Skid Steer Rental: How to Choose the Right Loader for Your Job
A skid steer is the machine most people picture when they think of "renting a loader." It is compact enough to fit through a backyard gate, strong enough to move a pallet of pavers or a bucket of wet clay, and with the right attachment it can grade, dig, sweep, auger, and mulch. For contractors, landscapers, and homeowners across northern Indiana, a skid steer rental is often the first machine on site and the last one to leave. This guide covers how to pick the right size, when tracks beat wheels, what attachments are worth adding, what a rental costs, and how to get the machine to your job.
What Is a Skid Steer, and How Is It Different from a Compact Track Loader?
A skid steer loader is a small, rigid-frame machine with lift arms in front and the engine in back. It steers by driving the wheels on one side faster than the other, which lets it spin in its own footprint. A compact track loader (CTL) is the same basic machine riding on rubber tracks instead of tires. People use "skid steer" for both, and most rental fleets, including ours, carry far more track machines than wheeled ones these days.
The quick version: tires are cheaper to run and better on pavement, tracks float on soft ground and tear up finished surfaces less. We cover the choice in detail below. If you are deciding between a loader and an excavator for digging work, our mini excavator guide walks through when each one wins.
Which Size Skid Steer Do You Need?
Skid steers are sized by rated operating capacity (ROC), which is the load the machine can safely carry in the bucket. Our rental fleet runs from about 1,900 lb up to the 4,100 lb class. Picking the right one matters more than most renters expect: too small and you make twice the trips, too big and it will not fit where you need it or you will pay for lift you never use.
1,900 to 2,100 lb class: tight spaces and finish work
These are the machines for residential backyards, narrow side yards, and jobs where you are working close to a house or finished landscaping. They fit through most 6-foot gates, are the easiest machines in the fleet to tow behind a three-quarter-ton truck, and are forgiving for a first-time operator. Typical jobs: spreading topsoil, moving mulch and stone, light grading, and running a broom or auger.
2,500 lb class: the all-around choice
This is the size most contractors reach for when they are not sure what the day will bring. It handles a full bucket of wet clay, lifts a pallet of block or sod onto a trailer, and runs most hydraulic attachments without bogging down. If you are building a driveway, prepping a pole barn pad, or doing a full yard regrade, start here.
2,700 to 4,100 lb class: heavy material and big attachments
The large frames are for moving a lot of material fast or for powering demanding attachments like forestry mulchers, cold planers, and large augers. They carry more per pass, have higher hydraulic flow, and reach higher when loading dump trucks. The trade-off is weight: you will need a heavier truck and trailer, and the machine leaves a bigger footprint on soft turf.
Mulcher packages: land clearing in one rental
We also rent track loaders already set up with a forestry mulcher. If you are clearing brush, saplings, and small trees from a fence line, a lot, or a trail, a mulcher package turns a week of chainsaw work into a day of driving. They cost more per day than a bare machine, but they replace the chipper, the hauling, and the burn pile.
Browse the current fleet and pricing on our compact track loader rental and wheeled skid steer rental pages.
Wheels or Tracks?
In our part of Indiana this is usually an easy call. Our soils are heavy clay, spring is wet, and a lot of jobs run through yards and fields rather than on pavement. Tracks spread the machine's weight over a much larger area, so a track loader keeps working on ground where a wheeled machine would sink to the axles or rut a lawn beyond repair.
Choose tracks for wet or soft ground, lawns, slopes, mud, snow, and any job where you need to float over finished grade.
Choose wheels for concrete and asphalt, gravel lots, demolition cleanup on hard surfaces, and long runs where tire speed saves time. Wheeled machines are also easier on your budget and on the surface when you are working inside a shop or warehouse.
If you are not sure, tell us where the machine will spend most of its day and we will point you to the right one.
Attachments That Turn One Rental into Five Tools
The bucket is only the beginning. Our skid steer attachment rentals include pallet forks, grapple buckets, augers, Harley power rakes, land levelers, brush mowers, angle brooms, cold planers, post drivers, silt fence installers, and more. A few pairings we see every week:
Driveway or pad prep: loader bucket plus a land leveler for a flat, compactable base.
New lawn or seedbed: Harley power rake to pulverize and level, then a broadcast seeder.
Fence or deck build: auger for post holes, pallet forks to stage lumber and concrete.
Storm or demo cleanup: grapple bucket for brush and debris, angle broom to finish the pavement.
Overgrown lot: brush mower for weeds and saplings, or step up to a mulcher package for heavier growth.
Our skid steer attachment guide goes deeper on matching the attachment to the job, and our snow removal guide covers winter setups with pushers, blades, and blowers.
How Much Does Skid Steer Rental Cost?
Rental rates depend on the size class and whether an attachment is included. As of this writing, our compact track loaders start around $350 per day for the smallest machines, with the popular 2,500 lb class in the mid-$400s per day and large-frame machines around $500 per day. Weekly rates run roughly three times the daily rate, and monthly rates roughly nine times, so a week-long job is far cheaper per day than renting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday separately. Mulcher packages are priced higher because of the attachment, starting just under $1,000 per day.
