Your skid steer loader is one of the most valued pieces of equipment a landscaper can have. Especially for those who enjoy the freedom and pride of owning and operating a small business but want to be able to take on sizable projects.
Equipment purchases can make the difference between having a thriving business, and throwing money down the drain on tools that are barely used or do not bring enough money to justify the expense. This principle applies both to fresh college graduates that see an opportunity in the landscaping business, and veterans who own more than 10 skid steers and track loaders and want to maximize productivity.
As in many aspects of life, moving too quickly and buying fancy skid steer attachments is not the right way to approach this business, especially if you don’t have a lot of credit.
That’s why I made a small list of essential skid steer attachments for landscapers.
Buckets
This one is the most universal skid steer attachment. I don’t think any landscaper can live without it as they can be used for moving materials around, and they can take care of small leveling and clearing tasks without having to cycle through your other attachments. I have a wide smooth edge bucket and a long bottom bucket with teeth which I use for digging, removing mulch and rocks, and moving dirt and other materials around the work area.
Make sure you get an attachment that allows you to see over the top of the bucket from inside the cab. Spartan Equipment offers incredibly sturdy low-profile buckets for all types of groundwork, and they alone can start making you money within a couple of weeks.
Pallet Forks
These can take care of all of your heavy liftings, saving a lot of precious loading and unloading time. This skid steer attachment helps you have money too. The best part is that pallet forks are relatively inexpensive, and they prevent you from having to hire an extra set of big arms for carrying seeds, sod, bricks, concrete bags, lumber, you name it.
Auger Drive
An essential for fencing, footings, planting trees, post mounting, and much more. These usually help you increase accuracy and speed, saving you precious daylight time, and allowing you to expand your business capabilities. An auger skid steer attachment can fit other powerful tools such as cement mixers and stump grinders. If you find yourself having to dig holes by hand and shovel, you´re definitely better off with an auger drive. It saves time and lots of back pain while allowing you to finish and pick up earlier.
Stump Grinders
Stump removal is hard work and is one of the most common tasks for landscapers and arborists. Their powerful cutting wheel can chip away the hardest tree stumps in seconds, and the added maneuverability allows you to go right to the roots without a problem. Stump grinder attachments are worth the investment as many maintenance departments prefer to rent or hire instead of buying, so you can be sure you will receive a lot of calls just because of your stump grinder.
These are my four favorite skid steer attachments for landscaping. Of course, there are other attachments that are worth having, but these allow you to go out and start making money before you´re ready to expand your capabilities. Just make sure you buy high-quality tools from reputed manufacturers. I recommend Spartan Equipment because their attachments never surrender no matter how hard I go on them. Visit their website and find out more about their products if you are thinking about getting the toughest attachments for your loader.
