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Another caveat - you should still closely follow the manufacturer's recommended limits for specific attachments and carriers.

The role of rental businesses

An educated customer is a satisfied customer. When approaching a customer about right-sizing skid steers and attachments, don't assume they know basic information, such as the difference between a high-flow and standard-flow machine and which attachments require a high-flow (stump grinders, cold planers, etc.). They also need to understand the consequences to oversizing or undersizing a machine, such as wasted fuel, wear and tear, and most importantly, any safety issues concerning not correctly matching the machine to the attachment.

A good starting point is to ask customers the make and model of the equipment they plan to use the attachment with. This will help identify the size and performance of the machine so that the properly approved attachment can be matched to the customer's machine.

Another question would be about the application the contractor plans to use the attachment in. In some cases, there might be a better attachment for the job than the one the contractor is inquiring about. For example, a contractor doing concrete demolition might come in looking for a hydraulic breaker, but a drop hammer attachment might be a best fit, as it can demolish large, flat areas of concrete more efficiently.

Rental businesses should also warn customers about routing hydraulic hoses correctly, says Peters with CEAttachments. "If routed incorrectly, hydraulic hoses can be damaged - pinched or cut - which will lead to downtime." CEAttachments offers a Hose Saver Kit which helps keep hoses out of the way and safe from damage.