12 of the Most Useful Skid Steer Attachments

Skid steers, versatile equipment that they are, are compatible with a wide range of highly utilitarian attachments. When properly equipped, skid steers can be used for landscaping, planting and other agricultural projects, demolition, construction, inventory management, lifting, loading, overhead management, and much, much more.

That said, a skid steer can only rise fully to the occasion when equipped with a compatible attachment that is well-suited for the job at hand.

These are among the most versatile and utilitarian skid steer attachments of them all.

1. Bucket

If there’s one all-purpose skid steer attachment that every owner should have, it’s probably a skid steer bucket attachment.

There are all sorts of different types of skid steer buckets, such as rock buckets, snow buckets, litter buckets, and more.

Bucket attachments can be used for clearing, lifting, loading, material removal, and handling, clearing ice and snow, grading land, and, when equipped with tooth bars or teeth, for excavation and landscaping.

Though there are specially designed stump grapples, in the hands of an experienced operator, skid steer buckets with teeth can be used to remove stumps and grapple with roots and other debris.

2. Grapple buckets

Grapple buckets take the utilitarian design of the general, all-purpose bucket to the next level. Grapple buckets either have a solid or a slotted bottom and typically have one or two articulated, hydraulic tines that close over it.

Because of these manipulable tines, grapple buckets can be used to grasp and clear debris; they can be used to clear, load, and lift everything from pipes and rocks to logs, stumps, and loose vegetation. A special type of grapple bucket known as a root grapple is well-designed for this latter task.

3. Landscape rake

While landscape rakes generally show a great deal of variability, they can be used for a wide range of applications. They can clear, level the soil, break up rocks, remove or pulverize debris, and prepare the soil for planting by leveling and aerating. They’re the perfect skid steer attachments for owners that need to do a lot of large-scale planting.

4. Tiller

Tillers do basically everything that landscape rakes can do and take that functionality to the next level. Powerful, fast, and efficient, tillers can pulverize, aerate and loosen even the toughest soil, preparing it for seeding or for planting trees.

For those that need to loosen or turn over vast tracts of land and get down deep, it’s hard to beat a skid steer tiller attachment.

5. Brush cutter

For operators that need to clear land of large, tough debris and do it fast, brush cutters are the attachment to beat. No other attachment is as versatile, fast, or efficient at making short work of thick undergrowth and coarse, woody debris.

Skid steer brush cutters are suitable for clearing all but the thickest woody growth, and are often used to clear land before other, more specialized equipment can be brought in. Many brush cutters give the operator precise control over cutting height and they are available in multiple widths as well.

6. Trenchers

Our trenchers, which are made with anti-back-flex chains and come with several specialized types of teeth, are available for cutting fast, efficient trenches and furrows through everything from sand to tough, rocky earth.

As a result, trenchers are indispensable skid steer attachments for cutting irrigation ditches, preparing soil for laying conduit, pipes, and other utilities, and for creating french drains. They can cut deep trenches efficiently and are also perfect for loosening the soil and cutting through tough, thick tree roots that stand in the way.

7. Skid steer forks

For loading, lifting, and managing palletized merchandise, there’s no better skid steer attachment than a pair of forks.

The best part is, with this skid steer attachment, you can save yourself from the trouble of buying a dedicated forklift and instead save the utility of the skid steer for other applications.

This is highly useful for operations that run on a seasonal basis. If, for half the year, you need your skid steer for agricultural work, and the other half for loading and lifting palletized goods, a pallet fork attachment is a perfect option.

8. Auger

While it might seem at first like skid steer augers are basically reserved for drilling straight, deep holes with narrow sides, skid steer auger attachments actually offer many more uses.

They are ideal for digging holes and planting trees, but skid steer augers can also be used for setting poles and signs and for loosening and aerating soil, for breaking up tough earth. They can also be used for laying foundations and pipes, installing fences and piles, and even grinding up or removing stumps.

9. Backhoe

Backhoe attachments for skid steers merge some of the functionality associated with both augers and skid steer buckets. They can dig, grade, level, and grapple, making them perfect for a wide range of landscaping and demolition applications.

10. Rock/concrete breakers

Rock or concrete breakers are sort of niche attachments, but if you’re responsible for laying or removing concrete or pavement, a concrete breaker is a perfect attachment for breaking up the old surface so you can prepare the ground for the new project.

11. Dozer blades

Dozer blades offer similar functionality to skid steer buckets, but they're better designed for pushing, moving, and clearing earth, snow, and material. They can also be used for grading. If you need to do a lot of clearing - especially of snow or sand - specialized dozer blade attachments like snow blades are the perfect skid steer attachments.

12. Rock buckets

Rock buckets are specialized bucket attachments for skid steers that may or may not have teeth and usually have slotted sides and bottoms.

While this makes them less effective for digging, it makes them ideal for moving rocks or debris if you want the fine particulate matter or liquid (such as water or sand) to drop through the bottom. This makes it easier to clear the soil of large, coarse woody debris and rocks.

These (and More) Skid Steer Attachments That Will Never Surrender

Spartan Equipment skid steer attachments, not only those featured in this collection, will Never Surrender.

Our attachments are the toughest in the industry and will lift, break, till, move, load, grade, level, or dig through any obstacle.

Choose the best. Choose attachments that will Never Surrender no matter the odds. Choose Spartan Equipment skid steer attachments.