How Much Does a Skid Steer Cost? Wheeled, Track, Used and Attachment Prices
Key takeaways
How much does a skid steer cost? Bobcat’s U.S. list prices for the three wheeled models we checked run $29,512 to $61,101, a track loader lists higher, and used machines and attachments are priced separately.
- Rated operating capacity sets the price class, so choose the capacity before the brand.
- Bobcat’s track loader lists $13,463 above its closest wheeled model, and its footnote says the dealer sets the final number.
- Used machines are priced on hours and service history, not age alone.
- Attachments are a separate purchase, from a few hundred dollars to five figures.
Type “how much does a skid steer cost” into a search box and the guides disagree by tens of thousands of dollars. Most don’t say where their numbers came from. One we read lists a new Bobcat S70 at $23,000, while Bobcat’s own page says $29,512, and nothing in that guide explains the gap or says when its figure was checked. That’s a real gap.
So we started with the manufacturer’s list price, footnote included, then moved on to used asking prices and attachments, with the source and the date beside every figure so you can check any of them yourself. Financing the machine? Our page on skid steer financing covers that side. This one is the price tag only.
How Much a New Skid Steer Costs
A skid steer’s list price is what the manufacturer suggests for the base machine. The dealer sets the final figure, and freight, taxes, options, and attachments sit on top. Price follows size, and size is rated operating capacity (ROC), the load the machine is rated to lift and carry. Bigger frame, bigger number.
| Model | Type | Rated capacity | List price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat S70 | Wheeled | 760 lb | $29,512 |
| Bobcat S590 | Wheeled | 2,000 lb | $53,934 |
| Bobcat S650 | Wheeled | 2,690 lb | $61,101 |
Read the footnote under those prices, because it carries the weight. Bobcat says its suggested list price covers base models only and leaves out freight, pre-delivery inspection, taxes, surcharges, options, accessories, and attachments, and that the final sale price is set by the local dealer.
So the table is a starting point. Not a quote. Budget for the rest.
$61,101
Bobcat’s suggested list price for a base S650 wheeled skid steer loader with a 2,690-lb rated operating capacity, read on October 27, 2026
Some makers and dealers show no price at all, only a quote button. Then the dealer’s number is the price. Get two.
Look at how the three models step up. Going from the S70 to the S590 adds 1,240 pounds of rated capacity and $24,422 of list price, and going from the S590 to the S650 adds another 690 pounds and $7,167. Per pound of capacity, the smallest machine costs the most. That’s worth knowing if you’re tempted by the cheapest frame and then need a bigger machine in a year. Size up early.
Wheels or Tracks: The Price Gap
Bobcat sells the S650 on wheels and the T650 on tracks, and the two are close siblings in size. Their list prices sit $13,463 apart.
| S650, wheeled | T650, track | |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 2,690 lb | 2,500 lb |
| Operating weight | 7,901 lb | 8,980 lb |
| Horsepower | 74 hp | 74 hp |
| List price | $61,101 | $74,564 |
Figures from the S650 and T650 pages, October 27, 2026. The track machine costs about 22% more. That’s real money.
Two catches. A wheeled loader and a track loader aren’t rated the same way, so the 190-pound gap in the capacity row isn’t a like-for-like comparison, and tires and tracks wear out differently enough that it’s worth asking the dealer to price a replacement set of each before you decide. A gap that looks tidy on day one can widen by year three.
Soft, wet, or sloped ground tends to favor tracks. Pavement, gravel, and a tight budget tend to favor wheels. Mud changes the math.
Used Skid Steer Prices
Used is where the spread gets wide, and where hours matter more than the model year. Check the hours first. Boom & Bucket, a Ritchie Bros. marketplace, listed 27 used skid steer loaders under $30,000 when we looked.
27
used skid steer loaders listed under $30,000 on Boom & Bucket, October 27, 2026
- A 2015 Bobcat S590 with 1,223 hours, asking $25,000. A new S590 lists at $53,934 today, so that’s less than half.
- A 2019 Bobcat S70, 1,301 hours, listed at $14,221.
- A 2016 Kubota SSV65 at 2,220 hours: $21,492.
- A 2023 Cat 226D3 with 3,189 hours, $20,000. Newer on paper, but the hour meter is well along.
Those are asking prices, so nobody promised the seller gets them, and a few listings on that page show a second, lower figure beside the first, which is worth asking about when you call. Ask for the service records, and have the hydraulics and the undercarriage looked at before any money moves.
A private seller adds one more step. Search for a UCC filing against the machine, because a lender with a UCC-1 on file may still hold a claim on it, whatever the seller says. Lenders financing a used machine will ask about its age, hours, and condition, and may want an appraisal or the seller’s invoice. Ask early. Terms vary by lender.
