ForConstructionPros.com

"It is very important to understand that rated operating capacity has nothing to do with a machine's breakout and lift force capabilities," says Caterpillar Inc.'s Pierre L. Verdon. "Machines with equal rated operating capacities may have completely different breakout and lift force capabilities."

Zupancic says contractors shouldn't skimp on the ROC either and should look at a unit that has a rated operating capacity at or above the expected regular lift weight. "If you're regularly going to be lifting 2500 lbs. you don't want to get a skid steer rated at 1700 lbs.," he says. "Technically that might fit in the range but by pushing the skid steer so close to it's limit a contractor would be negating any margin of safety the industry and manufacturer build in. In a case like that the contractor really needs to look at a skid steer with a higher ROC rating, a skid steer that has a tipping load of 5000 lbs. and an ROC of 2500 lbs., for example."

Making this determination is often more difficult for the first-time skid steer buyer than the skid steer owner who is considering upgrading his unit or adding an additional unit. Fitzgerald says contractors looking to upgrade their skid steer need to evaluate their current situation. "They need to ask themselves 'What do I currently have? Does it meet my current needs? Does it fit where I want my operation to be?' They need to determine for themselves 'Am I just replacing my machine with the current model or do I need to upgrade for size or for power?" Fitzgerald says. "If they are doing more with their current machine than they'd planned on, or if they plan on doing more with it, that's a good reason to upgrade to a larger, more powerful skid steer."

2. Are you lifting material or just moving it?

Another concern is whether or not contractors plan on lifting material into dump trucks or other higher receptacles. Traditional skid steers are radial lift machines. They are designed more to move material from one area to another but they do not lift the material high enough to dump into a dump truck, for example. But most manufacturers make vertical lift path skid steers which Fitzgerald says are more accommodating if you need to lift material higher as opposed to moving it across a jobsite.

Manufacturers vary on their vertical lift designs, but vertical lift path machines are more of a premium skid steer than the conventional radial lift machines and so are more expensive. Zupancic says the radial lift machine is good for popping concrete or asphalt because the bucket it close to the machine at its lowest point which provides extra force. "But if you're loading a dump truck a vertical lift skid steer would serve you better because the bucket reaches out farther," Zupancic says.