Here are some tips to follow if you want to rent a skid steer for a landscaping project.

Don't order the largest available skid steer without checking your work area's dimensions

Skid steers come in several sizes. It might be tempting to rent the largest one that's available, as the larger the skid steer, the wider and deeper its bucket will be and the more earth, gravel or other materials it will be able to move in one go. However, it's important not to opt for the largest automatically, without checking your site's dimensions first.

If for example, you're landscaping a long but narrow garden and you choose a large skid steer, then the person who operates this equipment will probably struggle to turn this large machinery around in such a narrow area of land and they might even get stuck or knock over a fence or some plants whilst trying to do this.

As such, whilst in this situation, renting a small skid steer with a compact bucket might lead to the transportation of the soil or gravel taking longer, it could also allow you to protect the existing features of the work area and will make turning the machinery around much easier for the operator. Additionally, if the person who'll be operating the skid steer doesn't use this equipment regularly and isn't, therefore, hugely confident when operating it, choosing a smaller skid steer should make the experience of handling this machinery less intimidating for them.

Opt for a grapple bucket if you'll be collecting materials and doing some light demolition

There are several different buckets that you can use with a skid steer. If your landscaping work will include some light demolition (such as demolishing a water fountain or shed) as well as carrying bulky materials like paving stones, gravel, timber, etc, then you should opt for a grapple bucket. The reason for this is that this bucket is multifunctional and can handle both light demolition activities as well as transportation of materials.

By choosing a bucket that you can use for multiple activities, not only will you minimise the cost of renting the skid steer but you also won't have to deal with the potentially challenging process of switching one bucket for another (or waste any of your project time on this task). Furthermore, you're less likely to have to pay unexpected fees, as a result of accidentally damaging a bucket whilst trying to replace it.