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Home » Concrete Contractor » January 2007

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Get Skid Steers into the Mix

Attachments can cut costs on smaller concrete projects

The Loegering Mud Bucket enables a skid steer to transport 1/2 yd. of concrete directly to the jobsite.

The cement bowl enables a Toro Dingo compact utility loader to haul, mix and pour up to 200 lbs. of dry cement.

G & D Excavating used a concrete pump attached to a Bobcat S300 skid steer to pour an 8,000-sq.-ft. mezzanine slab in four hours.

Concrete pump attachments can reduce reliance on subcontracting concrete deliver for small jobs.

The Curbcat attachment converts a standard-flow skid steer into a curb and gutter machine.

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"Compared to trailer pumps of equal performance, the loader/concrete pump attachment combination will be much easier to maneuver and get situated," adds Justin Odegaard, a Bobcat attachment product specialist. "With the concrete pump attachment, the hopper can be placed on either the left or right side of the loader to help get into tight spots."

Even given these potential benefits, Gus Antoniou, president of G & D Excavating, Inc., Lyons, Ill., was skeptical. He arranged for an on-site demo of the attachment roughly six months ago. Despite his initial reservations, he purchased the attachment that same day.

"I thought I was making a mistake," he admits. "But it's probably one of the best attachments I've ever purchased. It paid for itself within the first 12 uses."

In addition to excavation and trucking services, G & D Excavating does a variety of horizontal and vertical concrete projects. It previously relied on trailer-mounted concrete pumps or boom trucks, even for smaller pours. Now, the attachment is used on these jobs instead.

"If I'm pouring a second-story deck and I have to place 15,000 to 20,000 sq. ft., I wouldn't use this machine," says Antoniou. "But for small placements between 4,000 and 8,000 ft., it's ideal."