Anyone who has watched a machine pivot sideways on a set of ramps already understands why how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely is the most important five minutes of a rental day. The machine itself is not the risk. The risk is the transition zone where the loader's weight moves from solid ground onto two narrow ramps and then onto a deck that sits on springs, and where a machine with a short wheelbase and a rear weight bias can lose a track or a tire off the edge before the operator feels anything go wrong.
renting an S100 in Toronto covers the day rate and what it will and will not clear.
A mid frame skid steer runs roughly 7,000 to 8,500 lb dry, and a large frame machine with a heavy bucket clears 10,000 lb. That mass sits on a wheelbase of about 45 inches. Short wheelbase plus high centre of gravity plus an inclined surface is the whole problem in one sentence. The good news is that loading is a procedure, not a talent, and once you run it the same way every time it stops being interesting.
Why Skid Steers Tip During Loading
Skid steers tip during loading because the machine's centre of gravity moves toward the uphill end as the ramp angle increases, and because steering a skid steer requires slipping the tracks or tires sideways, which is exactly what you never want on a ramp. Three specific failure modes cover almost every incident we hear about from contractors across the GTA.
- Steering correction on the ramps. The operator drifts a few inches off centre, taps a lever to correct, and one side loses traction on a wet steel ramp. On a skid steer, a small steering input is a skid by design.
- Loading nose first with an empty bucket. With no attachment load, most of the weight sits over the rear axle near the engine and counterweight. Driving forward up the ramps puts the light end uphill and the heavy end unsupported at the break point.
- Trailer movement. An unhitched trailer, a tow vehicle left in neutral, or a trailer parked on soft shoulder gravel will shift the moment 8,000 lb rolls onto the back of the deck.
Bobcat's own operation guidance in the Bobcat loader owner and operator resources makes the same point about backing the machine onto the deck when the bucket is empty. Manufacturer instructions win over habit every time.
How to Load a Skid Steer on a Trailer Safely, Step by Step
The short answer for how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely: hitch and chock the trailer, set the ramps square and wide, back the machine up the ramps in a straight line with the bucket 8 to 12 inches off the deck, stop centred over the axles, lower the attachment flat, then chain all four corners before the seat belt comes off. Here is the full sequence.
Step 1: Set Up the Trailer Before the Machine Moves
Park the truck and trailer on level, firm ground with the tow vehicle in park and the parking brake set. Keep the trailer hitched with the safety chains connected. Chock the trailer wheels. On a gravel shoulder or a fresh grade, put plywood or steel plate under the ramp feet so they cannot dig in and change the angle mid climb. Clear ice, mud, and loose stone off the ramps and the first few feet of deck, because a skid steer will not recover traction once it starts to slide.
Step 2: Check Ramp Angle and Deck Space
Ramp angle is arithmetic, not opinion. Divide deck height by ramp length and take the arcsine. A 24 inch deck with 8 foot ramps gives about 14.5 degrees, which is comfortable for wheeled and tracked machines. The same deck with 5 foot ramps gives 23.6 degrees, which is where undercarriage contact and rear end lift start. Aim to stay under about 15 degrees. Tilt deck trailers usually land near 10 degrees, which is why they are worth the extra rental cost on large frame machines.
Step 3: Back Up the Ramps in a Straight Line
With an empty bucket or a light attachment, reverse up the ramps so the heavy rear end leads. With a heavy attachment such as a mulcher or a loaded pallet fork, drive forward so the heavy end still climbs first. Seat belt on, restraint bar down, low engine speed, one steady motion. Line the machine up ten feet back so you are already straight before the tires touch steel. Do not steer on the ramps. If you are crooked, come all the way down, reset, and go again.
Step 4: Position Over the Axles and Lower Everything
Stop with the machine's weight centred slightly ahead of the trailer axles so you keep roughly 10 to 15 percent of the total weight on the tongue. Too far back and the trailer will sway at highway speed. Lower the bucket or attachment flat to the deck, set the parking brake, shut the machine down, and take the key.
How to Load a Skid Steer on a Trailer Safely When You Are Working Alone
Working solo changes the procedure. Knowing how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely without a spotter means walking the whole path first: check the ramp alignment by eye from behind the trailer, mark your centreline with a paint stick or a piece of lath at the ramp mouth, and stop halfway to look over your shoulder at both ramps rather than trusting mirrors. If you cannot see both ramp edges from the seat, stop and reposition rather than guessing. On a busy job site in Toronto with traffic behind you, park to give yourself a straight approach even if it costs you a repositioning move.
Matching the Trailer, Ramps, and Tow Vehicle to the Machine
The trailer has to carry the machine, the attachments, and the fuel with margin left over. Add up operating weight plus attachment weight, then compare against trailer GVWR minus trailer empty weight. Undersized trailers are the quiet cause of most loading problems, because a trailer that squats when the machine comes on will also change your ramp angle halfway up.
| Machine class | Typical operating weight | Minimum trailer GVWR | Ramp setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small frame skid steer | 2,900 to 4,000 lb | 7,000 lb tandem | 6 to 8 ft slide-in ramps |
| Mid frame skid steer | 6,500 to 8,500 lb | 14,000 lb equipment trailer | 8 to 10 ft ramps |
| Large frame skid steer | 9,000 to 11,000 lb | 16,000 to 20,000 lb deckover | 10 ft ramps or tilt deck |
| Compact track loader | 9,500 to 11,500 lb | 20,000 lb tilt deck | Tilt deck preferred |
Tracked machines change the math. Rubber tracks grip steel ramps better than tires in the dry and worse than tires on ice, and the tracks themselves can catch on ramp lips. If your job leans toward soft ground and you are weighing the two, our Track Loader rentals page lists operating weights so you can size the trailer before the rental date. The same applies to attachments, since a set of forks or a breaker adds several hundred pounds that most people forget until the tongue weight feels wrong. You can check weights on our Attachments for rent listings alongside the rest of our Tools for Rental catalogue.
