Every contractor who has ever backed a trailer up to a rental yard gate has asked the same question in the same order: how much does a skid steer weigh, and will my truck and trailer legally and safely carry it? It is a fair question, and the answer is rarely a single number. A compact loader that looks small enough to fit in a garage can still put more weight on your axles than a car, and once you bolt an attachment on the front the math changes again. Getting this right before rental day saves you a wasted trip, a roadside inspection, and in the worst case a trailer that sways on the 401 with eight thousand pounds behind it.
skid steer day and week rates in Toronto are listed here.
For the tightest lots, the Bobcat S100 rental page covers rates, attachments and clearance.
How Much Does a Skid Steer Weigh? The Short Answer
Most skid steers weigh between 2,800 and 11,000 pounds, with the machines contractors rent most often in the Greater Toronto Area sitting in the 6,000 to 8,500 pound range. That figure is the operating weight, meaning the machine with fluids topped up, a standard dirt bucket mounted and an operator in the seat. Manufacturers publish it on every spec sheet, and it is the number your trailer plan should start from. When a customer calls and asks how much does a skid steer weigh, the honest reply is a follow-up question: which frame size, and what are you putting on the front of it?
The range is wide because skid steers are built in three broad frame classes, and each class steps up the rated operating capacity of the one below it. More lift capacity means more counterweight in the back of the machine, a bigger engine, heavier axles and a stiffer frame. Weight is not a side effect of a bigger skid steer. It is how the machine stays on its feet while it lifts.
Skid Steer Weight by Size Class
Skid steer weight tracks almost directly with rated operating capacity, so once you know the lift rating you can estimate machine weight within a few hundred pounds. The table below is the fastest way to answer how much does a skid steer weigh for the class you have in mind, using published operating weights for the machines you will actually see on a rental lot in Ontario.
| Frame class | Rated operating capacity | Typical operating weight | Common job-site use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini / sub-compact | 700 to 1,000 lb | 2,800 to 4,000 lb | Backyard access, interior demo, tight side yards |
| Small frame | 1,300 to 1,750 lb | 5,300 to 6,500 lb | Landscaping, grading, residential lots |
| Medium frame | 1,900 to 2,200 lb | 7,300 to 8,500 lb | Site prep, snow, pallet handling, hydraulic attachments |
| Large frame | 2,500 to 3,650 lb | 9,000 to 11,000 lb | Heavy load-and-carry, mulching, cold planing, land clearing |
Small Frame Machines
Small frame skid steers are the workhorses of residential work. A Bobcat compact loader in the S450 class runs roughly 5,400 pounds and the S64 sits near 6,500, while a Kubota SSV series machine such as the SSV65 comes in around 6,250 pounds. These fit through a standard double gate, they will not destroy a driveway that was poured last season, and a properly equipped half-ton truck with the right trailer can usually handle them. The trade-off is real. At 1,500 pounds of rated lift you will make two trips where a bigger machine makes one, and full pallets of sod or patio stone sit right at the limit.
Medium and Large Frame Machines
Medium frame units land between 7,300 and 8,500 pounds and are the sweet spot for most small builders. Large frame machines push past 9,000 pounds and reach 11,000 for the biggest vertical-lift units. Once you are in that class a half-ton pickup is out of the conversation, and you are looking at a three-quarter-ton or one-ton truck with a properly rated deck-over or tilt trailer. What you get back is the hydraulic flow to run mulchers and cold planers without bogging down, which the small frames simply cannot do.
Ask How Much Does a Skid Steer Weigh With the Attachment Included
This is where most trailer plans fall apart. Published operating weight normally includes a standard bucket, so swapping to anything heavier adds directly to your load. A 72-inch low-profile bucket runs 400 to 550 pounds, a hydraulic auger with bit is 400 to 700, a four-in-one bucket is 900 to 1,200, a hydraulic breaker is 1,000 to 1,500, and a forestry mulcher head can add 1,700 pounds or more. If you rent a second attachment and lay it on the deck beside the machine, that weight counts too. So when you ask how much does a skid steer weigh for towing purposes, the number you need is machine plus attachments plus full fuel plus anything else riding on the trailer. Our full range of Attachments for rent lists weights on every unit for exactly this reason.
