There are many options for renting a loader, including skid steer loaders, backhoes, telehandlers and more. When making your choice, the size of the job, the space available and what you need to move are only some of the factors you need to consider.
Jump to Section:
Size is an important factor in choosing the right loader. These types of equipment have multiple options from compact track loaders to extra-large telehandlers. A larger loader can carry more weight, but will also put more stress on the ground.
The size of the load also makes a difference. You cannot carry the same amount with a skid steer loader that you can with a backhoe. The latter has a higher capacity and more engine power to manage the extra weight. With more powerful engines, you can lift heavier materials, so the power each model offers is a crucial factor.
The reach needed sets telehandlers apart from other types of loaders. While the additional range allows for more long-range operations, it can be potentially dangerous in situations around overhanging power lines. Be aware of your surroundings and choose equipment that fits the jobsite.
Types of Loaders to Rent
Before choosing a loader for your job, take some time to explore your options. The more you know about the kinds of loaders you can rent, the more informed a decision you can make. The main types of loaders you have to choose from include the following.
1. Track Loaders
Track loaders have a track on the undercarriage to allow for movement over the slick or rocky land. These loaders can manage a variety of landscapes as they move up to 2.42 cubic yards of material.
If you’re not sure whether you need a track or wheel loader, keep in mind that track loaders work well on most jobsites. These loaders have tracks that enable them to pass safely over various types of surfaces, even mud or rocks. If you need to move materials over unstable ground, choose a track loader instead of its wheeled counterpart. The equipment will have better driving control.
Our track loader rental options include the Cat® 939C Hystat, which can manage medium or light loads. It has a capacity of 1.3 cubic yards. Construction sites and material handling in several situations often use this track loader to improve productivity.
If the Cat 939C Hystat does not hold enough in its loader bucket for your needs, consider the more powerful Cat 953D. This diesel-driven loader offers 148 horsepower and a capacity of 2.42 cubic yards. The extra power and more efficient ACERT engine ensure this loader can work just as hard as your crew does on any jobsite.
Use a track loader when you need accessibility to worksites located on uneven ground. The track will help you get to where you need to be.
2. Compact Track Loaders and Multi-Terrain Loaders
Not every job requires a full-sized track loader. For smaller projects, you may benefit from a compact track loader or multi-terrain loader. For these loaders, you should not carry more than half the tip load to keep all four wheels of the track on the ground. Even staying within this restriction, you can still carry up to 4,150 pounds in some models
While compact track loaders and multi-terrain loaders both look remarkably similar in their size and use of tracks, they are not interchangeable. If you must drive over rough terrain, choose a compact track loader. These loaders offer better traction, but they may damage delicate ground that cannot support heavy equipment. If you need equipment to drive over a lawn to reach the worksite, consider a multi-terrain loader. The tracks reduce the damage done to the grass or ground while the design reduces the weight put on the earth.
What about comparing compact track loaders to the similar-looking skid steer loaders? The latter has wheels that can only drive on pavement. The wheels can damage any ground more delicate than concrete. Compact track loaders can travel over a variety of surfaces, making them a better choice for landscaping, agriculture and construction work than wheel-bearing skid steer loaders. The extra attachments available for compact track loaders also make them more useful for jobs beyond moving material.
If you need a small size and equipment that can travel over a variety of terrains, compact track loaders may serve your needs best.
3. Wheel Loaders
Wheel loaders can carry greater volumes of materials than standard track loaders. The largest wheel loaders available for rent can carry up to 6.5 cubic yards of material. They also have higher engine power, with models boasting up to 211 horsepower.
While the track loaders carry smaller loaders, wheel loaders have specific uses. The large wheels make these loaders better for use on paved roadways and other stable surfaces. The wheels can harm landscaping, so avoid using wheeled loaders on jobsites that requires driving over grass or unstable surfaces. Track loaders have better handling in those situations.
Because a wheel loader’s only job is to move material, it has a carrying capacity even in its smallest models that exceeds what other types of equipment can move. For smaller tasks that only require a loader to take on light or medium loads, use the 924H, which has a loader capacity between 2.2 and 3.6 cubic yards. This amount dramatically surpasses the standard carrying capacities of the loader on backhoes, which max out at 1.35 cubic yards.
