand, help remove vegetation and widen roadways.
3. Livestock Management – When Melroe Company of Gwinner, North Dakota first invented skid steer loaders in 1960, they were known as the M-400. They were an innovation designed to improve and replace the three-wheeled loaders that had previously been used for turkey barn cleaning. A skid steer machine may help with everything from feeding to manure cleanup. With a bucket attachment, skid steer loaders may transport feed or create protective fences with an auger attachment. Farmers that need to feed a large number of animals can benefit greatly from the use of skid steer loaders.
4. Seeding and Fertilizing – For most farmers, crop production is a necessary operation. Skid steers are used in agriculture because they have the power and speed to move huge volumes of material quickly. Skid steer loaders equipped with a bucket or hopper attachment may haul and spread thousands of seeds across a field for farmers who want to establish hay crops. Skid steer loaders are designed to transport great quantities of weight over long distances and can provide fertilizer to a wide region, ensuring that each plant and piece of produce receives the nutrients it needs to thrive.
5. Warehouse Operation – To keep everything organized and available for day-to-day operations, larger farming enterprises require logistic solutions like warehouse storage. To make rack systems more adaptable, wooden pallets or plastic bins are frequently utilized to store goods. Heavy machinery is required to move pallets and bins into place and store them in a rack system since they can become very hefty when laden with supplies, products, or parts. Forklifts are commonly used to execute this duty in larger commercial warehouses. However, they can be costly. Thankfully, you can add pallet forks to your skid steer loader and do identical tasks as forklifts. This gives you the versatility of a forklift without having to buy a new piece of heavy equipment.
6. Seasonal Maintenance – With different attachments, skid steer loaders can provide you with a helping hand no matter what the season is. Snowfall in the winter months can really be a hassle, but with a skid steer loader’s snowplows and pushes, snow can be removed quickly. Skid steer loader can free up the ground and clear roadways for other activities and give access to other machinery and vehicles.
7. Construction – You can level and grade the building site with skid steer loaders and use them to transport and handle all the materials to complete your construction projects.
What are the top skid steer attachments for farm work?
There is a tremendous range of attachments for skid steer loaders to choose from. Here are the top skid steer attachments for farm work:
1. Backhoe Arms. One of the main reasons farmers prefer a backhoe loader to a skid steer loader is the capacity to operate an excavator or a backhoe arm on their land. Any skid steer loader may be transformed into a backhoe in a matter of minutes with a backhoe adapter. The backhoe attachment has various advantages over a standard bucket, and it may be used for more precise tasks, including excavating trenches, uprooting tree stumps, tree planting, and digging foundation holes.
2. Augers. Auger attachments are the most effective instruments to use for drilling holes in the ground. Whether you’re drilling holes to put fence posts around your property’s perimeter or a structural pillar, augers will get the job done quickly.
3. Tillers. Tilling the soil using a tiller attachment is one of the best ways to let the soil breathe and guarantee that nutrients are freely accessible for a fresh growth season. Tillers turn the earth over by chewing and slicing through roots and other organic materials, which may subsequently be recycled, fostering a healthy growing environment even more.
4. Trenches. A trencher attachment is another incredibly helpful piece of work equipment for your skid steer loader because it lets you dig deep holes for burying everything from electrical conduit piping to irrigation and fuel piping. This enables the piping to be installed underground, away from traffic and cattle.
5. Bale Grabs and Spears. Bale grabs work by squeezing the bale between two arms and holding it firmly in place as the skid steer loader drives to the desired location. While the spear attachment pierces bales with an arm and then rotates the attachment such that the bale’s weight rests on the attachment, the skid steer loader navigates and transports the bale.
6. Brushcutters and Flail Mowers. Brushcutters with their strong blades are ideal for rapidly clearing vast areas of overgrown plants. While flail mowers are great for cutting grass and even light tree branches. It can be used to chop back vegetation that threatens to overgrow roadsides.
7. Snowplows and Pushes. Snowplows are designed to improve how snow glides off the plow’s surface, allowing it to manage enormous amounts of snow without slowing down your skid steer loader. Snow pushes work in the same way as normal buckets on skid steer loaders but has taller sidewalls and a sloped inner surface, which helps funnel snow back in front of the loader and improves skid steer traction. Unlike snow plows, pushes do not offload snow to either side, they simply push it in a straight line ahead.
