A skid loader or skid steer loader is a rigid frame,
engine-powered machine with lift arms used to attach
a wide variety of labor-saving tools or attachments.
Skid-steer loaders are four-wheel drive vehicles with
the left-side drive wheels independent of the right-side
drive wheels. By having each side independent of the
other, wheel speed and direction of rotation of the
wheels determine the direction the loader will turn.
Skid steer loaders can turn in their own tracks which
makes them extremely manoeuvrable and valuable for
applications that require a compact, agile loader.
Unlike in a conventional front loader, the lift arms
in these machines are alongside the driver with the
pivot points behind the driver's shoulders. Because
of the operator's proximity to moving booms, early
skid loaders were not as safe as conventional front
loaders, particularly during entry and exit of the
operator. Modern skid loaders have fully-enclosed
cabs and other features to protect the operator. Like
other front loaders, it can push material from one
location to another, carry material in its bucket
or load material into a truck or trailer.
Operation:
A Skid Steer loader can sometimes be used in place
of a large excavator by digging a hole from the inside.
The skid loader first digs a ramp leading to the edge
of the desired excavation. It then uses the ramp to
carry material out of the hole. The skid loader reshapes
the ramp making it steeper and longer as the excavation
deepens. This method is particularly useful for digging
under a structure where overhead clearance does not
allow for the boom of a large excavator, such as digging
a basement under an existing house.
The conventional bucket of many skid loaders can
be replaced with a variety of specialized buckets
or attachments, many powered by the loader's hydraulic
system. These include backhoe, hydraulic breaker,
pallet forks, angle broom, sweeper, auger, mower,
snow blower, stump grinder, tree spade, trencher,
dumping hopper, ripper, tillers, grapple, tilt, roller,
snow blade, wheel saw, cement mixer, and wood chipper.
History:
Bobcat skid loader clearing snow with snowblower
attachment
The first three-wheeled, front-end loader was invented
by brothers Cyril and Louis Keller (manufacturer)
in Rothsay, Minnesota, in 1957. The Kellers built
the loader to help a farmer mechanize the process
of cleaning turkey manure from his barn. The light
and compact machine, with its rear caster wheel, was
able to turn around within its own length, while performing
the same tasks as a conventional front-end loader.
The Melroe brothers, whose Melroe Manufacturing Company
in Gwinner, N.D., purchased the rights to the Keller
loader in 1958 and hired the Kellers to continue refining
their invention. As a result of this partnership,
the M-200 Melroe self-propelled loader was introduced
at the end of 1958. It featured two independent front-drive
wheels and a rear caster wheel, a 12.9-hp engine and
a 750-lb. lift capacity. Two years later they replaced
the caster wheel with a rear axle and introduced the
M-400, the first four-wheel, skid-steer loader. It
quickly became the Melroe Bobcat. The term "Bobcat"
is sometimes used as a generic term for skid-steer
loaders. The M-440 was powered by a 15.5-hp engine
and had an 1100-lb. rated operating capacity. Skid-steer
development continued into the mid-1960s with the
M600 loader.
Many manufacturers have now made their variation
of the skidloader, including: John Deere, Case, JLG,
JCB, New Holland, Gehl, Mustang, ASV, Caterpillar
and more.
