The Versatility of a Skid Steer Loader

The skid steer is one of the most versatile loaders you can rent. Skid steer rentals (or sometimes called by the popular brand name Bobcats) come in a variety of sizes, offer wheeled or tracked differential steering drive systems, and come with a myriad of skid steer attachments that will help you get any job done faster.

Skid Steer Sizes Available for Rent

Even though a skid steer can appear to be rather small compared to larger loaders like the Jd 3 Yard Wheel Loader or the Wheel Loader, 2 Yd Rental it can still handle hundreds of different jobs and produces plenty of power to get the job done in record time. Actually, the smaller sizes available are one of the best selling points of renting a skid steer. The compact design of a skid steer allows the machine to get into tight construction locations and makes trailering the unit a lot easier. At Cal-West Rentals we offer three sizes: Walk Behind Mini Skid Steer, Compact Skid Steer, and Regular sized skid steers.

Drive System

Skid steers are like mini tanks with a bucket or other attachment instead of a cannon. The differential steering system has independent control over the left and right drive wheels or tracks. This allows skid steers to 360 degrees in place whereas traditional drive systems require a large turning radius to do a simple 180. It does take a little practice to master the dual drive system but the versatility of differential steering is well worth the effort and let’s be honest, it’s also a whole lot of fun too! Cal-West offers skid steers in tracked and wheeled setups. Tracks are going to give you the best traction on ground that is loose or wet and do not perform well on hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete. However, the wheeled version of our skid steers performs great on any hard ground including, compact dirt/grass, asphalt for road work, or concrete surfaces.

Pro Tip: If you are working in an area where the grass or ground can not be chewed up you’ll have to make small slow turns. Turning hard in place by going forward on one side and backward on the other will tear up the ground below.

Skid Steer Attachments

Most of the time you’ll see a skid steer with the standard bucket loader attachment but they can also have many other attachments to get the job done. A variety of attachment options is the second most valuable capability of skid steers. The most popular skid steer attachment rentals at Cal-West are the mower attachment, the hydraulic jack hammer attachment, the tiller attachment, and the auger attachment. We also have other skid steer attachment rentals for roadwork.