The Different Types of Skid Steer Attachments

Skid steers are essential machines that increase productivity across the agriculture, ranching and construction industries. This machine’s versatility comes from attachments that make it suited for nearly any application.

Attachments for skid loaders can be multi-purpose or specialized tools to tackle various jobs, from drilling and tilling to dozing and brush cutting. You can amp up efficiency and get more done when you have skid steer attachments designed to streamline your specific application. This guide will help you find the best skid steer attachments for your company’s needs so you can tackle whatever comes next.

Table of Contents

Buckets
Grapples
Concrete Equipment
Brooms
Bale Spears
Snow Equipment
Soil Conditioner
Tree Puller
Land Plane
Pallet Forks
Augers
Trenchers

12 Types of Skid Steer Attachments

All the types of skid steer attachments tackle different jobs, like earthmoving, excavating, snow plowing and much more. Having more attachments allows you to expand your skid steer loader’s versatility and accomplish more with a single machine.

How many different skid steer attachments are there? There are dozens of attachments available for nearly every construction and farming application out there. Take a look at the top 12 skid steer attachment types you might use in your applications to understand which kind is right for you:

1. Buckets

Buckets can do much more than scoop dirt, like level mounds of earth and do light digging. Here are a few types of skid steer bucket attachments you might use on the job:

Material Buckets

Material bucket attachments can fit nearly any skid steer loader or compact tractor. These buckets come in various sizes to fit many different sizes of frame skid steers. With attachments, you can push, scoop and pile light materials like soil, gravel and mulch.

Rock Buckets

If you need a bucket for heavy-duty materials, a rock bucket attachment might be the perfect solution. These buckets come in grade 50 steel and sizes from 60 to 88 inches. Rock buckets can handle challenging materials like rocks and wood.

Tooth Buckets

Tooth buckets provide heavy-duty strength fit for digging, grading and hauling materials. These attachments are made with grade 50 structural steel for maximum strength and come in sizes from 64 to 84 inches in width. Tooth buckets come with a universal mounting plate for your medium- to large-frame skid steer loader.

Manure Buckets

Those working in agriculture might require a unique solution for tasks like cleaning animal pens. This is where manure bucket attachments come in handy. Manure buckets come in standard tine or grapple varieties to help you carry larger loads like animal bedding, hay bales, soil and compost.

2. Grapples

Grapples are some of the most versatile types of skid steer attachments. Heavy-duty grapples are made with grade 50 steel or higher to quickly remove rocks, brush and other debris. You can choose from several grapple types to fit your job:

Rock Grapple

Rock grapple buckets are ideal for picking up rocks in the field. The grapple’s tines allow other materials to sift through to clear larger debris from your site. Rock grapple buckets come in two models, one for securing larger rocks and one with smaller tine spacing for removing rocks of all sizes.

Root Grapple

Root grapples easily accomplish root removal with front tines that pull roots up and remove stumps and rocks during land clearing. These tools come in 66-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch sizes to fit various applications.

Rock and Root Combination Grapple

Sometimes your job requires a grapple with more than one specialty. The rock and root combination grapple bucket is versatile and can lift heavy materials. Rock and root grapples come in sizes from 60 to 91 inches in width.

3. Concrete Equipment

Skid steer concrete attachments are an excellent addition to your fleet. When pouring foundations, these tools can save you the time and fatigue of hauling concrete with a simple wheelbarrow. Concrete attachments offer superior flexibility with universal mounts. You’re likely to get a professional pour every time.

Two types of concrete equipment attachments help you mix and pour concrete on-site:

Cement Mixer

The cement mixer attachment fits easily on an augur drive. This mixer blends and pours concrete to lay foundations easily, create driveways and sidewalks and maintain roads. Concrete mixer attachments come in 29-gallon and 42-gallon varieties. The cement mixer is ideal for mixing concrete, mulch, animal feed and more.

