Planning on doing some excavation on your backyard? I hope your not thinking of doing it with your own bare hands. That method might have been popular years ago, when a machine stands for a hoe, a bucket and a shovel.
Well my friend, thank your heavenly stars for the people who invented the skid steer.
Unlike their giant counterparts, the excavator and front loader, these mini-loaders can sometimes be used for digging inside your house. Skid Steers or Skid loaders are indispensable when operating in extremely tight areas. The typical unit can pass through an opening wherever bigger machines do not fit. They are extremely agile and can turn completely around in-place.
The normal bucket of many skid loaders can be replaced with a variety of specialized buckets or attachments. These includes a backhoe, hydraulic breaker, pallet forks, angle broom, sweeper, mower, snow blower, trencher, dumping hopper, ripper, tillers, grapple, tilt, roller, snow blade, wheel saw, cement mixer, and wood chipper machine.
Quite a mouthful, I know, let’s just say that skid steer loaders are used, basically, for any purpose requiring heavy machinery.
For all its uses, it is quite popular in a lot of field, particularly in the construction industry. For starters in this business, a skid steer is indispensable because it can serve the purpose of some important heavy equipments. However, purchasing one will be costly.
If you’re without a budget, it is never bad to settle for a second hand machinery. Bargaining for a used skid steer is not all together a bad deal. Granted that it may not guarantee a 100% performance, but then again, it always depend on how you choose the skid steer to buy.
Pre-shopping advice
Search for different places where you can find cheap construction equipments/machineries. Checking online is also a way to look for used skid steer for sale. Visiting some local dealers on heavy equipment machines could give you an idea on where to purchase used or second hand ones. There are also other ways to look for possible places to buy heavy machines such as: looking into auction houses and checking with your local construction company, they might have some equipments they would like to dispose or replace.
Here are some general advice when inspecting the equipment:
Body works/Structural Bodyworks
For those who are particular with the body of the machinery they’re going to buy, this is important.
Look for rusts, dents or cracks in the used skid steer. Rusts could become a problem in the future when you have to repair it.
Look under the equipment, cross members and subframes. Tap suspicious areas with a lightweight hammer, or push hard with your hand to detect the ‘give’ of weakened metal. Be wary of freshly applied underseal – could be hiding weakened metal. Check the floorpan for corrosion. Look at brake pipes, if they are crusted or pitted with rust, these could be dangerous.
Engine
Next thing to remember is when buying used heavy machines, always see to it that the machine is still in good running condition. There is no harm when you try out the machine. That way you can check if the machine can still perform its tasks. Inspecting the machine will also assure you that the machine is complete with its parts. Without thoroughly inspecting the machine, you wouldn’t know if there are missing parts or some parts may not function properly.
Bring in an expert
When the machine passed your inspection, it is always safe to bring an expert with you to double check the used skid steer. Doing so, you can gather information on the right equipment to purchase. And an expert can also check the engine when you don’t know what to look for or how to inspect it.
Lastly, before closing the deal, check out how long the store has been in business. Usually, the number of years corresponds to the years of experience the store has, which in-turn, assures you that they sell quality machineries.