Learn which skid steer snow attachment works best for your application
Before choosing a snow attachment, remember to choose an attachment with weight in mind to get the most performance out of your skid steer. Wet snow weighs approximately 15-50 lbs. a cubic foot. If there are 27 cubic feet in a yard and the skid steer snow bucket attachment you choose holds a yard of material, your skid steer would need a lifting capacity of 1350 lbs. plus the weight of the bucket.
Let’s talk about the different skid steer snow removal attachments. The most popular removal attachment is a skid steer snow bucket. Whether you have a mini skid steer or a larger track machine, a snow bucket is a great all around choice. The reason is that not only can it push or back drag snow you can also pick up and dump snow. Snow buckets are light but offer a higher volume load capacity than a traditional skid steer low profile bucket.
Skid Steer Snow Plow Blades work great on sidewalks, parking lots, driveways and curvy roads in areas such as condo developments. Most snow blades angle either left, right or straight. Some blades split in the middle to push snow to each side at the same time. This can be controlled either manually or by adding a hydraulic angle kit. Most come with a trip function. So if you hit a large crack in the concrete or a curb, the blade with trip forward. This will take most of the impact out of hitting the crack or curb.
Skid Steer Snow Pushers are best used in areas such as parking lots. Typically they are used while operating the skid loader in a straight forward or backward motion with a back drag option. They move large amounts of snow quickly.
The skid steer snow blower attachment works great for almost any application. If you are looking to blow snow away from an area or blow snow evenly throughout a displacement area without developing large piles, the snow blower attachment is the way to go. Typically the snow blower attachment can blow snow up to 40 feet while clearing snow right to the ground.
Skid Steer Rotary Brooms work great for small amounts of snow accumulation. It does a great job of clearing the surface right to the concrete or asphalt without doing any damage. The rotary broom attachment works perfectly for clearing snow from sidewalks.
A skid steer salt or material spreader is great for keeping parking lots, sidewalks and driveways clear of ice. The salt spreader attachment tips to scoop up large amounts of material for disbursement. This allows you to quickly and easily spread large amounts of salt to larger areas, although the spread can be controlled.