If you have a large amount of material to move, select the 930H, which has a wide range of capacities, from 2.6 to 6.5 cubic yards of material. There are even wheel loaders with interchangeable tools, like the powerful IT62H with 211 horsepower and a loader that can hold up to 5.5 cubic yards.
When all you need to do is move materials, select wheel loaders for high capacity loader buckets and powerful engines.
4. Skid Steer Loaders
Skid steer loaders resemble smaller versions of wheel loaders. These compact loaders have multiple hydraulically powered attachment options for jobsite versatility. Skid steer loaders also use hydraulics for shifting gears. These loaders, along with multi-terrain loaders, do not have a mechanically operated transmission in the engine.
Skid steer loaders provide a smaller alternative to wheel loaders. Some models have such a compact size that a full-sized pickup truck can tow them between worksites.
Despite their compact nature, skid steer loaders are hard workers. They have capacities that range from 1500 pounds to 2700 pounds. Skid steer loaders also have multiple tools to increase their use on the worksite. You can attach different buckets, grapples, forks, augers and several other types of attachments onto the hydraulic arms of the loader.
Even as small as skid steer loaders are, the standard sizes may be too large for some tasks. For the smallest of jobs that require extra power, we have mini skid steers with either diesel or electric operation. Just like their larger versions, mini skid steer loaders have multiple tools to attach to the front for more uses.
When you need a loader that can accommodate different tools, select a skid steer for your jobsite.
5. Backhoes
Backhoes have three main components in their construction — a tractor, a backhoe and a loader. Because they incorporate both a backhoe and a loader into the same piece of equipment, they serve as a multi-purpose tool to use on a jobsite that requires both digging and moving loads.
If your worksite requires multiple functions from a single piece of equipment, a backhoe is the workhorse you need. They have up to 93 horsepower in their engines, which exceeds the power of many other types of equipment, with the exception of wheel loaders. Their loader buckets have smaller capacities than wheel loaders as well.
Use a backhoe on your worksite to take advantage of the ability to use a loader and backhoe without needing to change tools.
6. Telehandlers
Telehandlers fulfill specialty needs on the worksite thanks to their extended arm, which far exceeds the reach of any other available equipment. Also called telescoping handlers, telehandlers have sticks that stretch out to 56 feet, increasing the range of the handler. Depending on the model, the telehandler can pick up between 5,500 pounds and 15,000 pounds.
If you need to pick up loads from the top of a building or another height, use a telehandler to achieve the reach you need.
Factors to Consider
Once you know about the various types of available equipment, you must look at your job and worksite to narrow your options. Even within one category of loaders, you still have multiple choices to make about size and power.
On your jobsite, the dimensions of the working area and how your equipment will reach the site will help determine the size of the loader you use. For example, if your worksite is on one side of a bridge, the equipment weight cannot exceed the load maximum of the bridge, even while carrying a load. The terrain will also be crucial when picking between tracks and wheels for your loader.
Loaders with higher power can carry heavier loads, so the type of load and its weight will also be essential things to consider when selecting the best equipment for your job.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by the many factors at play. Write down the characteristics of your jobsite and the area and use that information to find the right loader. If you need help, don’t worry, we’re here to make finding the best equipment for your work simple.
We’re in the business of making your operations more productive, and part of that is helping all our customers find equipment that will make their work as efficient as possible.
1. Equipment Dimensions
Measure the area around the jobsite, including the width, height and depth of the smallest space the loader will need to reach. Also, find the smallest area the equipment will need to pass through to reach the jobsite.
Consider the height of the loader when in use. The loader should not hit any overhead objects, even when the arms extend fully. Operators must always watch out for overhead obstacles. However, inspecting the site will help ensure you don’t provide them with equipment that poses a potential hazard due to parts that could strike hanging wires or other overhead objects.
If you must move the equipment down roads or over bridges, check the weight limit of this infrastructure. Public roads should not have a problem because they can support large, filled 18-wheel trucks, but backroads and small bridges may present issues for large loaders. Don’t forget to include the weight of a full load along with that of the loader. If the fully-loaded equipment exceeds the weight of a passage, choose a lighter option that carries less weight.
2. Reach Height
The reach height makes a difference, especially when you need to use loaders to transfer materials into a truck or other receptacle. For instance, telehandlers have a much longer reach than skid steer loaders. The full stick length on a telehandler can be up to 56 feet long, depending on the model. Compare this to the clearance under the bucket of a skid steer loader, which can top 95.5 inches — much less than the reach of a telehandler. For backhoes, the maximum height for the loader when dumping at the maximum angle is 8 feet 7 inches.
