A skid steer lifter comes with various attachments that are used for different purposes. It can help eliminate manual labor and reduce the number of accidents in factories. No matter what attachment you are choosing such as the auger, bucket, blades, broom, grappler, mower, etc, the first thing that you should take into consideration is the quality of the skid steer lifter. Whether you are buying the equipment for use at a construction site, farm, park or forest, you need to know that what you are getting is of high quality and won’t fail on you in the middle of a job.
If you are new to compact machines, then the process of buying a skid steer lifter can be very overwhelming. Before you head online to book a meeting with a service such as Delta Equipment to buy this machine, you need to look at your work plan to figure out, whether you want a high series or low series equipment.
Following are four points you need to consider before buying a skid steer lifter:
1. Horsepower
The first and the biggest point to consider is the horsepower. The myth most people believe is that a small machine has low horsepower as compared to a large machine. However, with so many advancements in technology, even a small machine packs a powerful punch now. Depending on where the machine will be used: open or confined spaces, you need to also think about the size of both the skid steer lifter and the attachment together, and its turning radius.
2. Torque
The second point that helps you determine the quality of the skid steer lifter is torque. While horsepower allows you to calculate how fast the job will be completed, torque helps you determine whether that job will get done or not. With a low torque, the high horsepower will be of no use because it won’t impact the object with high force. What you need to look for is a machine with high torque because it will run the engine on low speed, which will help you obtain high fuel efficiency.
3. Choosing Between Radial Skid Steer Lifter or Vertical Skid Steer Lifter
What type of work are you planning to do? Does the work require you to reach high levels or is it more of ground work? For the former, a vertical skid steer lifter is better and for the latter, the radial skid steer lifter. A vertical skid steer lifter is great for loading trucks, working with pallets and even allows you to perform various tasks at the site. On the other hand, a radial skid steer lifter provides great reach at mid lift, front and forward.
4. Cab Comfortability
A skid steer lifter is used long and hard, which means that apart from the equipment’s quality, cab comfortability is also important. Operator fatigue can result in fatal and expensive errors. It might also lead to accidental death on the job site. While this is a minor detail, it greatly impacts the quality of the skid steer lifter.
Keep in mind, these four points could mean the difference between a long lasting equipment that became a great investment and an equipment that failed to do its job after a few test runs.
I am surprised to find that a smaller machine can have as much horsepower as a larger one. My brother is looking for ways to increase productivity at his worksite. I’ll look into skid steer attachments to help him out in his search!