Mini compact loader on the job.When it pays off.
Little space, heavy material, a different property every week: that is everyday life in landscaping, tree care and fencing. A mini compact loader that you drive standing up takes over the wheelbarrow, the carrying and a good part of the drilling. Whether it pays off for your business depends on a few numbers. We go through them here.
Mini skid steer · Technology & costsIn short
- Through the garden gatefrom 915 mmSAM 1000Z Max and SAM 1200
- One base machinemany toolsBucket, forks, auger, grapple
- Pays off whenit runs oftenCheck it with your own hours
What makes a stand-on loader
Internationally these machines are called mini skid steers or stand-on loaders, here mostly "Minilader" or "Mini-Kompaktlader". You stand on a platform at the back, and steering works through the tracks. That lets the machine turn almost on the spot, and you are down in two seconds to open a gate or line up a post.
Compared with the wheeled yard loader, the mini compact loader with its tracks is kinder to the lawn and makes better progress on slopes. In return it drives more slowly. You will find the direct comparison in the article Yard loader or compact loader.
Landscaping
In landscaping it is mostly about material that has to get from the street into the garden: topsoil, gravel, paving on pallets, kerbstones. What otherwise goes across the lawn twenty times in a wheelbarrow, the loader takes in one load. The SAM 1200 tips up to 1,555 kg and lifts 544 kg.
With the pallet forks you set pallets right where they are going. Rotary tiller and power harrow prepare lawn areas, and the 4-in-1 bucket pulls the grade. How much material that adds up to is worked out in the article Spreading topsoil .
Tree care
After felling, the timber usually lies at the back of the garden while the chipper stands at the front by the road. With a log grapple or log tongs the loader moves branches and trunk sections to the front without anyone carrying. Afterwards the stump grinder grinds the stump away.
The limit is heavy trunks and slopes. Check the tipping load with grapple and timber, not with an empty bucket. For scrub and undergrowth there is the forestry mulcher. It needs 37 to 61 l/min; if you mulch a lot, the 79.8 l/min of the SAM 1950 give you reserve. More on stumps is in the article Removing a tree stump.
Fencing
Fencing is made of many identical steps: distributing posts, drilling holes, bringing concrete, lining up. On a long pasture fence this repeats a hundred times. The hydraulic drive unit with post hole auger drills 150 to 400 mm, and the concrete mixer bucket mixes the concrete and takes it straight to the hole.
Stony ground and thick roots slow down any auger. Ask for the right drill tip for your ground. How deep and with how much concrete you set posts is explained in the article Setting fence posts.
From job site to job site
A mini compact loader travels on the trailer between jobs. Calculate with the weight including the attachment, not the brochure figure:
| Model | Operating weight | Width |
|---|---|---|
| VM1000 | 1,400 kg | 915 mm |
| SAM 1000Z Max | 1,515 kg | 915 or 1,070 mm |
| SAM 1200 | 1,650 kg | 915 or 1,070 mm |
| SAM 1950 | 2,150 kg | 1,134 mm |
With a trailer and two attachments you quickly pass 2.5 tonnes. Check the towing capacity of your vehicle, the payload of the trailer and your driving licence, usually BE. For load securing, the machine needs fixed lashing points. When buying, ask where they are and what they are approved for.
Does it pay off?
The question can be answered in one line: working time saved plus outside services saved minus machine costs. The example shows the order of magnitude. Enter your own values.
Example calculation per year
The biggest lever is the hours. If the machine only runs a few days a year, renting is cheaper. If it runs every week, the purchase price and fixed costs are spread over many operating hours. We are happy to run your numbers with you; you will find data and price on the SAM 1200 page. To try them out, the compact loaders are also available for hire.
Run the numbers
Buy, hire or keep working by hand?
Enter your own working days and see when a mini compact loader pays for itself in your business.
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* Non-binding example calculation using average values, not a financing offer.
Which model for which business
- Many tight gardens, material and pallets: SAM 1000Z Max or SAM 1200 in 915 mm.
- In addition grapple, tongs, timber: SAM 1200 with heavy-duty arm and second hydraulic circuit.
- Mulching, milling, long jobs: SAM 1950 with 48 hp and 79.8 l/min at the attachment.
- As narrow and simple as possible: Derette V1000 at 900 mm.
Which width fits through your tightest gate is covered in the article Compact loader for narrow access. What counts for the drive is covered in the article Radial piston motor or orbital motor.
Send us your most frequent jobs and your narrowest access. We will work out with you whether a mini compact loader pays off, and bring one to the demonstration.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mini skid steer?
The English name for a small compact loader that you drive standing up. Here it is called "Minilader" or "Mini-Kompaktlader". Steering works through the different speed of the tracks on the left and right.
What is the difference between a mini skid steer and a yard loader?
The yard loader runs on wheels with articulated steering and is operated sitting down. The mini compact loader mostly runs on tracks, steers through the tracks and is operated standing up.
Which attachments do I need first?
Almost every business starts with a bucket and pallet forks. Then comes the tool for your industry: post hole auger in fencing, grapple in tree care, rotary tiller or 4-in-1 bucket in landscaping.
Is the mini compact loader allowed on the road?
The machines are built for the job site and the property and have no road approval. Between jobs they travel on the trailer.
Can I hire a mini compact loader first?
Yes. At Derette, the SAM 1200, SAM 1950, VM1000 and XC1100 are also available for hire on request.