Loaders with shorter dump heights are best for situations that require pouring the contents into a pile on the jobsite instead of dumping them into a truck. Taller loaders, such as backhoes, can successfully pour their loads into the back of a dump truck for removal from the site.
3. Weight of Material to Move
The weight of the material you need to move is a significant factor in determining the right type of equipment to use for a job.
For example, a backhoe with an IT quick coupler, such as model 420E IT, has a maximum capacity of 6,975 pounds when using the general-purpose bucket loader. However, for model 420E, the highest weight the loader can manage is 6,457 pounds. Check the specs carefully because these weights can vary with the various loader buckets. Models with forks for better digging have smaller maximum weight capacities.
Operating capacities for skid loaders vary from 1,500 pounds for the smallest model, 226B, to the highest load of 2,700 pounds for the Cat® 262B model. Due to their use of wheels, skid loaders have a capacity that mirrors the standard for payloads compared to tipping loads, half the tipping load, 5,614 pounds, for the equipment.
When using wheel loaders, the carrying capacity of the vehicle cannot weigh more than 50% of the tipping load, which is the weight at which the vehicle will tip forward over the front axle.
4. Working Conditions
The conditions of the jobsite will dictate the type of wheels or track your equipment should have to maneuver safely. Snow, mud and slick conditions require more stable track loaders. However, not all loaders with tracks are the same.
Take, for example, the difference between the compact track loader and the multi-terrain loader. Both have tracks and a small size, but they have designs for several types of terrain. Compact track loaders work best in rough terrain that require extra traction to move over. Multi-terrain loaders have an undercarriage that reduces the equipment’s impact on the ground, making these better suited for soft ground or surfaces that require delicate care, such as lawns.
Rough terrain may require tracked equipment, but some loaders have wheels that will manage such harsh conditions. For example, rough terrain telehandlers are an alternative to standard models designed to drive through rocky areas. Though equipped with wheels, they can reach remote sites as quickly as some tracked equipment.
Moving over roadways or on pavement works best if you have equipment with wheels. Backhoes’ wheels and motors make them an ideal type of equipment for driving over roads between jobsites. Wheels also work well on electric mini skid steers, which work well for moving materials in indoors. The wheels protect delicate warehouse flooring from damage that tracks could cause. Generally, choose wheeled loaders when you need to drive over stable, flat terrain or pavement. Do not use wheeled equipment over easily damaged ground, such as sod, because the wheels can severely damage the earth.
5. Material Moved
What you need to move makes a big difference in choosing the right loader to rent. Some loaders, such as wheel loaders, are designed for specific tasks. Others have many attachments to make them capable of completing several kinds of jobs. For example, if your assignment requires you to auger a hole and move material, you may need a skid steer loader with an auger and loader attachment. Backhoes can both dig and move dirt with their dual-sized design.
In forestry work, you may need to move dirt and grind stumps. If you have a piece of equipment to which you can attach both stump grinders and loader buckets, you can complete this work with one unit instead of two. Reducing the loaders on a worksite will conserve space, helping to keep the area safer for all the workers present.
Don’t forget to consider the density of what you will move. The denser something is, the more a bucket-full of that material will weigh. For example, a bucket of cotton balls would weigh much less than a loader bucket filled with crushed concrete. Some of the densest materials you may need to move are gravel and wet sand, which can both weigh up to 3,400 pounds per cubic yard.
Loaders for Rent From MacAllister Rentals
When it comes to loaders, you have many options. The right choice for you depends on the size of your project, the conditions of the jobsite, what you need to move and other factors. If you need help finding the right loader for your worksite, contact MacAllister Rentals. Our experts will help you select the best loader to rent for whatever task you need to complete.
As a member of the MacAllister Machinery family, we strive to offer you the stellar service and high-quality equipment you’ve come to expect from the MacAllister name. Our rental options include Cat loaders and other allied brands. We want to help you get the job done by providing you with equipment that’s ideal for your needs. Find out more about renting loaders and other equipment from us by browsing our website. If you have questions or would like help finding the right rental for your project, contact us online or visit us in person at one of our locations throughout Indiana and Michigan.
