*Updated November 4th 2022
What are the Best Skid Steer Attachments?
Our customers offer an enormous range of Skid Steer Loader attachments and Bobcat attachments available for hire through iseekplant. You can hire attachments on their own, or with a posi-track, bobcat or wheeled skid steer if you like. Skid steer loaders provide a reliable solution to a wide range of problems posed by modern construction sites - because of the enormous range of attachments.
These versatile earthmoving machines are used across many industries, and when equipped with the correct attachments, are able to assist with a ludicrous number of tasks on a job site. As it can be expensive to hire a skid steer loader, it’s important to determine which attachments you do and don’t need for your machine before you hire it with all the bells and whistles handing off it.
iseekplant's picks for the top 10 best skid steer attachments:
If you're in the market to buy a skid steer or want to hire one that can do the most number of earthmoving tasks, then here are iseekplant's hot tips for the 10 best attachments to create a super-sized earthmoving machine:
- 4-in-1 bucket - grab, trim, excavate, dump, grapple, rip. You name it, this bucket does it.
- Material Spreader - super useful for the usual applications of a skid steer in detailed earthworks operations.
- Forks - turn your skid steer into a forklift for the fraction of the price of buying a forklift.
- 6-Way Blade - super precise way to spread materials for flat surfaces that pass the survey muster.
- Rock & Tine Grapple - pick and rip literally anything.
- 3-Foot Trencher - 3 feet (or ~1m) is about what you need for regular cable trenches.
- Plate Compactor - smack and whack your way to compacted materials.
- Swivel Arm Backhoe Attachment - dig with a greater width across the plane.
- Disk Mulcher - carves through sturdy Australian brush easier than the drum.
- Standard Size Auger - never goes astray, perfect for fencing and residential needs.
What is a Skid Steer Loader?
Skid steer loaders are versatile machines that are light and easily maneuvered, with a range of attachments readily available for application. Commonly referred to as “Bobcats” in Australia, these beasts grew in popularity in the 1970s. Skid Steer Loaders are used to lift and move material such as sand, dirt, gravel, and more. On our site, Australia's largest construction equipment, and services marketplace, we call them skid steers, posi-tracks and dingos. These machines can dig, grade, and load various materials found across the modern construction site.
Skid steer loaders come in two main variants and a range of sizes. Those variants are wheeled skid steers, propelled by rubber wheels, and tracked skid steers, which we call 'posi-tracks' on iseekplant. The sizes range from small (which are often referred to as dingos) to large. The biggest skid steer in the world has a whopping 11-tonne operating weight. Most machines on iseekplant, fall within the 1.5 tonnes to 7.5-tonne range.
How many skid steer attachments are there?
Below we review the 65 most common and practical attachments for skid steers, but the answer is - that there is functionally no limit to things that can be manufactured to fit a skid steer. There are many companies providing attachments to fit skid steers, from global attachment brands to local attachment outfits, to plant and equipment suppliers with a heavy engineering side hustle.
Best Skid Steer Mulcher Attachments
One of the most popular skid steer attachments is the mulcher attachment. These skid steer mulcher attachments are perfect for those who need to clear large areas of land quickly and efficiently. Both types use a rotating blade - one as a drum, and one as a saw blade. They both chop up vegetation, cutting it down to size so that it can be easily removed from the site.
Image | Skid Steer Mulcher Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of |
Drum Mulcher Attachment | Heavy-duty land clearing & mulching | Skid Steer Solutions | |
Disk Mulcher Attachment | Brush & trees mulching | Skid Steer Solutions |
Best Skid Steer Land Clearing Attachments
Apart from mulching attachments, there are other forestry and land-clearing attachments for skid steers that can help you clear land quickly and efficiently. These include variants such as mower attachments, brush cutters, slashers & log splitters.
