Buying a Skid loader? WATCH THIS FIRST!

I have a couple decades experience in mechanics, trucks, small engines and equipment etc.... I think you did a very thorough job of going over a machine and explaining things and what to look for. Very well done.

The only reason they say not to blow out air filters is because people would use high pressure (around 100psi) to blow them out and it would put small holes in the filter. One big thing I've seen with people cleaning filters rather than replacing is they don't inspect the sealing material. Over time it will dry up and crack which will let dust past. But if you inspect your seals and don't use too high pressure there's no good reason not to re-use a paper filter a few times in my opinion.

I grew up on a hobby farm. Having any powered machinery over manual labor made all the difference. The day my old man brought home a old 50s era ford dump truck with a bobcat w/bucket, I knew the days of prison labor type conditions had come to an end in my young life. Between those two machines and our old ford 8N tractor, we were pretty much good to go on most everything we needed to do (we kept 8 horses, a herd of cows, a whole mess of hogs and more fields to mow than I can ever pay a therapist to ever forget about).

7:20 radial lift is good if your doing a lot of trailer loading and unloading since you get a bit more reach. but vertical lift is better when loading dump trucks since the bucket will be further forward when dumping.

4:25 the tracks weight more so the machine has a bit more counter weight. This allows its lift capacity to be higher and the number corresponds to the lift on these older machines. S185 is S = Skid, 185 = 1850lbs of lift, T190 is T= Track, 1900lbs lift

I have wanted a skid steer for at least 5 years and for years I didn't have the extra funds or enough reason to buy one. That was until a few weeks ago, when I bought a 2002 New Holland LS180. It's thanks to you and your equipment videos that I learned a lot about them, and what to look for.

Oh god. Algae in the fuel. I was an M2 Bradley turret mech in the Army in the 90s. We fueled up half a dozen M2 Bradleys from a contaminated fuel tanker on Stewart on a field op on base. We had to pull the fuel tanks out and replace them. Unfortunately, they're located under the turret floor. As the battalion turret services mechanic, I had to prep each of these machines for turret removal in the field. Once the turret was out, hull mechanics came in and replaced the tanks and did whatever else they needed to do to kill the problem. Once that was done, I was on tap to reinstall the turrets. It was a total fucking nightmare. Long story short, if you think you might have an algae problem, hit it hard, hit it fast, hit it immediately. The longer you wait, the more work and money you're going to have to throw at it to cure the problem, and you could end up replacing the entire fuel system, from tank to injector. Do not fuck around if you think you have an algae issue. It's like the clap, but for diesel vehicles.

I have no experience with any heavy equipment. I don't need it either, I can watch your videos and imagine myself. This is reality TV. Thanks for keeping it real, thanks for the dog shots, thanks for failing sometimes, thanks for making my day on the other side of the country. Thanks Matt.

I’m about to buy my first used skid steer I’m happy I found this video thank you for sharing your knowledge

I am a first time Skid Steer Buyer doing my homework. Your video was fantastic. I am mechanically literate but you still presented things I would not have thought about. Thank you.

Thanks for the video. I am looking to buy my first skid steer and now I know a whole lot more than I did one hour ago. The info you provided will make an excellent mix with my mechanical experience on cars, zero turn mowers, etc. But, this will be a whole new game. Thanks again.

Thats a very awesome demo of the bobcat skid loader. I thought it was sophisticated machine but the demo proved otherwise Matt. It proves that its the machine to have, too bad i cant afford one. Thanks for all the facts and the demonstration man.

As someone who's ran all pattern types, have to say ISO is most preferred. Learned on foot controls, never cared for them. Went to H pattern and really liked it. Last taught myself the ISO on the boss's machine and by far have the best finesse and control of the machine. In time you learn to control each track individually with the single stick. Love the videos keep em coming bud.

This is very informative DC, thanks for taking your time to educate some of us, i have learnt a lot.

I call mine a Skid Kitty! Picked up a new Case SR210 last spring and put steel over-the-tire tracks on it. Absolutely love it. Best investment you could make for any homestead

One other thing to mention on the ISO controls. You mentioned inability to compensate for slipping in tough conditions. I find that if its tough going and you have to make the same trip over and over you tear things up more with ISO controls and end up making it even worse. With ISO you are really only powering one track in a hard pivot turn and if its muddy that one track is going to have to dig like hell to do it. With independent track control you can kind of jockey one track forward and one back to ease your way around a hard slippery corner without making it a full on mud bog after a couple trips. That said, ISO sure is nice most of the time and track machines are 1000% the way to go. Yeah tracks are expensive but if you take descent care they make up the difference in productivity and lack of getting stuck over their lifespan. LOVE the channel man, keep up the good work.

That "COVID" pop up text when you coughed. LOL

Nice points to watch for when looking at skid steers !

Thanks Matt, enjoy your explanation of your equipment and maintenance. Always interesting.....

I always liked operating those machines, they can be fun. Thanks for the info!