10 Ideas for Increased Profits With Skid Steers

By Jane Marsh

Skid steers are critical pieces of equipment for many construction firms. However, many businesses aren’t using these machines to their full potential.

Because skid steers are so versatile, they can meet many unique needs outside the usual construction services. Consequently, you can use this equipment to run smaller businesses on the side for increased profits. Here are 10 ways to get more revenue out of your skid steers.

1. Equipment Leasing

The most straightforward way to earn extra income from skid steers is to rent them to other firms. According to recent insights, 77% of construction contractors rented heavy equipment in 2021, driving considerable demand for these services. Leasing your equipment will incur extra maintenance costs, but it could be highly profitable if you do not use these machines year-round.

2. Residential Construction

Another option is to perform smaller residential construction jobs. Skid steers are ideal tools for these projects because of their compact footprint and high maneuverability. Digging pools, clearing trees or laying turf are relatively straightforward ways to use skid steers to serve the growing home improvement market.

3. Demolition

Alternatively, you could use idle skid steers to run demolition projects. Much of the nation’s infrastructure is aging — with roughly 25% of new homes considered infills or teardowns — so demo services could see rising demand. Different attachments let skid steers take part in the actual breaking down of these buildings or in moving scraps away from the worksite.

4. Post-Construction Cleanup

A similar approach is to provide post-project cleanup services with your skid steers. While demolition is the biggest producer of construction debris, the actual building process still generates nearly 600 million tons of waste. Small, maneuverable skid steers are ideal for cleaning and moving this debris.

5. Landscaping

Skid steer’s precise controls and compact size also make them perfect for landscaping. Depending on the attachments, you could use this equipment to pull stumps, lay sod, remove unwanted vegetation or tear up the ground for planting. These small-scale projects may also be easier to fit around your current schedule than larger, construction-focused alternatives.

6. Environmental Cleanup

Similarly, you could provide environmental services by using skid steers to clear areas of industrial debris or invasive plant species. The latter is particularly promising for businesses in the Midwest, where 29.3% of non-federal pasturelands contain invasive plant life.

7. Warehousing

Firms in more urban areas may benefit more from targeting the warehousing and logistics market. Skid steers can move heavy materials and pallets throughout a warehouse or help load trucks more efficiently. This sector will likely grow significantly, considering e-commerce could account for 41% of all retail sales by 2027.

8. Disaster Response

A less obvious market to target with skid steer services is disaster response. This equipment is a valuable rescue and cleanup tool, as it can efficiently move debris while being small enough to navigate cluttered areas and avoid crushing hazards. Businesses in coastal regions — more likely to encounter extreme weather events — should consider this option.

9. Logging

Skid steers are ideal logging tools to cut down trees. You can also use it to move lumber to supply your construction operations or serve other organizations’ logging needs. While larger equipment may work faster, construction faces a growing habitat destruction problem — America has lost over 3 billion American birds from habitat loss since the 1970s. Skid steers’ smaller footprint may be more sustainable.

10. Farming

Businesses looking to expand in less construction-adjacent markets may consider using skid steers to help farms. While farm growth has slowed over the years, agriculture is an essential industry, especially considering the world’s growing population. It is also a labor-strained sector, so productivity-boosting tools like skid steers are increasingly valuable.

Skid Steers Can Serve Many Purposes

Skid steers are some of the most versatile machines construction firms have at their disposal. Given their potential, letting this equipment sit idle makes little sense when you are not undertaking new construction projects. Targeting these other sectors can generate more profits without much additional investment.

Author Bio: Jane Marsh is the editor-in-chief of Environment.co where she covers green technology, sustainable building and environmental news.