Image | Skid Steer Land Clearing | Use | Image courtesy of |
Mower Attachment | Mowing large parcels of grassed land | Mower Max | |
Brush Cutter & Slashers Attachments | Slashing high grass or other brushes, sugar cane, etc | Himac | |
Log Splitters | Split logs and firewood with ease | Wood Splitters Direct |
Best Skid Steer Grader Attachments
Another popular skid steer attachment is the grader attachment. Skid steer grader attachments are commonly used on construction sites to level out surfaces with more precision than a dozer blade is capable of. This type of attachment is equipped with a blade that can be raised or lowered, as well as tilted forwards or backward, to grade an area of land. Many can achieve tolerances of a few millimetres.
Image | Skid Steer Mulcher Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of |
Road Grader Blade | Grading driveways, private roads & pastures | Lawless Lasers | |
Complex Box Blade | Ideal for excavation, concrete preparation & precision road or pathway grading | Lawless Lasers |
Best Skid Steer Concrete Attachments
An array of different concrete placing, breaking, crushing, and smoothing attachments are also available for skid steer loaders. These attachments are typically used to transport, pour, level, crush or claw concrete. Concrete bucket attachments are equipped with a number of features that make them perfect for this task, some have hydraulic chutes that allow the operator to control the flow of concrete, whilst others help in the removal of existing concrete.
Image | Skid Steer Mulcher Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of |
Concrete Bucket | Carrying and placing concrete in areas inaccessible by road trucks | Skid Steer Solutions | |
Concrete Chuter | Accurately dispense concrete into hard-to-reach places | Skid Steer Solutions | |
Concrete Mixer | Mixes concrete & cement like a tiny agi truck | Equipment World | |
Concrete Claws | Ripping up small concrete amounts - such as concrete footpaths , pathways, or driveways | Everything Attachments | |
Concrete Crusher | Crush small amounts of concrete with ease | MB Crusher |
Best Skid Steer Tiller Attachments
Tiller attachments are also available for skid steer loaders. These attachments are commonly used in agricultural, landscaping, or horticultural applications, and can be used to till the soil, dig trenches or remove roots and other obstacles.
Skid Steer Tiller Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Multidirectional Rototiller | Prepping soil, landscaping tasks | Blue Diamond Attachments |
Best Skid Steer Excavator & Backhoe Attachments
Excavator attachments are also available for skid steer loaders. These attachments are designed for digging and can be used to excavate trenches, holes, or other areas of land. Excavator attachments are equipped with a number of features that make them perfect for this task, such as an extendable arm and a bucket that can be raised or lowered.
Backhoe attachments for skid steers are fantastic for enabling operators to dig large trenches. With heavy-duty cast teeth and large bucket sizes, backhoe attachments can break through hard rock when paired with a skid steer loader. Backhoes are commonly used for digging utility trenches, basements, drainage ditches, and footings.
Skid Steer Excavator & Backhoe Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Fixed or Stiff Arm Backhoe | Great for digging, trenching & clearing out where the plane of excavation is linear | Skid Steer Solutions | |
Swivel Arm Backhoe | Provides greater maneuverability in a ground plane. | Bradco Attachments | |
Backhoe Ripper Attachment | Great for ripping roots, rocks, or logs. | Eterra Attachments |
Best Skid Steer Pallet Forks
Fork attachments are also available for skid steer loaders, to essentially turn them into forklifts. These attachments are designed for lifting and can be used to move heavy objects such as pallets, barrels, or other site materials. Some have adjustable tines that can be raised or lowered, as well as angled to the left or right.
Skid Steer Pallet Forks | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Standard Pallet Forks | Lift and move materials up to about 1.7 tonnes. | Digga | |
Heavy Duty Pallet Forks | Lift and move materials up to 2.4 tonnes. | CID | |
Clamp On Bucket Forks | These clamp onto buckets for skid-steers, compact tractors, wheel loaders, and tractor loader backhoes. | Haugen | |
Walk Through Pallet Forks | Designed to allow the operator to step through the frame upon entry and exit of your skid steer loader. | Bradco |
Best Skid Steer Lift & Shift
Turn your skid steer or Bobcat into a crane or EWP with a boom extension that can allow you to pick up items and relocate them around your site. Alternatively, a vac lift attachment can be used to deploy sections of pipe in pipelaying operations.
