Skid Steer Attachments or a Second Machine? How to Decide

Add skid steer attachments when a new type of work comes up only occasionally; buy a second machine when that work is steady enough to keep it busy most weeks. Adding an attachment and buying another skid steer or mini excavator both get the job done, but they do not cost the same and they do not solve the same problem.

Chupp Industrial, a family-run equipment business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, sells skid steer and mini skid steer attachments, along with excavator attachments, mini excavators and mini skid steers.

When does adding an attachment make more sense than a second machine?

If the new work is occasional, such as a grading job this month and a demolition job next quarter, adding an attachment to the machine you already own is usually the better move. You are not buying a second engine, a second set of tires or tracks, and a second maintenance schedule. You are buying the tool for the job and letting one machine carry more of the work.

The tradeoff with attachments is changeover time. Swapping a bucket for a grapple or a rake takes the machine out of service for a few minutes, and if your crew does that several times a day, those minutes add up. For a job that calls for one or two swaps a day, that cost is small. For a job where an operator is changing tools every hour, a dedicated second machine starts to look worth it in saved time alone.

Will my skid steer or mini excavator run the attachment?

Check two things before you buy an attachment: hydraulic flow and size.

• Flow: know the flow your machine actually puts out and compare it to the attachment's flow rating. A machine at the low end of an attachment's rating may still run it, just not with power to spare. For example, a Kubota SVL75 is on the low end of the flow rating and power for the 72-inch Raytree High Flow drum mulcher but runs it adequately, while the larger Kubota SVL97 will definitely run it.
• Size: an attachment has to fit the machine it goes on. The Pabreak 72-inch 4-in-1 bucket fits a full-size skid steer but does not fit a mini skid steer; a mini skid steer needs a dedicated mini 4-in-1 bucket.

If you are adding an attachment to stretch one machine across more jobs, confirm it is matched to that exact machine before you commit to it.

What does a second skid steer or mini excavator cost when it sits?

A second skid steer or mini excavator costs storage space, routine maintenance and moving it between job sites whether it works that week or not. Those costs come every month, not just the months the machine earns. If the new work is steady enough to keep it busy most weeks, that ongoing cost is easy to justify. If the job shows up four times a year, a second machine is a lot of standing cost for very little use.

What a second machine does buy you is an end to changeover: a dedicated machine is always ready with the right tool already mounted.

How do I decide between an attachment and a second machine?

The deciding question is how often the job will actually come up, not just what each option costs on paper. A contractor who needs a trench dug twice a year is almost always better off putting a trencher attachment on the machine already parked in the yard. A contractor doing that work every week across several sites is usually better off with a dedicated machine, because downtime from constant tool changes starts to cost more than the machine would.

Before you buy either way, weigh three things: how often the job comes up, how much changeover time your crew can absorb, and whether your current machine has the flow and the size to run the attachment.

Chupp Industrial ships attachments and equipment nationwide by freight, and buyers can also pick up in Chouteau, Oklahoma. To compare attachments against your machine, look through what is on chuppindustrial.com.