Concrete Bucket

The skid steer concrete bucket gives the operator access to harder-to-reach areas. The concrete bucket comes in 3/4-yard or 1-yard capacities. The bucket cuts down on labor, saving you the extra steps of mixing concrete in your wheelbarrow. The concrete bucket attachment saves time and increases pouring efficiency.

4. Brooms

Broom attachments expand the uses of your skid steer loader even further. These attachments provide fast and easy cleanup across any construction or agriculture application. A skid steer broom attachment will prove helpful wherever you need to clear debris. Two kinds of broom attachments offer versatile cleanup:

Angle Brooms

The angle broom can turn 30-degrees to the right or left to sweep in whatever direction you need. This attachment comes in 72-inch, 84-inch and 96-inch varieties. Angle brooms come with a universal mounting plate and work great at sweeping away debris in locations like:

Warehouses.
Parking lots.
Machine sheds.
Storage buildings.

Pickup Brooms

Pickup brooms maximize cleanup on the job site. These attachments feature a bucket and cutting edge to efficiently remove caked-on mud and debris during operation, which collects in the bucket. You can then empty the bucket when full for easy dust containment. Pickup brooms come in 60-inch, 72-inch and 84-inch widths.

5. Bale Spears

In farm and agriculture applications, moving hay bales is essential. Hay bales come in various shapes and sizes and require special equipment for transportation across large areas. The many types of skid steer bale spears have unique features to make your tasks easier:

Triangle design: Bale spears with a triangle design can securely lift and carry medium to large hay bales of any shape. One type of spear has a 49-inch spear at the top and two 33-inch spears at the bottom. Another has three 49-inch spears all around, which lengthen the attachment’s reach.
Two tines: With two tines available in multiple lengths, the two-tine bale spear can carry medium and large-sized round and square hay bales.
Three tines: This kind of bale spear has three tines in 39-inch, 43-inch or 49-inch lengths. Farmers can use this spear to move large, square hay bales.
Four tines: Large agricultural producers need heavy-duty bale spears for bigger bales. Bale spears with four tines can move two large bales simultaneously for greater efficiency.

6. Snow Equipment

If your company works through the winter, chances are you’ve had to battle winter weather. Skid steer snow equipment helps you clear away the snow and get the job done. Take a look at these two types of snow equipment attachments:

Snow Bucket

High-capacity snow bucket attachments can move snow to a specific location or carry it off-site. Snow buckets are made with grade 50 steel and have a welded bottom for greater durability and strength. These attachments help remove snow from driveways, worksites and more.

Snow Pusher

Snow pusher attachments make snow piles without the scooping motion of a bucket. If you need to move snow without removing it entirely, the snow pusher is for you. These attachments easily handle large areas and save time dumping at the pile. Whether you’re moving snow away from a construction site or clearing sidewalks at a business, a snow pusher helps you get the job done.

7. Soil Conditioner

Farmers and landscapers need to prepare for whatever soil conditions they might face. A soil conditioner attachment is an excellent addition to round off your skid steer’s capabilities. This attachment fits best on compact utility loaders and small skid steer loaders. The soil conditioner performs several functions ideal for agricultural and landscaping applications, including:

Grading topsoil.
Leveling land.
Raking soil.
Removing debris.
Preparing a field for seeding.
Tearing out sod.

This tool prepares the ground with a rotating drum that rolls over the soil. The drum penetrates the ground with its teeth to effectively condition the soil in both directions. This allows the conditioner to rip through clumps and dethatch lawns.

The soil conditioner attachment also features spoil plates for windrowing in farming applications. Great for wineries, golf courses, hobby farmers and contractors, this attachment is a true workhorse.

8. Tree Puller

Contractors and other landowners frequently need to remove trees from their property. Skid steer tree pullers have the power you need, whether you’re clearing a field or tearing down an old fence. These skid steer attachments get tested for tough removal jobs and can remove just about anything in your way.

