Skid steer loader or compact track loader? It's the single most-asked question in Australian yard-scale earthmoving, and the honest answer is that they're different tools for different jobs. Get the choice right and you buy one machine that runs six days a week; get it wrong and you fight the ground on every second job.
This is a working-buyer's comparison — where each machine wins, where each loses, what they really cost to run, the brands worth shortlisting, and when hire beats buy.
The short version
A skid steer rolls on four tyres and turns by braking one side of the drivetrain — cheap to run, fast on hard surfaces, easy to trailer, hopeless in mud. A compact track loader (CTL) runs on rubber tracks and floats over soft ground, delivering more traction, better lift and a smoother ride, but at a higher purchase price and a more expensive undercarriage.
Rule of thumb: if you spend most days on concrete, asphalt, gravel or hard-packed dirt, buy the skid steer. If you spend most days on grass, mud, sand, freshly turned earth or slopes, buy the tracks.
Ground conditions: the deciding factor
Ground pressure is the physics behind the whole debate. A typical wheeled skid steer loads the ground at 25-35 psi. A comparable compact track loader loads it at 4-6 psi — roughly a fifth. On a Queensland wet-season job or a Victorian dairy paddock, that's the difference between a productive day and calling a recovery truck.
Wheeled machines shine on established hard surfaces because tyres have negligible rolling resistance and the machine can spin turns without tearing anything up. Tracked machines are the opposite: they push through soft ground effortlessly but chew concrete driveways if you skid-turn on them, so operators learn to feather three-point turns.
Lift, reach and productivity
At the same rated operating capacity, a CTL out-lifts a skid steer in the real world. Because the longer track footprint spreads the load, the tipping-load rating is higher and the machine remains stable at full reach. That matters if you're loading pallets onto a truck bed, feeding a hopper or handling silage bales.
Skid steers counter with speed. On a hard yard, a wheeled machine cycles faster between pile and truck, drives between jobs on public roads (where registered), and trailers behind a 1-tonne ute where a similarly-rated CTL needs a 4.5-tonne trailer or a truck.
The cost difference
Three costs matter: purchase, running, and undercarriage replacement.
Purchase
- Skid steer (used): $18,000-$65,000 for 60-95hp machines with reasonable hours.
- Compact track loader (used): $35,000-$110,000 for equivalent horsepower and hours.
- New premium: a comparable CTL typically retails 25-40% above a wheeled skid steer of the same rated operating capacity.
Running cost
Fuel burn is similar per hour (both diesel, both in the 3-6 L/hr range under normal load). Tyres on a skid steer run $250-$600 each and last 1,500-3,000 hours in yard work. Rubber tracks on a CTL are the expensive item — a set runs $3,500-$7,500 and lasts 1,500-2,500 hours on abrasive ground, less if the operator skid-turns on concrete. Steel-embedded track pads and idlers add up over the life of the machine.
Total cost of ownership
Over a 5,000-hour ownership cycle, a CTL will usually cost $18,000-$30,000 more to own than a comparable skid steer. That's real money, but it's often outweighed by the extra billable days a tracked machine wins on soft ground.
Brand roundup
Both formats are dominated by the same handful of manufacturers, and each has genuine strengths.
- Bobcat: the category's original name and still the most-traded brand in Australia. Excellent parts network, strong resale, deep attachment range. Their T-series CTLs are the volume seller in the Australian tracked market.
- Caterpillar (CAT): arguably the strongest tracked undercarriage in the segment — Cat's suspended undercarriage rides smoother and lasts longer on abrasive ground. Higher purchase price, but premium residual.
- ASV: the specialist. Every ASV runs a Posi-Track suspended undercarriage designed specifically for low ground pressure and rough terrain. If you work full-time on soft ground, ASV is worth a serious look.
- Kubota: the reliability play. SVL-series CTLs and SSV skid steers are known for straightforward maintenance and strong dealer support in regional Australia.
- Case: traditionally strong on wheeled skid steers, particularly the vertical-lift models suited to truck-loading work. Good value used.
- New Holland, John Deere, Takeuchi, Wacker Neuson: all credible options with narrower dealer networks — worth the effort to shortlist if there's a strong local dealer near you.
Attachments — where the real productivity comes from
Both machines share the industry-standard universal skid-steer coupler, so attachments are interchangeable across brands. The most common Australian attachments are 4-in-1 buckets, pallet forks, augers, trenchers, hydraulic breakers, rotary brooms, mulchers and stump grinders. Two spec points matter when attachment-heavy work is your plan: high-flow auxiliary hydraulics (roughly 90-140 L/min for mulchers, cold planers and heavy augers) and electric quick-couple. Both cost extra new but pay for themselves in weeks if you swap attachments daily.
Hire vs buy
Hire rates in Australia sit at roughly $350-$500 per day dry-hire for a skid steer and $450-$650 per day for a comparable CTL. Wet-hire (with an operator) typically runs $110-$150/hour. The rough crossover point: if you use the machine more than 100-120 days per year, ownership wins. Below that, hire preserves capital and lets you match machine to job — skid steer for the dry weeks, tracks for the wet.
Finance and moving forward
Skid steer and CTL finance is standard-issue equipment finance for AU ABN holders — 3-5 year chattel mortgage, with same-day indicative approval possible on a straightforward file and most inside 24 hours. Equifund arranges finance across all the major lenders; you can start at Asset Scanner finance. Repayments scale directly with purchase price, so run the numbers on both formats before you commit.
Ready to compare live inventory? Browse every skid steer for sale and loaders for sale on Asset Scanner across every state and dealer, or price-check a specific make and model with our free equipment valuation tool. For neighbouring earthmoving decisions, our guide to loaders, skid steers and earthmoving equipment covers wheel loaders, telehandlers and backhoes, and if you're weighing up going bigger, our excavator sizes guide covers the tracked-excavator alternative.