Live pricing is listed on every machine page, and it is always current, so check the category pages above before you budget. A few other things that affect your total:
Attachments are priced separately from the machine unless noted.
Delivery is available from both yards and is usually the better deal if you do not already own a heavy trailer.
Fuel: machines go out full and come back full, including DEF on machines that use it. Equipment returned low gets a refueling charge.
Hours: rates are based on single-shift use, about 8 hours a day. Tell us up front if you plan to run two shifts.
Insurance: renters carry insurance on the machine for its full replacement value, and you will need a valid ID, a payment method, and a deposit at pickup. Our rental FAQ has the full list.
If you are renting more than a few weeks a year, it may be worth looking at a used skid steer or a new machine instead. Our rent vs. buy guide lays out the math.
Jobs a Rental Skid Steer Handles Well
Here are the jobs that keep our loaders busy from spring through fall across Elkhart, Goshen, South Bend, Warsaw, and Fort Wayne:
Grading and leveling a yard, a new build lot, or a pole barn pad.
Driveways and parking areas: spreading and leveling stone, then compacting with a rented plate compactor or roller.
Landscaping: moving topsoil, mulch, boulders, and pallets of sod or pavers.
Demolition cleanup: loading concrete, brick, and debris into a dump trailer.
Fence and deck projects: drilling post holes with an auger and staging materials with forks.
Brush and lot clearing with a brush mower or mulcher.
Snow removal for lots, long drives, and commercial sites through the winter.
Farm work: cleaning barns, moving feed and bedding, and repairing lanes.
Do You Need a License or Training to Rent a Skid Steer?
No license is required to rent or operate a skid steer on private property in Indiana, Michigan, or Ohio. That said, these are powerful machines with blind spots, and most injuries happen during mounting, dismounting, and working near the lift arms. When you pick up or take delivery, our team will walk you through the controls, the safety interlocks, and how to attach and detach implements. A few rules that keep renters safe:
Keep the bucket low when traveling, and travel straight up and down slopes, never across them.
Never let anyone stand under raised lift arms, even for a second.
Enter and exit only with the arms down and the parking brake set.
Call 811 before you dig, auger, or trench. It is free, and it takes a few business days.
Wear the seat belt. The cab is a rollover structure, and it only protects you if you stay in it.
How to Get a Skid Steer to Your Site
You have two options: tow it yourself or let us deliver. A small track loader with a trailer is a heavy load, and the larger frames push past what a half-ton pickup should tow. If you are planning to haul, tell us what truck and trailer you have and we will tell you honestly whether it is a safe match. Delivery is available from both our Wakarusa and Waterloo yards and is often the simplest answer for a one-day rental. On the day you reserve, allow a little extra time for the walkthrough so you are comfortable with the controls before the truck pulls away.
Skid Steer Rental in Wakarusa and Waterloo, Indiana
Wakarusa Heavy Equipment rents skid steers and compact track loaders from two locations: our main yard in Wakarusa, just south of Elkhart, and our Waterloo yard in DeKalb County near Auburn and Fort Wayne. Between them we cover northern Indiana, southern Michigan, and northwest Ohio, including Goshen, Elkhart, South Bend, Mishawaka, Nappanee, Warsaw, Plymouth, Fort Wayne, Angola, Niles, Sturgis, and Defiance. We are an authorized Takeuchi dealer, so the machines in the rental fleet are the same ones we sell and service, and they are maintained in our own shop.
Not sure which size fits your job? Call us at (574) 862-7914 (Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM) or contact us online. Tell us what you are moving, how far, and what the ground is like, and we will match you to the right machine. Find the yard closest to you on our locations page, or see our Elkhart, Goshen, and South Bend rental pages.
Skid Steer Rental FAQ
Can a homeowner rent a skid steer?
Yes. Many of our renters are homeowners tackling a yard regrade, a driveway, or a fence. We will show you the controls at pickup and recommend a smaller track machine if it is your first time.
What size skid steer fits through a backyard gate?
Our 1,900 to 2,100 lb class machines are the narrowest in the fleet and fit through most 6-foot gates. Measure your narrowest opening before you reserve and we will confirm the exact width of the machine you are getting.
Is a track loader better than a wheeled skid steer?
On soft, wet, or finished ground, yes. On pavement and gravel, a wheeled machine is faster, cheaper, and easier on the tires. Most of our customers in northern Indiana choose tracks because of our clay soil and wet springs.
Can I rent a skid steer for just a few hours?
Rentals are by the day, week, or month. A one-day rental covers up to 24 hours, which is plenty for most small jobs, and the weekly rate is the better deal once you pass three days.
Are attachments included with the rental?
Augers, forks, grapples, power rakes, mowers, and other attachments are rented separately so you only pay for what the job needs. When you reserve, we will confirm which bucket comes with the machine and what else you should add for the job.
Do you deliver skid steers to Fort Wayne or South Bend?
Yes. We deliver throughout our service area from the Wakarusa and Waterloo yards, including Fort Wayne, South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, Warsaw, and the surrounding counties.