Test Your Skid Steer Knowledge!

The history of the skid-steer as we know it today is quite interesting …how many of these facts did you already know?

Fact #1: Skid Steers have only been around for about 60 years.

According to Joe Keller at www.skidsteerhistory.com, the birth of the modern skid steer can be traced back to the summer of 1956. That was when the world first found out there was a need for a compact, powerful, maneuverable loader, and two blacksmithing brothers with an 8th grade education would find an innovative way to answer the call and disrupt the heavy equipment market.

Fact #2: We can thank the majestic turkey for making the first skid steer necessary.

The pain point that became the starting point for the skid steer was … turkey manure. One of the pioneers in the turkey industry – a man named Eddie Velo – needed a piece of equipment that could quickly and efficiently clean up turkey manure produced by large flocks being housed in two-story barns. The standard loader tractors didn’t have the required maneuverability and were too heavy to operate on the second floor of a barn.

Fact #3: The first skid-steer manufacturer was Keller Manufacturing in Minnesota.

Eddie Velo talked to brothers Louis and Cyril Keller about what he needed. By the following year, Keller Manufacturing had developed a three-wheeled, lightweight, maneuverable prototype loader for Eddie. He invited the Kellers to join him for testing in 1957. With some modifications and redesign, the first skid steer was born.

Fact #4: The Keller brothers realized how much demand there would be for their skid steer by displaying it at a state fair.

The Kellers only had one unsold loader left, and were looking for a way to mass produce. They were having difficulties finding suitable and fair funding for mass producing their loaders, however. Someone suggested the bring one of their loaders to the 1958 Minnesota State Fair. At the fair, it not only attracted a great deal of attention but opened the door for it to be mass produced by a company named Melroe Manufacturing.

Fact #5: The four-wheel skid loader that we are familiar with today was born in 1960.

The change from three wheels to four wheels occurred in 1960 as when the skid steer loader evolved into a loader that would work on something on rougher terrain than a solid, semi-flat surface. The original model had two drive wheels and a caster wheel on the back. While this was excellent for maneuverability on stable surfaces, it didn’t do very well on rougher terrain.

By the way, do you know how much royalty the Keller brothers got from each skid steer sold? They received $15, and this continued on for many years despite the increasing sales price of the ever popular skid steer loaders.

Fact #6: The “Bobcat” name first appeared on a track loader because the guy in charge thought it described the skid steer perfectly.

The Northam American bobcat (as in the animal, not the manufacturer!) was described in a dictionary of the time as “tough, quick, and agile” – which perfectly described the skid steer in 1963, and hence the Bobcat name was born. However, it would be several years before the Bobcat developed into the hydrostatic drive skid steer that we know and love today.

Conclusion

If you found this information interesting, then you will enjoy the article by the son/nephew of the skid steer inventors, Joe Keller. His website has several fascinating pictures of the early prototypes and models that any heavy equipment aficionado will enjoy. There is also a section on How Stuff Works dedicated to how skid steer loaders actually work.