Loader Showdown
A Common-Sense Comparison of Skid Steers vs. Compact Wheel Loaders
By Jay Barnett
A tumbleweed rolls by as the sun breaks. The eyes of the operators in the opposing loaders are locked in a dead stare as their hands command the controls. On this jobsite, there’s only room for one loader. Every good machine owner knows there is no lack of options when it comes to purchasing the best machine. It’s the duel of the compact loaders — a showdown that often centers on a smaller and more versatile skid steer loader and a larger, more productive compact wheel loader. Which one is right for you?
“It’s not by gut feel. I can tell you that,” emphasizes shop manager Troy Bell, who oversees some 200 machines — including 18 skid steers — for ELS Construction in Phoenix. “Thinking you know intuitively can come back and bite you.”
Bell looks at ELS’s specific needs when recommending a machine for the company’s three main divisions (nursery, construction and maintenance).
“I’ll look at what we need in terms of lifting capacity, lift height, turn radius, payload and terrain,” says Bell. “When you look at all those factors, one of the two machines will come to the top.”
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