Skid Steer Lift & Shift | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Vacuum Lifts | It uses the power of suction to lift tiles, pavers or large panels of concrete | Ditch Witch West | |
Boom attachments | A boom attachment to create a lifting arm at the front or rear of the skid steer | Skid Steer Attachment |
Best Skid Steer Grapple Attachments
Grapple attachments are also available for skid steer loaders. These attachments are perfect for those who need to move large amounts of material, such as debris, logs, or other clunky objects. Grapple attachments are equipped with a number of features that make them perfect for this task, such as jaws that can be opened or closed, as well as rotated to the left or right.
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Skid Steer Grapple Attachments |
Use |
Image courtesy of |
Fork Grapple |
Use the forks to lift, and the grapple to secure as you move materials around |
CID Attachments |
|
Rock & Tine Grapple |
Designed to rip rocks from the ground |
Himac |
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Log Grapple |
Will lift, move or place logs or pipes into the ground |
||
Brush & Root Grapples |
These can get their pincers around ground brush and roots and pull them free for easier excavation |
Bunyip Equipment |
|
Grapple Buckets |
Enjoy the digging capacity of a bucket with the security of a grapple holding the contents of the bucket secure. |
Star Industries |
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Pole Claw or Pole Setter |
Great for lifting and setting power or fence poles into pre-prepared holes |
EZ Spot UR |
Best Quality Skid Steer Buckets
Throughout the mining and construction industries, it’s important to identify efficient ways to lift and move heavy materials. From gravel to sand, dirt, quarrying materials, and general debris, a general-purpose bucket attachment for your skid steer loader hire is a reliable option. iseekplant has suppliers all over Australia with bucket attachments for skid steer loader hire that widely vary in size, style, and lifting capability.
Skid Steer Buckets | Use | Image courtesy of | |
4 in 1 Buckets | The most versatile bucket on the market - digging, grappling, trimming, and grading. | Norm Eng | |
Digging Buckets | Excavating perfection for trenches, holes, and other cutting operations | Quick Attach | |
High Dump Buckets | An extension to allow for lifting materials up to the height of a supporting tipper truck. | Prowler Tracks | |
Low Profile Buckets | Can be used for compaction or precision when excavating or layering aggregates | Skid Steers Direct | |
Manure Buckets | Used in agricultural settings to manage and move manure | Stinger Attachments | |
Rock Buckets | Great for moving rocks around, or large form landscaping aggregates | Machinery Planet | |
Side Discharge Buckets | Excavates like a normal bucket, but then is able to open and expunge from either end, when tilted by the boom. | Equipment Journal | |
Snow Buckets | Not hugely in demand in Australia, but perfect for moving snow around. | Prime Attachments | |
Stump Buckets | Can excavate around, then remove, a stump. | Skidsteers.com |
Best Skid Steer Auger Attachments
Augers are one of the most frequently-hired attachments for skid steer loaders. The corkscrew shape of the auger simplifies the task of digging a precise hole - the attachment digs deep into the ground without damaging the soil around it. Auger attachments are readily available across Australia through iseekplant’s platform, with a wide range of sizes and styles ready to tackle your earthmoving task.
Skid Steer Auger Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Post Hole Digger Attachment | Drilling repetitive holes along a fence line in rural or agricultural settings, or on large plots of land | Himac | |
Standard Auger Attachment | Boring holes for wells, concrete pilons, posts or other applications. Usually up to 900mm in width | Premiere Attach | |
Heavy Duty Auger Attachment | Between 900mm - 1200mm in width for larger holes or for more stubborn types of ground | Premiere Attach | |
Telescopic Auger Attachment | For boring into the ground at a distance from the machine | Digga |
Best Skid Steer Dozer Blade & Spreader Attachments
If you’re looking to move heavy materials across the work site efficiently and safely, the blade attachment is fantastic to use in conjunction with your skid steer loader. Dozer blades can also level and grade the ground in preparation for pouring concrete.