With this tool’s 34-inch-wide jaw opening, you can remove trees, debris and more up to 10 inches in diameter. Tree pullers are made with grade 50 structural steel. Their reinforced steel jaws efficiently grip brush and debris in the most heavy-duty jobs, making this beast one of the most effective skid steer loader attachments for contractors.

Tree pullers have many uses, including:

Removing shrubs and bushes.
Pulling out fence posts.
Uprooting stumps.
Lifting rocks.

A universal mounting plate makes this attachment adaptable for nearly any skid steer loader model.

9. Land Plane

A land plane is one of the best skid steer attachments for leveling jobs on the field or worksite. This multi-purpose tool is ideal for a range of road construction, land clearing and farming jobs. Land planes are helpful whether you need to grade a job site, pave a driveway or till a field for planting season.

A land plane attachment features a tough cutting edge and two angle irons that level materials like dirt and sod. You can also get a hydraulic scarifier for tilling soil. With this loader attachment, you can:

Aerate and till soil.
Break up compacted ground.
Smooth land.
Peel sod and weeds.

Land planes come with an optional bolt-on edge for easier maintenance than a weld-on edge. With a universal mount plate, you can attach a land plane to almost any skid steer model available on the market.

10. Pallet Fork

Pallet fork attachments are valuable tools for any company working in a warehouse, lumberyard or storehouse. Pallet forks easily lift heavy-duty materials for transport and removal while providing excellent visibility.

Pallet forks are made with grade 50 steel for industrial strength and come with a universal mounting plate to fit popular skid steer models. These attachments also have a safety step and walk-through design for operator safety. Each of this tool’s two forks can carry up to 4,000 pounds, equaling a total weight capacity of 8,000 pounds. This superior strength makes pallet forks ideal for the most challenging lifting jobs.

Pallet forks can accomplish a range of tasks, including:

Moving hay bales.
Hauling fencing.
Removing brush and logs.
Carrying pallets and crates.

11. Augers

Auger attachments are standard fixtures in both landscaping and construction. These skid steer attachments carve out earth and rock to lay pipes and wiring and dig holes for fence posts, trees or footings. With an auger attachment, you can use your skid steer to dig down 6 to 60 inches into the earth.

Skid steer augers work with skid steer auger drive for the best drilling efficiency. This attachment comes in earth or rock combination varieties to achieve precise drilling in various terrains:

The earth auger: This type of attachment is suited for general purpose drilling. The auger has bladed teeth for drilling through softer dirt like earth, clay and shale.
The rock combination auger: These augers have tapered teeth to handle tougher ground conditions. With rock combination augers, you can drill through soft earth and cut through hard rock like concrete and asphalt.

Augers come in diameters from 6 to 36 inches. You can find an auger attachment perfect for the job whatever your application.

12. Trenchers

When you’re digging for pipes, drainage ditches or electrical lines, a skid steer trencher is the attachment for the job. These tools are useful in various construction and landscaping jobs. Several sizing options give you the versatility you need in your line of work.

Trencher attachment models can dig at a range of depths, including 36, 48 and 60 inches. Some trenchers also come with a spoil removal auger that moves displaced soil out of your way as you dig. These attachments make a clean trench without disturbing the surrounding ground to achieve precise digs each time.

Skid steer trenchers are excellent for jobs like:

Laying pipes.
Placing optical lines.
Repairing roads.
Laying telephone wires.

Choose Stinger Attachments for Skid Steer Attachments

A wide variety of attachments make skid steer loaders an excellent investment for construction and agricultural companies. With so many versatile tools to choose from, you can take your skid steer from digging soil to hauling hay bales within minutes simply by switching out its attachments.

At Stinger Attachments, we provide skid steer attachments with superior design and manufacturing for agricultural, construction, landscaping and industrial applications. We’re committed to producing quality, reliable attachments built to last. We offer valuable tools to keep your business running smoothly, a one-year warranty on our equipment, competitive pricing and universal mounting plates with all our attachments.

Browse our skid steer attachments today or contact our customer service team for help choosing the right attachment for your application.