Why Trailer Size Matters More Than the Spec Sheet
Your trailer's gross vehicle weight rating, not its deck length, decides whether you can legally haul a given skid steer. Answering how much does a skid steer weigh is only half the job, and the other half is what your trailer is actually rated to carry. A 20-foot trailer with two 3,500 pound axles has a 7,000 pound gross rating, and after you subtract the trailer's own 2,400 pound curb weight you are left with roughly 4,600 pounds of payload. That trailer will physically hold a medium frame skid steer and be badly overloaded doing it. Two 7,000 pound axles give you a 14,000 pound rating and about 10,500 pounds of usable payload, which covers nearly every machine on a rental lot.
Tongue Weight, Axles and Deck Length
Aim for 10 to 15 percent of total trailer weight on the tongue of a bumper-pull trailer, and 15 to 25 percent on the kingpin of a gooseneck. With a skid steer, loading direction does the work for you. Back the machine on so the heavy end, the engine and counterweight at the rear, sits forward of the axles. Load it nose-first and you can end up with almost no tongue weight, which is the classic recipe for trailer sway at highway speed. Deck length matters as well. A machine carrying a long attachment needs 18 to 20 feet of usable deck so nothing overhangs the ramps, and you still need room to walk the tie-down points with a chain in your hand.
Four Chains, Every Time
Cargo securement standards call for tiedowns with an aggregate working load limit of at least half the weight of the load, a minimum of four independent tiedowns for heavy equipment, and separate securement for any attachment. Grade 70 transport chain in 5/16 inch is rated near 4,700 pounds working load limit per leg, which is adequate for most rentals. Lower the bucket or attachment flat onto the deck before you strap, because a raised loader arm on a moving trailer works chains loose. Reporting in the construction equipment trade press keeps landing on the same finding when equipment comes off a trailer: it was a securement shortcut, not a chain that broke.
Ontario Towing Rules Worth Confirming Before You Book
In Ontario a standard Class G licence limits you to a towed vehicle with a registered gross weight of 4,600 kilograms, which is 10,141 pounds, within a total combination not exceeding 11,000 kilograms. Pair the answer to how much does a skid steer weigh with your trailer's registered gross weight, because a heavy trailer under a large frame machine can put you into Class A territory. Confirm the current requirements in the Ontario Ministry of Transportation driver's handbook before you book, since the rating stamped on your trailer is what an officer reads, not the number on the scale that day. Once you are hauling for a business rather than a weekend project, commercial plates, annual trailer inspections and a daily circle check come into play as well.
Tracks Change the Answer
A compact track loader weighs roughly 15 to 25 percent more than the wheeled skid steer it is based on. The undercarriage, rollers, idlers and rubber tracks add real mass, so a model that weighs 7,700 pounds on wheels can land near 9,300 pounds on tracks. That is often the difference between one trailer and another, so ask how much does a skid steer weigh in its wheeled form and then add a quarter before you plan a track machine haul. In return you get ground pressure of 4 to 6 psi instead of the 25 to 35 psi a wheeled machine puts down, which is why tracks are the right call on soft spring ground, freshly graded lots and finished lawns. On pavement it flips. Tracks chew asphalt, wear faster and cost more to replace, so a wheeled machine is the better tool for hard surfaces and snow. If you are weighing the two, our Track Loader rentals list operating weights beside each unit, and when the site is too tight for either, our Excavator rentals may be the better match.
Matching Weight to the Job Site
Machine weight is a site constraint, not only a towing constraint. Walk the site and check what has to hold the machine up before you settle on a size.
- New driveways and interlock: concrete cured less than 28 days will crack under a medium frame machine. Use plywood or ground mats, or drop to a mini.
- Septic beds and weeping tile: know where they run. An 8,000 pound machine crossing a bed is an expensive afternoon.
- Underground parking and podium decks: most residential garage slabs are rated for passenger vehicles only. Get the structural rating in writing before anything heavier rolls on.
