If you have a tough construction or landscaping project ahead of you, there are plenty of attachments you can add to your skid steer to help you get the job done. We detail some of the best skid steer attachments to expand the functionality of your machine and perform your work quickly and easily.
Table of Contents
- Attachments for Earthmoving
- Attachments for Construction and Demolition
- Attachments for Material Handling
- Attachments for Forestry and Land Management
- Attachments for Snow Removal
- Tips for Choosing the Right Attachments
Skid Steer Attachments for Earthmoving
Plenty of different attachments have been designed for earthmoving tasks like digging, grading, and leveling.
1. Augers
An auger attachment is used to dig holes and can be used for a variety of projects like installing fence posts or planting shrubs. Augers come in different bit widths to match the size of the hole you need. They also come in standard, heavy-duty, and rock variations so they can tackle whatever terrain you’re on.
Uses: Digging and drilling holes in various settings, from construction to landscaping
2. Trenchers
Trenchers are used to dig trenches to different depths. This attachment can be used to prepare the ground for laying electrical cable or water and gas pipes. It can also help construct drainage ditches.
Trencher attachments have different types of chains and teeth depending on the type of terrain being dug through, as trenchers can tackle regular to rocky soil. These attachments also have a boom ranging between 36, 48, and 60 inches, and can dig 6 to 8 inches wide.
Uses: Digging trenches for pipes, wires, and drainage, as well as cutting through roots and rocks
3. Buckets
Skid steer buckets are one of the most common attachments, and they come in a variety of configurations and sizes to help you dig, cut through, and move different types of materials. Here are some examples of bucket attachments and their applications:
- Dirt: Low profile and has good cutting-edge visibility for digging and moving dirt
- Utility: Often higher in the back for moving more and heavier material
- Light material: Used for transporting lighter materials such as leaves and hay in agricultural applications—often have a larger size but also a see-through back to reduce weight
- Grader: Best for grading with a skid steer as it has a welded-on edge and holes for drainage
- Combination: Designed for multiple purposes, and can dig as well as be used for grappling and leveling
Uses: Digging through materials and moving materials around a site
4. Box Blades
Box blades are used for fine grading or leveling to achieve an accurate slope. These can be particularly useful on athletic field or parking lot construction.
Box blades are different from buckets because they provide more precise grading. Wheels behind the cutting blade push the material faster and more efficiently. They may also be equipped with a laser detector for extra precision.
Uses: Precisely moving materials for grading and leveling
Skid Steer Attachments for Construction and Demolition
If you’re using a skid steer on a construction site, there are several attachments that offer the durability and power you need for demolition and other heavy-duty tasks.
5. Backhoes
Backhoe attachments add a boom and bucket to your skid steer so you can complete tasks that need the digging power of a backhoe. Backhoes are useful for digging and excavation and can be used for projects like installing sewage systems, septic tanks, and water and power lines.
If you need to demolish, you can add more accessories to the end of the backhoe boom, like a hammer to pound through concrete and other materials.
Uses: Digging and excavation, as well as demolition
6. Dozer Blades
This heavy-duty blade can be used to push materials. Use it to clear, backfill, slot doze, or ditch. It can also be used in a landscaping project to level or pile loose dirt and other materials.
Uses: Moving and pushing materials
7. Concrete Mixers
Concrete mixers can be attached to your skid steer and used to mix and transport concrete. Since skid steers are compact, you can use them to work in hard-to-reach areas and mix concrete for small projects such as paving driveways and sidewalks or laying small foundations.
Uses: Mixing and transporting concrete quickly or in less accessible areas
8. Hydraulic Breakers
Hydraulic breakers, also known as hydraulic hammers, are designed to break up concrete, rock, and other hard materials in your demolition projects. With a hydraulic breaker, you can easily remove sidewalks and foundations. Hydraulic breakers also come in different sizes to match the skid steer’s capabilities and can be used for all sorts of demolition jobs.
Uses: Breaking hard materials
Skid Steer Attachments for Material Handling
Skid steer attachments can also be used for transporting materials and goods at jobsites like construction sites, farms, and warehouses.