One licensing note for Ontario. A Class G licence covers a combination up to 11,000 kg total where the towed vehicle does not exceed 4,600 kg registered gross weight. A 14,000 lb equipment trailer is right at that line, so confirm your registered weights against the Ontario driver licence class requirements before you tow a large frame machine.
Tie-Down Rules That Hold Up to a Roadside Inspection
Four tie-downs minimum, one at each corner, pulling in opposing directions, with an aggregate working load limit of at least half the machine's weight. That is the core of the North American cargo securement standard that Ontario enforces, and it is the number an officer will check at a scale or a spot inspection.
Run the numbers before you buy chain. Grade 70 transport chain in 3/8 inch has a working load limit around 6,600 lb per leg. Four legs give 26,400 lb of aggregate WLL, comfortably past the 50 percent requirement for a 10,000 lb machine. Grade 43 chain of the same diameter is rated lower, so check the tag rather than the look of the links. A few details that matter on the deck:
- Attach only to the manufacturer's marked tie-down points, never to a hydraulic line bracket, a cylinder, or a step.
- Secure the attachment separately if it is not pinned to the machine, because a bucket sliding forward under braking becomes its own projectile.
- Use ratchet binders and secure the handles so they cannot vibrate loose. Lever binders release with force when they let go.
- Re-check every chain after the first 15 to 30 minutes of driving. Suspension settling and machine seating both cost you tension.
Trade coverage of securement enforcement in For Construction Pros equipment and safety reporting is worth reading if you haul often, because the fines follow the driver, not the rental company.
Loading in Ontario Weather
Cold and wet conditions change how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely more than any other variable in the GTA. Steel ramps hold a thin ice film long after the ground looks dry, and a frozen deck gives rubber tracks almost nothing to bite. Sweep the ramps, throw down sand or grit, and slow the approach speed. In summer, the opposite problem shows up on fresh asphalt in Mississauga and Scarborough, where ramp feet sink into softened pavement and the angle steepens as you climb. Plate under the feet solves both.
Mistakes That Show Up Most Often
Most incidents trace back to skipping a step rather than to an unusual situation. When crews review how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely after a close call, the same items come up: unhitching the trailer to save a minute, loading with a raised bucket for visibility, steering to correct a crooked approach, and driving off before the four corner chains are tensioned. Rushing the last chain is the one that ends up on a highway shoulder near the 401 with a machine leaning against a trailer rail.
Excess speed is the other one. Loading at a walking pace gives you time to stop and back down. Loading at half throttle gives you no options at all. Industry coverage from Construction Equipment magazine makes the same case for slow, deliberate transport procedures on compact machines.
Unloading Deserves the Same Procedure
Unloading follows the reverse of the loading sequence, and it causes just as many injuries because crews treat it as the easy half of the job. Chock the trailer again, release the chains, start the machine, raise the attachment 8 to 12 inches, and drive down forward with the heavy end uphill. Gravity is now working with the machine instead of against it, so keep the engine at low idle and let the hydrostatic drive hold you back rather than riding the controls. Anyone who understands how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely already knows the unloading steps, they just have to run them with the same attention at the end of a long day.
Rent the Right Machine and Trailer Together
The cleanest way to make how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely a non-event is to match the machine, the trailer, and the ramps before the rental starts instead of solving it in a client's driveway. Tell us the site access, the ground conditions, and what you are towing with, and we will size the package around that. Browse operating weights and availability on our Skid Steer rentals page, and if you are moving dirt as well as material, compare it against our Excavator rentals before you book.
Not sure whether your trailer is rated for the machine you want? Send us the trailer GVWR and empty weight and we will do the math with you. Contact Expert Tools Rental to confirm weights, arrange delivery to your site across Toronto and the GTA, or book a skid steer for your next job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I drive a skid steer up the trailer ramps forward or in reverse?
With a bucket or attachment mounted, the front is the heavy end, so drive up forward and keep that weight uphill and toward the front of the trailer. Running bare or with rear counterweights, back it up instead. Your operator's manual prints the loading direction for that specific model, so follow it over shop habit.
What size trailer do I need to haul a skid steer?
Add machine, attachment and trailer weight, then stay under the trailer GVWR and your truck's tow rating. Compact skid steers run about 5,000 to 6,500 lb, mid-frame 7,000 to 8,500 lb, and large-frame machines clear 10,000 lb with a bucket. Mid-frame machines usually need a 14,000 lb tandem-axle trailer, which rental yards will send with the machine.
Is there a step-by-step for how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely?
Most of how to load a skid steer on a trailer safely happens before the machine moves: level ground, chocked trailer wheels, pinned ramps, hitch still coupled. Then lower the bucket to about a foot off the deck, belt in with the bar down, and drive straight up at walking pace with no steering while you are on the ramps.
How many chains do I need to secure a skid steer on a trailer?
Four, one at each corner, pulling in opposing directions from the machine's marked tie-down points rather than the lift arms or ramps. Federal securement rules put the combined working load limit at half the load weight or more, so a 7,000 lb machine needs 3,500 lb of aggregate WLL. Lower the bucket to the deck and chain it separately.
What actually causes a skid steer to tip or slide while loading?
Ramp angle and traction, not machine weight. A steep ramp off a tall deck plus a raised bucket shifts the center of gravity up and back, which unloads the front wheels right where you need them. Wet steel, mud packed into the tread and any steering correction mid-ramp start the slide. Longer ramps and a spotter remove most of that risk.