What Attachments Add
The bucket is the cheap part. Most jobs need something else on the front of the machine, and every one of those is its own purchase.
| Attachment | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Pallet forks | $500 to $1,000 |
| Simple bucket | $750 to $1,000 |
| Auger | $2,000 to $2,500 |
| Snow plow | $3,000 to $4,000 |
| Dozer blade | $3,000 to $6,000 |
| Stump grinder | $4,000 to $7,000 |
| Backhoe | $10,000 to $12,000 |
| Cold planer | $10,000 to $25,000 |
That’s one retailer’s list: SkidPro’s attachment price page, updated in June 2026. It doesn’t say whether the prices are dealer prices, so use the ranges to question a quote, not to replace one.
Powered attachments bring a second question. An auger or a cold planer runs off the loader’s hydraulics, so the machine has to supply the hydraulic flow the attachment calls for, and a high-flow package is usually an option, which makes it one more line on the quote. Check both first.
If you plan to finance, ask the lender whether attachments can sit in the same agreement as the machine. Lenders differ on that. It’s easier to know before you shop. Disclosure, since it’s only fair: we finance equipment for a living.
Reading a Dealer Quote
A quote can hide a lot in one total. Ask the dealer to break it out in writing.
- The base price of the machine, and whether it matches the manufacturer’s list price.
- Freight and pre-delivery inspection, which Bobcat’s list price leaves out.
- Taxes.
- Every option on that exact unit: cab, heat and air, controls, high flow.
- Each attachment, priced on its own line.
- What the warranty covers, and for how long.
Then compare two dealers line by line. Totals alone mislead.
What Moves the Number
- Rated operating capacity. The big lever. More capacity means a bigger frame, a bigger engine, and a bigger price.
- Tracks or tires, covered above.
- An enclosed cab, heat and air, and the control system are options, and the options add up.
- Hours on a used machine, and what the machine did for them.
- Who sells it. Bobcat’s footnote says the local dealer sets the final price independently, which tells you where the negotiating happens.
What Owning One Costs After You Buy
The purchase price is the first bill, not the last. Plan for insurance, routine service, hydraulic fluid and filters, and the replacement tires or tracks that every machine eventually needs. Plan for a way to move it, too, because a skid steer doesn’t drive to the next job site on the highway, so a truck and trailer or a delivery charge belongs in the budget. Not glamorous, but real.
Those costs vary by region, by machine, and by how hard the work is, so we haven’t put a figure on them. Ask your dealer and your insurance agent for real numbers. Ask both.
Buy, Lease or Rent
You may not need to buy at all. A machine for one season might be a rental, and a business that pays cash and keeps equipment for years can buy and skip the paperwork. Cash is fine too. If you’d rather not tie up the cash, or you’d like to hand the machine back at the end, look at equipment leasing, which is a different contract with its own end-of-term rules. Our page on heavy and construction equipment financing covers the wider construction side.
Skid Steer Price Questions Owners Ask
Why do the skid steer cost guides I find disagree with each other?
Most guides quote a range without saying whether it’s a list price, an asking price, or an auction result, and those are three different numbers that can sit far apart for the very same machine. That’s why this guide names the source and the date next to every figure.
What’s a sensible budget for a first skid steer?
Short answer: start from the heaviest job you’ll do every week, find the rated operating capacity that covers it, and price machines in that class only.
Then add the attachments that job needs, because they’re a second purchase, and leave room for the freight and taxes a list price doesn’t include. A budget that stops at the machine comes up short. Plan for both.
When does a track loader earn its higher price?
Where the ground is soft, wet, or sloped, tracks tend to pay for the premium; on hard, flat surfaces a wheeled machine often does the same work for less.
On Bobcat’s own list, the S650 and T650 sit $13,463 apart. Weigh that number against the work you’ll actually do.
Does a used skid steer with 1,000 hours mean it’s worn out?
Not by itself. Hours count the work, and the kind of work matters as much as the total.
Ask for the service records. Ask what it did for those hours. Then have someone who knows these machines check the hydraulics, the loader arms, and the tires or tracks.
Can a used skid steer from a private seller be financed?
Some lenders will finance a private-party purchase and some won’t, so ask before you put down a deposit. Ask first.
Expect questions about the machine’s age, hours, and condition, and about whether the seller owns it free of liens. A UCC search helps with that last one.
Do skid steer attachments come with the machine?
Not in a base list price. Bobcat’s footnote says its suggested list price excludes accessories and attachments, so a bucket, forks, or an auger are separate line items unless the dealer bundles them. Ask the dealer.
Does renting a skid steer cost less than buying one?
For one short job, renting almost always costs less. Over a season of regular use the math can flip, and the break-even depends on local rental rates, which only a local rental yard can quote. Renting wins short jobs.
Next Steps
Once you know the class of machine and a realistic all-in price, the next question is how to pay for it. Read how skid steer financing works, or see how Paramount Financial handles equipment financing across machine types.