9. Forks
If you need to transport any sort of material, you can attach a fork to your skid steer to get the job done. Fork attachments for your skid steer come in different heights and widths so that they can lift and balance different loads. Here are some examples of multi-purpose forklift applications for a skid steer:
- Construction forks: For heavy-duty applications
- Block forks: Designed transport bricks and concrete blocks
- Pallet forks: For moving loads on pallets or items such as bagged fertilizer and seed
- Log and lumber forks: Shaped to handle unfinished logs and stacked lumber
- Pipe and pole forks: For handling pipes and poles in oil transportation
- Bale spear: Designed to pierce and hold bales of hay in farming applications
Uses: Lifting and transporting various types of loads and materials
10. Grapples
Grapples can be used to pick up and transport various materials. They can come in clamshell, claw, or other shapes with teeth and buckets and are able to grip and move different sizes and weight loads. Here are some examples of commonly used grapples:
- Farm grapples: For loose hay, manure, and bedding
- Log grapples: Able to handle the cylindrical shape of logs
- Industrial grapples: To hold scrap and construction waste materials
- Root grapples: For brush
Uses: Transporting materials that need to be gripped
Skid Steer Attachments for Forestry and Land Management
Several skid steer attachments can be used for landscaping and forestry jobs, including clearing land.
11. Brush Cutters
Brush cutter attachments are covered blades that can cut through grass and brush. They’re slightly above ground level and are used to clear brush and overgrowth. They offer more accuracy and control than brush hogs attached to the back of a tractor.
Uses: Surface-level clearing of brush and grass
12. Brush Saws
Brush saws are like brush cutters but have an open saw with no cover which allows them to cut a little below ground level to combat stumps. They can be used to clear fields and pastures, cut firebreaks, and even clean roadsides.
Uses: Cutting through thick vegetation and cutting just below ground
13. Mulchers
Mulchers are large attachments that cut small trees and brush, leaving them behind to create mulch. They can also cut bigger trees and branches. Use mulchers to clear brush, manage vegetation, and shred waste into mulch.
Uses: Cutting through brush and turning it into mulch
14. Tillers
Tillers can break up soil, mix compost, and prepare soil beds. You can mount your tiller attachment to the side so that you can till next to buildings or sidewalks.
Uses: Breaking up and mixing soil
15. Stump Grinders
Stump grinders get rid of stumps in residential, commercial, and agricultural settings. They can grind stumps below ground level to make your construction or demolition work easier. Stump grinders are heavy-duty wheels with sharp teeth for grinding while having control that allows you to set wheel swing, extension, and depth. They’re more efficient than tow-behind grinders when dealing with multiple stump removal tasks since they can grind more than one stump per use.
Uses: Precisely removing tree stumps below ground level
Skid Steer Attachments for Snow Removal
Other skid steer attachments can help you with specialized projects, such as snow removal. Here are some examples.
16. Snow Blades
Snow blades can move snow efficiently on roads, driveways, sidewalks, or parking lots. They come in various shapes, depending on the specifics of your snow removal. Such shapes include:
- Snow plow: Flat blades that can be angled to the side or used to push snow forward and out of the path of the machine
- Snow pushers: An open bottom and bucket-like sides can push snow forward and accumulate it in a pile in front of the skid steer
- Snow wings: A curved design allows it to roll and fold the snow, and independently operated wings on the sides direct the snow away from the skid steer
- Multi-V: Two independently operating blades that can be moved into different positions to move snow to either side or push in a specific direction
Uses: Push snow to the side or straight ahead to clear pathways
17. Snow Blowers
Snow blowers scoop snow into a chute and expel it away from the area that is being cleared. Snow blower attachments are powered by the skid steer’s engine. They come in various sizes and levels of power, depending on the machine they attach to.
Uses: Clearing snow to create pathways by expelling it to different distances
Tips for Choosing the Right Attachments for Your Skid Steer
Investing in your equipment by purchasing an attachment is a big decision to make. Keep these things in mind when choosing the best skid steer attachment for your project.
Assess Your Current and Future Project Needs
Make a plan for your current and upcoming projects. If they’re in the same field, such as construction or landscaping, you may want to invest in specific attachments for those types of projects. If you’re a contractor, specialized equipment can help you stand out and build your client base. If you only have one project, it might be best for you to rent, instead of buy, the attachment.
Consider Versatility
Get an attachment that can serve in many different ways, instead of just one. Augers, buckets, and forks have numerous applications. For example, a combination bucket can be used for dozing, grappling, leveling, digging, loading, and dumping. Buying one attachment that you can use for five projects will give you a better return than purchasing one attachment for just one project.
Pick the Right Size
Many skid steers have quick attachment systems so swapping applications is quick and easy. However, just because an attachment fits on the machine will not mean that the machine is meant to use it. Always check the compatibility of your attachments and ensure they’re safe and effective to use when you operate your skid steer, or you could risk breaking your machine and the attachment.
Rent a Skid Steer From BigRentz
If you’re looking to use a skid steer in your next project, check out the selections at BigRentz. BigRentz has a variety of size options for renting, and you can choose from renting it for just a single day as well as a week or a month. You can also rent an attachment for your skid steer from BigRentz, so contact our team to ensure you get the right skid steer attachment for your next project.
