Skid steer loaders (SSL) and skid steer loaders (CTL) are two very popular snow removal equipment. Both machines are super maneuverable, allowing them to operate in areas such as tight parking lots, and they can move snow in a number of different ways, including pushing, stacking and lifting. Both machines excel at tough jobs and work in harsh conditions, but the question remains: is a skid steer or a skid steer loader better for snow removal?
Ground pressure: miniature advantage
A skid steer’s four tires exert more pressure on the ground than a track loader, allowing the machine to apply more force to the bucket to push, scrape and collect snow. The light feel that makes the tracks popular for soft surface work in the summer inhibits their grip on snowy and icy surfaces, but switching a CTL to aggressive-type tracks can close the traction gap between the two machines.
Tires designed for snow work also offer the opportunity to improve equipment productivity. Traction-enhancing features such as large snow-clearing tread ratios, aggressive tread patterns and grip-enhancing slats like those found on our Alliance 550 and Galaxy Mighty Track ND, they will almost always beat the tracks in the snow. even the new generation of tracks designed specifically for winter work.
Speed: Advantage Skid Steer
Skid steers can travel at speeds of up to 12 mph (considerably faster than comparable track loaders), allowing the machines to gain momentum and roll over the snow, rather than simply pushing it. Radials further widen the performance disparity with their ability to dissipate the tire-killing heat generated by traveling long distances and at high speeds (yes, heat is a problem for tires even in winter), as when working in large batches or traveling between accounts.
Mobility: Advantage Skid Steer
In addition to traveling faster between customers under their own power, minicarts are also easier to transport between locations than CTLs. Skid steer loaders have more ground clearance than skid steer loaders, making it easier to load onto trailers with ramps. SSLs are also lighter than similarly sized track loaders, making them easier to transport.
Maintenance: Advantage Skid Steer
Tracks are notoriously expensive to maintain and require regular maintenance and replacement– Maintaining (and eventually replacing) a CTL’s bogie wheels, pinions and idler wheels can add up to big bucks at the end of a long winter. Wheeled machines like SSLs simply don’t face these additional operating costs.
Remember to check your miniature’s tire pressure in the winter. Tire pressure can decrease by one psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature. Track loader owners will want to take the time to clean their machine’s undercarriage after operation to avoid incurring additional maintenance costs.
Wear: Advantage Skid Steer
Skid steers excel on hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt, where the vast majority of snow removal equipment operates, and will outlast tracks in this application. New tracks alone can cost up to twice as much as replacement tires, further adding to the high maintenance costs of tracked machines.
Acquisition cost: Advantage Skid Steer
In addition to being more expensive to maintain than skid steers, track loaders are also more expensive to purchase in the first place, costing more than 20% more than a comparable skid steer. To make up the difference in cost between the machines can take many counts, time moving snow and several winters.
Attachments: Drawing
There is one place where skid steers and skid steers are at a dead end when it comes to snow removal: the available attachments. From brooms to blades to buckets and fans, the list of accessories available for both SSL and CTL seems to grow every winter. Of course, with all their advantages, it’s obvious that skid steer loaders are the right foundation for all the tools you need to get the job done.
Final thoughts
The skid steer offers significant advantages when it comes to snow removal applications, as well as applications on improved hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt. However, if you already have a chain loader, you can still get the job done, although probably at a higher cost per operating hour due to increased maintenance and productivity costs.
Alliance/Galaxy advantage
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. has a wide range of application-specific tires designed to give your skid steer a winter edge. Our steel-belted Alliance 550 MultiUse radial is a favorite for skid steers that work in the snow, while our Galaxy Mighty Trac bias tire is a reliable performer on skid steers that work in even the worst winter weather .
Contact your local Yokoham Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. dealer or representative. to learn more about our wide range of snow removal tires.