Some people opt to hire a bulldozer as opposed to just the attachment if they have a large job on their hands. iseekplant’s online directory has thousands of suppliers across the country that are able to supply both bulldozers and the dozer blade attachment for your skid steer loader hire. We'll note here that our customers with dozers don't love small jobs, or jobs with short tenure, so if you are working on a smaller project, best to hire a large skid steer with a 6-way or 4-way blade (in our opinion).
Skid Steer Dozer Blade & Spreader Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
6 Way Blade | For pushing materials forward with greater flexibility & ultimate precision | Blue Diamond | |
4 Way Blade | Dozer blade attachment with the ability to move across 4 planes | McLaren Industries | |
Multi-Purpose Blade | For grading & dozing and agricultural applications | Equipment World | |
Material Spreader | For spreading and flattening material across a large surface area | Himac | |
Feed Pusher | For pushing feed in feed lots of livestock settings | Forward Farm Lines |
Best Skid Steer Saw Attachments
Using the saw attachment, you can cut through hard materials much more easily. Frequently used during road construction and demolition projects, saw attachments are great for cutting asphalt patches, concrete, rock, and road expansion joints (just to name a few of hundreds of scenarios).
Skid Steer Saw Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Tree Saw Attachments | For cutting down trees during land clearing operations | Sidney Attachments | |
Concrete Saw Attachments | For sawing through concrete and asphalt | For Construction Pros | |
Rock Saw Attachments | For carving through rock during excavation processes | Accudraulic |
Best Skid Steer Trencher Attachments
Trencher attachments can be used throughout a number of disciplines. Farming, construction, landscaping, and mining projects all benefit from the utilization of trencher attachment hire. When paired with a skid steer loader, these powerful tools can dig straight, narrow trenches at depths up to 4 ft.
Skid Steer Trencher Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
3 Foot Trencher Attachment | For digging electrical or services trenches to 3-foot depth | Compact Equipment | |
4 Foot Trencher Attachment | For digging electrical or services trenches to 4-foot depth | Compact Equipment |
Best Skid Steer Compaction Attachments
Skid steer compaction attachments offer versatility in compacting aggregates on detailed earthworks sites and offer the same functionality as other machines like rollers and vibe plates do, but use the grunt and torque of a skid steer.
Compaction Attachments | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Vibratory Roller Attachments | For compacting materials through rolling & vibrating | Source Pro Equipment | |
Plate Compactors | For compacting small amounts of the land area using shuddering and stamping | Horizon Machine Attachments |
Best Skid Steer Fence Posts Installers
This post-driver attachment will save you time and boost your productivity by automating the tedious task of installing fence posts across large expanses of land (our fencing contractor customers love these attachments). Fence post installers can lift, grip and place fence posts into pre-augered holes in the ground, so that concrete can be pored around quickly and easily - setting the post firmly into the earth.
Fence Installers | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Chain Fence Installers | For installing chain fence across a large linear expanse | Skid Steers Direct | |
Silt Fence Installers | For installing silt fence | Ag Industrial |
Best Skid Steer Crusher Bucket Attachments
Skid steer crusher bucket attachments are designed to crush a variety of materials, including concrete, glass, asphalt, and more. These attachments use a high-powered hydraulic system to pulverize the material, making it easy to dispose of or recycle.
Skid Steer Crusher Buckets | Use | Image courtesy of | |
Crusher Bucket | Crushing and pulverizing rock or other materials to a finer grader before its reuse or disposal | MB Crusher |
iseekplant has thousands of suppliers throughout Australia. Have a look at our online platform for skid steer loader hire suppliers near you! We cater to the major cities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, and beyond so get in touch with us today to get rates. Click here if you want an easy way to get 3 quotes.
Related articles:
- What are the best skid steer loader brands?
- How to change a skid steer attachment
- What is the right skid steer loader for my job?
- Skid Steer vs Excavator
If you still require more information, your next point of call should be our skid steer loader hire rates guide.