Skid Steer vs. Track Loader: What’s the Difference?

Defining the difference between a skid steer and a track loader permits you to make an educated decision when acquiring the most preferable vehicle to carry out their projects.

Skid steers and track loaders are the two types of land-moving machines, which are of differing design and therefore, they are best suited for different applications.

On the one hand, a skid steer is very efficient on hard surfaces, while a track loader is the right tool to use when working on soft ground and embankments

Today’s environmentally conscious construction sites enable you to not only work efficiently, but also to protect your work site and extend the life of your equipment by simply opting for the right machines.

Skid Steers and Track Loaders Defined

Whether for the purpose of lawn preparation, farming, or being used in construction skid steers and track loaders are the land-clearing machines making them so popular.

The machines are known to hold various attachments that are useful in transporting materials, digging, and grading. How each of the two machines operates is a must-know before you choose any for your next project.

Skid Steer: What is it?

A skid steer is a heavy-duty vehicle with a front bucket or any other type of attachment such as a backhoe.

It is equipped with four wheels and their axes are arranged in such a way that the wheels constantly point in the same direction.

Thus, the operator can control the rotation of the individual wheels with the help of the machine's engines, allowing them to make quick turns. The sizes of such machines come in various classes to address the needs of different applications.

What Is a Track Loader?

Like the skid steer, the other type of vehicle is a track loader which is used commonly on construction

plant sites and is known as a rubber track loader.

track loader has the advantage of being a compact machine with various sizes and adaptable to different attachments.

A letter of the differences between a track loader and a skid steer is in the fact that a track loader is operated by means of two large tracks and not by four wheels.

Track Loader vs. Skid Steer

When you want to find the difference between the compact track loader and a skid steer, you have to focus on how efficiently both can work on the different applications.

The environment you are working on, the load you are going to lift, and your overall budget are deciding factors in choosing the machine best suited for you.

These are some of the key parameters you should bear in mind before you engage in the hiring or the purchasing of the next machine:

Terrain

Track loaders are very beneficial when it comes to using them on soft, mud, swamp, and grassy terrains. A track loader has lower pounds per square inch than a skid steer because it disperses its weight over each track’s entire width and length.

The lighter the weight is, the better the equipment can float over the surfaces and not damage them as one completes the work and the project site’s terrain looks untouched or even better.

Track loaders are perfect to use in the field of uneven terrains. Because their tracks distribute the weights evenly, the track loaders are as steady as on the hill as on the plains.

Skid steers are great choices for people, who through the type of work they do, are obliged to work on solid, compaction surfaces like asphalt, gravel or rocky sites.

Track wear can occur if you use a track loader on hard surfaces for the most time, a skid steer’s wheels will not be damaged.

Besides, a skid steer’s wheels move more easily than a track loader on solid surfaces as they are able to apply more pressure on the ground.

This pressure influence also creates a skid steer to be the most suitable equipment for snow removal applications.

A track loader can be used to clear snow if a heavy-duty snow blower is connected to the front of it, although a skid steer typically goes easier through the snow.

Instead of gliding over the surface, the wheels of a skid steer will sink into the snow and give the traction that will allow the skid steer to remain stable on ice.

Versatility, Stability, and Maneuverability

Skid steers and track loaders are very flexible and can be used in almost every single place. Wherever you need to work, be it in front of properties, behind structures, or in tight spaces, a skid steer or track loader is the machine to take you there.

Due to their traction and weight distribution, track loaders offer slightly less stability but still better maneuverability than skid steers. A track loader is simply the best option if the ground is too soft for skid steer to function safely.

Lift Capacity

Another aspect to consider when comparing the abilities of a track loader to those of a skid steer is their lift capacities.

Ground clearance is the main reason for the greater lift capacities of track loaders as they usually have more weight and lift capacity than a skid steer.

The lower stance of the track loader, therefore, enables it to lift and transport heavier loads while being stable.

However, the lift capacities are very close in weight, a track loader can usually carry about 300 to 500 more depending on the HP class than a skid steer.

For instance, a track loader with a 65 HP engine can usually carry between 300 and 500 additional pounds at a time than a skid steer with the same power.

Track loaders can not only benefit from their ability to lift but also carry more material at a time, therefore increasing operational efficiency.

Attachments

When referring to attachments, skid steers and track loaders are almost similar. Both machines are capable of carrying the same types of tools that come with several functionalities.

Whether it is a track loader or a skid steer that you make use of, you should be able to work by joining forces with the allied attachments that include, among others, the following list:

• Buckets

• Augers and bits

• Bale squeezers and spears

• Backhoes

• Manure forks and material spreaders

• Hay accumulators

• Feed pushers

• Jibs and booms

• Disc and drum mulchers

• Sweepers and brooms

• Breaker hammers

• Brush cutters

• Cold planers

• Grapples

• Log splitters

• Material rollers and pushers

• Pallet forks

• Rippers

• Vibratory rollers

• Rock diggers, road saws, and concrete grinders

• Root rakes

• Dozer and snow blades

• Snow blowers and pushers

• Tree shears, pullers, and grubbers

• Trenchers

• Mounting plates and adapters

Applications

Since both skid steers and track loaders can equip the same range of attachments and can perform a number of diverse tasks, it all comes down to the kind of terrain that you are going to work as the crucial factor in deciding which type of machine is suitable for you. Skid steers work well with demolition projects as they are best suited for use on hard, rocky sites.

On the other hand, track loaders are to be preferred when the majority of their job is on residential properties.

They are efficient to use without spoiling the landscape by their lighter weight. They can thus be employed in this field for residential land-clearing works as well as other small projects.

Your company’s budget is another significant point you should take into account. Generally, track loaders have a higher initial cost than skid steers and the maintenance is more cost-consuming, because of the more expensive tracks comparing to tires.

Even at the maximum fuel efficiency level that a generator can operate at, generators have to produce energy to cover the parasitic load of the generator.

Track loaders can reduce the fuel consumption to the lowest level, and that’s why they are a good option if you want to go eco-friendly.

Investing in a machine may be hindered due to the fact of the price, but there are other options for you. You are able to get a highly-efficient track loader on lease or rent a sk