ForConstructionPros.com

As with any piece of equipment, your customers want a productive, dependable unit that’s going to get the job done. If a machine can’t stand up to the daily rigors of the jobsite, it will soon be back in your rental yard, and your customer will be going somewhere else to get another machine.

With skid-steer loaders, rental businesses and contractors look for different things when purchasing a unit. For example, rental businesses look for features that ease maintenance and increase resale value. “Rental stores appreciate features ... that reduce downtime,” says Greg Rostberg, marketing manager at Bobcat Co. “[This ensures] the machines are out earning revenue versus in the shop for routine maintenance.”

But when contractors look at a skid steer, they’re worried about keeping their operators productive during the long work day. Therefore, comfort is at the top of the request list for skid steers. This means giving the operator more space and better visibility, multiple control options, enclosed cabs with heat and air conditioning, suspension seats and easy-to-read-displays.

Manufacturers of skid steers take customer feedback - including rental businesses, contractors and dealers - very seriously.

“We build machines around our customers, and they have always been the driving force in our product enhancements,” says Dave December, brand marketing manager for New Holland Construction.