- Backyard access: measure the narrowest gate, then the tightest turn, then the grade. A machine that clears the gate can still fail to climb the slope with a loaded bucket.
- Spring thaw: GTA clay holds water well into May. A wheeled machine that worked fine in August will bury itself in April.
Production is the other half of the question. Renting a machine that is too light means digging with the bucket half full and burning a day you cannot bill. That is the real cost of answering how much does a skid steer weigh with whatever number happens to suit the trailer sitting in your driveway.
Planning the Haul Before Rental Day
Run the numbers in this order and nothing will surprise you at the gate. Step one is the machine, so settle how much does a skid steer weigh with the attachment you actually booked, not the base spec. Step two is your truck: take the published towing capacity and payload from the door jamb sticker, not the brochure, then subtract passengers, tools, fuel and the tongue weight you are about to add. Step three is the trailer: take its gross rating and subtract its curb weight to get true payload. If the loaded total sits within about 85 percent of both limits you are in good shape. If it is tighter than that, step down a frame size or have the machine delivered.
Delivery is often the cheaper answer once you count fuel, your time and the risk. One delivery charge usually costs less than a morning of crew time waiting on a machine that never made it to site. Ask when you book, and tell the yard about access, because a 20-foot deck with a float ramp needs turnaround room that a residential cul-de-sac may not have.
Rent the Right Skid Steer for Your Trailer
Knowing how much does a skid steer weigh is the first step, and matching that weight to your truck, your trailer and your ground is the part that keeps the job moving. Our yard carries machines from sub-compact units that clear a 36-inch gate through to large frame loaders for heavy load-and-carry work, and every listing on our Skid Steer rentals page shows operating weight, lift capacity and machine dimensions so you can do the math before you commit. You can see the rest of the fleet, including Scaffolding rentals, on our Tools for Rental page.
If your site has limited access, see our guide to the Bobcat S100 skid steer for specs, day rates and clearance requirements.
Still not sure whether your half-ton and a 14,000 pound trailer will handle the machine you have in mind? Tell us the truck, the trailer rating and the job, and we will tell you which frame size fits, what the loaded weight comes to with attachments, and whether delivery makes more sense for your site. Contact Expert Tools Rental to confirm availability and get a straight answer on weights before you hitch up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a skid steer weigh?
Ask how much does a skid steer weigh and the honest answer is that it depends on frame size. Compact units like a Bobcat S70 run near 2,900 lb, mid-frame machines sit between 6,000 and 8,500 lb, and large-frame models reach 11,000 lb. Compact track loaders add roughly 1,000 to 2,000 lb over the wheeled equivalent.
What size trailer do I need to haul a skid steer?
Add the machine's operating weight, the attachments and the trailer itself, then match that total to the trailer's GVWR. A mid-frame skid steer near 8,000 lb needs a tandem-axle equipment trailer rated at 14,000 lb, not a 10,000 lb utility trailer. Look for a 16 to 18 foot deck so the ramps clear the loader arms.
Do attachments and fuel change how much a skid steer weighs on the trailer?
Yes, and it adds up fast. A standard dirt bucket runs 300 to 700 lb, a set of pallet forks around 400 lb, and an auger, breaker or brush cutter can hit 800 to 1,200 lb. A full fuel tank adds 150 to 250 lb. Published operating weight usually covers a bucket and fuel, so confirm what your rental spec sheet includes.
Can a half-ton pickup tow a rented skid steer?
Rarely. An 8,000 lb machine on a 2,800 lb trailer is close to 11,000 lb, which exceeds what most half-tons tow safely once attachments and payload are counted. Plan on a three-quarter-ton or one-ton truck. In Ontario, a Class G licence covers a trailer and load up to 4,600 kg; above that you need a Class A restricted.
Will a skid steer's weight damage a driveway or lawn?
Weight alone is not the issue; ground pressure is. A wheeled skid steer concentrates 6,000 to 8,500 lb on four tires, which can rut soft lawns and mark asphalt on hot days. A compact track loader is heavier overall but spreads the load, so it is the better choice on turf, fresh gravel or wet ground.
