A skid-steer loader is an engine powered machinery that comprises a rigid and small frame. It is outfitted with lift arms which are used to attach to different labor saving tools and attachments. Typically, skid-steer loaders are four-wheel drive vehicles that have the left-hand side wheels operating independent of the right-hand side wheels, though some models are equipped together with tracks instead. On the four-wheel models, having each side independent of each other enables the wheel speed and rotation direction of the wheels to know what course the loader would turn.
The skid-steer loader can carry out zero-radius turns or also called "pirouettes." This added feature enables the skid-steer loader to maneuver for certain applications which require a compact and agile loader.
The lift arms on the skid-steer loader are located next to the driver along with pivots at the rear of the driver's shoulders. These features makes the skid-steer loader different than the conventional front loader. Due to the operator's proximity to moving booms, early skid loaders were not as safe as conventional front loaders, particularly in the operator's entry and exit. Today's' modern skid-steer loaders have various features so as to protect the driver like fully-enclosed cabs. Like several front loaders, the skid-steer model could push materials from one location to another, is capable of loading material into a truck or trailer and could carry material in its bucket.
There are several times where the skid-steer loader can be utilized instead of a large excavator on the job location for digging holes from within. To start, 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 longer and steeper. This is a particularly useful method for digging under a structure where there is not enough overhead clearance for the boom of a large excavator. Like for instance, this is a common situation when digging a basement below an existing home or structure.
There is much flexibility in the accessories that the skid steer loaders are capable of. For example, the conventional bucket of many of these loaders can be replaced with several accessories which are powered by the loader's hydraulic system, consisting of cement mixers, pallet forks, backhoes, tree spades, sweepers, mowers and snow blades. Some other popular specialized attachments and buckets consist of angle brooms, dumping hoppers, wood chipper machines, grapples, tillers, stump grinders rippers, wheel saws, snow blades, and trenchers.
The front end 3-wheeled loader was invented during the year 1957, by Cyril and Louis Keller in their hometown of Rothsay, in the state of Minnesota. The Keller brothers created this equipment to help mechanize the process of cleaning in turkey barns. This particular machine was light and compact and had a back caster wheel that enabled it to maneuver and turn around within its own length, enabling it to execute the same jobs as a conventional front-end loader.
The Melroe brothers of Melroe Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, N.D. purchased during 1958, the rights to the Keller loader. The company then hired the Keller brothers to help with development of the loader. The M-200 Melroe was the end result of this 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 together with a back axle and launched the first 4 wheel skid steer loader which was called the M-400.
The M-400 immediately became the Melroe Bobcat. Normally the term "Bobcat" is used as a generic term for skid-steer loaders. The M-440 had an 1100 lb rated operating capacity and was powered by a 15.5 HP engine. The company continued the skid-steer development into the mid nineteen sixties and introduced the M600 loader.
Lots of manufacturers have their own skid-steer loader model simply known as Skidsteer within the construction trade. Gehl Company, LiuGong, ASV, Hyundai, JCB, Catterpillar, Bobcat, Komatsu, Mustang, John Deere, JLG and New Holland are some for example, among others.