There are a lot of Skid Steer Manufacturers and Models to choose from as a buyer. This article is focused on showing the reader solid information about how to choose the right attachments for your particular model, but first we need to provide a little history lesson.
The first Skid Steer loaders were produced by Melroe which became Bobcat. Many people still use the Brand name "Bobcat" to describe a Skid Steer loader even if the manufacturer is not Bobcat. The most popular brands of loaders today are Gehl, New Holland, Bobcat, John Deere, Mustang, Caterpillar, JCB and Takeuchi.
Even though there are a lot of brands, they all have one thing in common! They all use the Bobcat Style "Universal Quick Attach" system to attach different implements to the machine to perform different tasks. They all went to this style hitch when many Skid Steer owners wanted to change brands of skid steer, only to find that their attachments would not work with any other brand loader.
This shared "Quick Attach" system opened the door for Innovation! So many great ideas were introduced from 3rd party manufacturers, that many skid steer manufacturers began buying their attachments from them instead of producing the attachments themselves then re-branding them as their own.
Fast forward to today. There are three things to consider when buying an attachment for your machine. What is the intended use for the attachment? There are choices galore out there, and many specialty attachments are available. Weight is sometimes a deciding factor. Consult your Skid Steer specifications to discover the lifting capacity of your skidsteer, as well as the horsepower and machine weight. Take the time to visit a dedicated "Skid Steer" discussion forum. It never hurts to hear what other Skid Steer owners are using as well as the opportunity to learn from their past mistakes.
The second thing to consider when buying an attachment is to know if it requires extra hydraulic functions to work. A standard bucket is an example of a non-powered attachment that does not need any extra hydraulic functions to work. A grapple bucket on the other hand is a powered attachment that does require you to connect hydraulic connectors to power the opening and closing operation of the attachment. When you choose a powered attachment, you need to know the GPM (gallons per minute) of hydraulic flow your machine produces. It may not be enough to power certain attachments, while other extremely high powered attachments require that your machine be a "High Flow" machine with special connectors and hoses. Generally speaking, these machines are more expensive, and have between 80-130 horsepower.
The third and probably the most important thing to consider is quality of construction and price. Do not make the mistake of spending a lot of money on a poor quality attachment. Find out is it is made of "mild steel". This is not what you are looking for in an attachment that is going to see a lot of use.
A great resource for quality attachments is a website called Everything Attachments. They offer for sale online a wide variety of Skid Steer Attachments that are made in the USA and also boasts that they are made to outperform the machine they are mounted on as well as a huge video library on how to use and adjust their skid steer attachments. After looking several other places, the prices are very competitive and they have a large Free Shipping Zone as well.
Need Skid Steer Attachments? Everything Attachments simply does it better than anyone else. Better Photos, Awesome Instructional "How To" Videos, Huge Free Shipping Zone, and a genuine desire to be the best company online to purchase from. If you really want to know if it is the right fit, just give them a call and ask for Ted.
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