A skid-steer loader is actually an engine powered machinery that comprises a small and rigid frame. It is equipped together with lift arms which are utilized to connect to a large variety of labor saving attachments and tools. Normally, skid-steer loaders are four-wheel drive vehicles which have the left-hand side wheels working independent of the right-hand side wheels, even if several models are outfitted along with tracks instead. On the four-wheel models, having each side independent of each other allows the wheel speed and rotation direction of the wheels to determine what course the loader will turn.
These machinery could "pirouette" or otherwise known as zero-radius turning. This feature makes skid-steer loaders exceptionally maneuverable and valuable for applications which need a compact and agile loader.
The lift arms on the skid-steer loader are located next to the driver with pivots at the rear of the driver's shoulders. These features makes the skid-steer loader different as opposed to the conventional front loader. Because of the operator's nearness to moving booms, early skid loaders were not as safe as traditional front loaders, specially in the operator's exit and entry. Modern skid-steer loaders at present have various features to protect the driver including fully-enclosed cabs. Similar to several front loaders, the skid-steer model could push materials from one place to another, could load material into a trailer or a truck and could carry material in its bucket.
There are many times where the skid-steer loader could be used in place of a large excavator on the jobsite for digging holes from within. To begin, the loader digs a ramp to be utilized to excavate the material out of the hole. As the excavation deepens, the machinery reshapes the ramp making it steeper and longer. This is a remarkably useful way for digging underneath a structure where there is not adequate overhead clearance for the boom of a big excavator. For instance, this is a common scenario when digging a basement below an existing building or home.
There is much flexibility in the attachments which the skid steer loaders are capable of. For example, the conventional bucket of many of these loaders can be replaced with numerous accessories that are powered by the loader's hydraulic system, comprising pallet forks, backhoes, tree spades, sweepers, mowers, snow blades and cement mixers. Some other popular specialized attachments and buckets comprise wood chipper machines, grapples, tillers, stump grinder rippers, wheel saws, snow blades, trenchers, angle booms and dumping hoppers.
The front end 3-wheeled loader was invented in the year 1957, by Louis and Cyril Keller in their hometown of Rothsay, Minnesota. The Keller brothers made this equipment so as to help mechanize the method of cleaning in turkey barns. This particular machine was compact and light and included a rear caster wheel that enabled it to maneuver and turn around within its own length, allowing it to carry out similar tasks as a conventional front-end loader.
In 1958, the Melroe brothers of Melroe Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, N.D. purchased the rights to the Keller loader. They employed the Keller brothers to continue refining their loader invention. The M-200 Melroe was actually the end result of this particular partnership. This particular model was a self-propelled loader which was introduced to the market during the year 1958. The M-200 Melroe featured a 12.9 HP engine, a 750 lb lift capacity, two independent front drive wheels and a rear caster wheel. By the year 1960, they changed the caster wheel with a back axle and introduced the very first 4 wheel skid steer loader that was known as the M-400.
The term "Bobcat" is used as a generic term for skid-steer loaders. The M-400 shortly after became the Melroe Bobcat. The M-440 version was powered by a 15.5 HP engine and has rated operating capacity of 1100 lbs. The company continued the skid-steer development into the middle part of the nineteen sixties and introduced the M600 loader.
Many makers have their own models of the skid steer loader that is simply referred to as a Skidsteer within the construction industry. Gehl Company, LiuGong, ASV, Hyundai, JCB, Catterpillar, Bobcat, Komatsu, Mustang, John Deere, JLG and New Holland are a few for example, among some.