Skid steer loaders can operate in limited locations because of their compact size and mobility. Because they are lightweight, skid steer loaders can be towed behind a full-size pickup truck. If you are thinking of buying a skid steer loader, here is a list of the top 10 best skid steer loaders for your farm.
1. Bobcat S70 Skid-Steer Loader
Price: around $20,000-$25,000
Specifications:
- Operating Weight: 2892 lbs
- Rated Operating Capacity (ISO) 760 lbs
- Horsepower: 23.5 HP
- Engine Fuel: Diesel
- Fuel Tank: 6.5 gal
- Auxiliary Std Flow: 9.8 gal/min
- Operating Weight: 2892 lbs
- LxWxH: 75.6” x 35.5” x 71.4”
Click here for full product details.
2. Caterpillar 226D3 Skid Steer Loader
Price: around $50,100
Specifications:
- Engine Model: Cat C2.2 CRDI
- Horsepower: 67.1 HP
- Rated Operating Capacity: 1550 lbs
- Operating Weight: 5849 lbs
- LxWxH: 99.4” x 58.9” x 143.8”
Full Product Details: https://www.cat.com/6b535378-7093-40e9-b140-f9ee9c1c70ee
3. Kubota SSV65
Price: around $54,200
Specifications:
- Engine: V2607-CR-TE4
- Horsepower: 64.0 HP
- Fuel Tank: 25.4 gal
- Tipping Load: 3900 lbs
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4. John Deere 316GR
Price: $44,180.00
Specifications:
- Rated Operating Capacity: 1,750 lbs
- Horsepower: 65 HP
- Operating Weight: 6,180 lbs
- Tipping Load: 3500 lbs
- LxWxH: 103” x 62.9” x 115.1 lbs
Click here for full product details:
5. New Holland L313
Price: Around $40,000
Specifications:
- Engine: ISM N844L-F
- Fuel Tank: 15.98 gal
- Transmission: Hydrostatic w/chain final drive to wheels
- Operating Weight: 5071 lbs
- Tipping Load: 2601 lbs
- LxWxH: 96” x 60” x 152”
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6. CASE SR160B Skid Steer Loader
Price: around $27,500
Specifications:
- Engine Fuel: Perkins/ISM N844LT-F-45SL Diesel
- Horsepower: 60 HP
- Auxiliary hydraulics: @ 3,050 psi (210 bar) – 18.4 gpm (69.7 L/min)
- Fuel Tank: 16.0 gal
- Ground Clearance: 22.0”
- LxWxH: 95.9” x 59.8” x 75.5”
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7. Wacker SW16-Radial Lift Skid Steer Loader
SW16-Radial Lift Skid Steer Loader
Price: around $35,980
Specifications:
- Engine: Kohler KDI 1903 TCR
- Fuel Tank: 30 gal
- Ground Clearance: 7.6”
- Rated Operating Capacity 50%: 1600 lbs
- Operating Weight: 6,170 lbs
- LxWxH: 118.1” x 65.9” x 118.1”
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8. Mustang 1050R
Price: $36,900
Specifications:
- Engine: Yanmar 3TNV88C-KMS Stage 3A
- Gross Power @ 2800 rpm: 26.5 kw
- Fuel Tank: 179 gal
- Rated Operating Capacity: 1049.4 lbs
- LxWxH: 88.9” x 48.4” x 70.3”
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9. JCB 215 Skid Steer Loader
Price: $49,500
Specifications:
- Engine Type: KDI2054TCR
- Horsepower: 74 HP
- Rated Operating Capacity: 2112 lbs
- Operating Weight: 7253 lbs
- LxWxH: 137.4” x 59.8” x 77.95”
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10. RAY RSS860 Wheel Skid Steer
Price: Not Available
Specifications:
- Additional space for more operator comfort.
- More comfortable cab.
- Wider opening door for easier machine entry.
- Super configure: Danfoss/Eaton/Rexroth working motor with good performance.
- The customized high-strength rectangular steel pipe structure is adopted to avoid welding defects, and the boom has good rigidity and high strength.
- Use industrial tires with high wear resistance and low heat generation wheel, longer service time.
Click here for full product details.