5 Popular Skid Steer Attachments
Skid steers are well-known and popular pieces of construction equipment. Although they are small, skid steers are very mighty and can be beneficial for projects of all sizes. With many different types of attachments available, the skid steer becomes a diverse machine with so many uses. Here are the 5 most popular skid steer attachments and what they are used for.
1. Forestry Mulchers
A forestry mulcher is an attachment that transforms skid steers into a cutting, crushing and munching machine. Forestry mulchers roll along the ground and grind up leaves, dirt clumps, sticks, branches and plants as the operator drives the machine. Forestry mulchers are an easy way to clear vegetation in a single pass.
These attachments work by having a rotating drum with teeth and blades built into it. As the drum rotates, it tears up and removes materials on the ground. Forestry mulchers are often used for grinding up and clearing everything from small branches to larger stumps and trees. This attachment can be used to clear land for new construction sites, when starting a new landscape project or while cleaning farmland or any type of organic debris.
2. Brush Cutters
A brush cutter can be looked at as an industrial-grade mower that can be used to clear and cut tougher grasses and – as the name suggests – brush. Unlike a forestry mulcher – which is a drum with teeth – a brush cutter sits low to the ground and is meant to be used on overgrown areas and long grasses.
Brush cutters are popular for the middle of the summer or fall projects when clearing overgrown areas and semi-grown trees. As a general rule, most brush cutters are not designed to cut anything wider than 4 inches in diameter.
3. Hammers – or Breakers
Hydraulic breaker or jackhammer – or just hammer – attachments transform the skid steer into a demolition machine. Hammers are also known as a hoe ram and demolition hammer. Whatever you choose to call it, there’s no denying the use of this attachment in excavation and demolition projects.
This attachment allows skid steers to break through concrete or rock and to turn up hard-packed soil and dirt. It can be used to break sidewalks, old foundations of sheds or small buildings, for road work or anything that needs to be hammered up. Hammers on skids steers are also useful in landscape work to remove large rocks.
The great thing about this attachment for skid steers is that most landscaping and road projects already have a skid steer on site. With this simple attachment, the use of the machine is doubled.
4. Harley and Landscape Rakes
Harley and landscape rakes are two different types of rakes that are both popular attachments for skid steers. A harley rake is often used to level soil, to remove weeds or debris from a landscape, to prepare garden beds or to remove old grass and lawn before resodding.
A landscape rake on the other hand is better equipped for removing small rocks, roots and debris. It can handle this small debris better than a harley rake.
In most cases the landscape rake would be used first to eliminate larger debris before using the harley rank to finetune and even out the soil. These two similar but different rake attachments make skid steers amazing landscaping tools.
5. Sweepers
Once you’ve hammered rocks, cleared brush, spread soil and mulched up everything you can, the best way to finish a job off is with a good sweep. Sweeper, broom or rotary brush attachments are so popular for skid steers to help with project cleanup. These sweepers are great for cleaning up projects because it helps to gather any garbage or debris and doesn’t push it around a project.
A skid steer sweeper is like a giant broom with a dustpan. The bristles at the front rotate and gather dirt and debris into the attachment to collect any loose materials. It also makes it easy to discard as the operator simply dumps the attachment as you would a bucket.
These 5 popular skid steer attachments make this machine useful for any project of any size. From landscaping to demolition, a skid steer can tackle almost any project with the right attachment. Whether you add a rake, a sweeper, a hammer, a brush cutter or a forestry mulcher, there’s an attachment out there for your project. If you’re looking for a skid steer and an attachment to rent for your project, get searching on DOZR.com and source your multipurpose skid steer now.
