Skid steer loaders are some of the most useful and versatile machines on the job site. We've rounded up six models from the vault that we think you'll like the look of.
Ditch Witch SK755 mini skid-steer loader
Weight: 1.3 tonnes
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JOSH SIMPSON takes the Ditch Witch SK755 mini skid steer loader for a run and declares it to be one of the best-designed pieces of kit he’s operated.
Mention the words ‘Ditch Witch’ and most of us tend to automatically think of a chain trencher for doing irrigation and the like. So I was asked if I wanted to test out the Ditch Witch SK755 mini skid steer loader, I was eager to see if it lived up to the trenchers’ well-earned reputation. Our test took place just South of Auckland on a small rural block. After being told that we were going to have a number of attachments to play with, I was expecting a transporter truck to turn up. So I was a bit surprised when just a ute and trailer came powering up the relatively steep gravel driveway. Looking at the setup on this trailer, it was clear …
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Kubota SVL75 compact track loader
Weight: 4.1 tonnes
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When it comes to the modern earthmoving scene, versatility is key. JOSH SIMPSON jumps into the cab of a Kubota SVL75 compact track loader and finds it fits the bill perfectly.
With a long list of services on offer, including drain-laying, contractor Adam Turner recently realised that his fleet of excavators needed to be rounded out with a skid-steer loader, Having recently purchased new Kubota 1.7-tonne and 5.5-tonne excavators, the boss of Turners Drainage & Contracting of West Auckland, New Zealand, decided to stick with the brand after testing out the competition. He ended up buying a Kubota SVL75 compact track loader, and invited us to give it a whirl in his yard …
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Kanga DW625 mini skid steer loader
Weight: 0.9 tonnes
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RON HORNER puts a Kanga DW625 stand-on mini skid-steer loader through its paces on the Gold Coast, and comes away impressed by this hard-working Australian icon.
I don’t think you could appreciate the thoughts that went through my head when I picked up the phone and the editor asked me to review a Kanga DW625 mini loader. You see, the Kangas were once known as Dingoes and I grew up in a time and place when kangas and dingoes were deemed nothing but bloody pests. In those days kangas were the cause of so much vehicle damage they were the only reason tourists stopped in town overnight, and I am sure they were also the only reason Cobar and Bourke had panel beaters …
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Toyota Huski 5SDK10 skid steer loader
Weight: 2.8 tonnes
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After thinking that skid-steer loaders were better suited to younger, slimmer and fitter operators, senior reviewer RON HORNER came away impressed by the upgraded Toyota Huski 5SDK10 skid-steer loader.
I had cringed at, but reluctantly agreed to, the editor’s request for a review of the Toyota Huski 5SDK10 skid-steer loader before Christmas last year, but it ended up clashing with our Bauma China commitments so it was put on hold. I thought I may have got out of this one merely due to the fact that, at my age, I view any skid-steer loader with scepticism. In my opinion they are machines for young blokes who care little for their wellbeing, are yet to be spoiled by the excesses of life’s comfort and are fit and have a physique to go with the rough and tumble motions of such a machine. I usually give any of the smaller machines a wide berth when it comes to operating. I find that the confined cabin space, short wheelbase and non-uniform controls tend to be at odds with this old, worn out body and its ever-expanding waistline and rear end. Only those with some age on them or carrying …
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Mustang 4000V skid steer loader
Weight: 1.8 tonnes
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Money and fools are soon parted, or so the saying goes. Taking a look at the new Mustang 4000V, DAVE LORIMER soon realised that the buyer of this machine was certainly no fool when parting with his money.
From Brian Walker’s reckoning, he was the second person in the country to own and operate a skid steer loader. Way back in 1974, he was busting his guts using a tractor with front-end loader on a soft site when Barry Semmell stopped in and suggested he take a look at a ‘new-fangled’ skid steer loader they were marketing – a Melrose 610 Bobcat. Seeing it in action, he quickly realised the potential and purchased one, despite the huge price difference compared to the machinery he was accustomed to. This led on to many years of doing skid steer excavation work before hanging up his boots due to an (unrelated) injury. A period of 14 years would pass, but the hankering to jump back in …
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Vermeer S800TX skid steer loader
Weight: 1.4 tonnes
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When DAVE LORIMER was given the road address of the test site as 666, it was hard for him not to think back to his early years sitting in mass while the priest explained the “mark of the beast” and then later checking himself from head to toe just in case he was the “devil child”.
Fortunately, I never found any telltale marks, which is probably lucky as my career path would have been quite different and I would never have caught up with David Manson from Manson Machinery to test out his Vermeer mini skid steer. Recently needing to upgrade, Manson opted to purchase the Vermeer S800TX. The primary reason he chose this particular model is because it is a tracked machine. He was getting a good run out of his wheeled machine of a different brand but was finding it limited his ability to complete jobs, especially when the weather got the better of him. Of course, he finds that the weather can still put a stop to some jobs but now he is able to get going faster, thanks to the tracked machine. …
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