Capital Equipment News September 2020

The SW16 skid steer from Wacker Neuson.

larger, more powerful units are needed,” he says. Barloworld Equipment building & construction product manager for southern Africa Thabile Dube also sees the skid steer as one of the most versatile machines as it can be used in a variety of applications. “A standard unit can take over 40 attachments while high-flow units can accommodate over 70 plus attachments, ranging from bale spears to cold planers, industrial grapples, trenchers, and vibratory compactors and material arms.” Local market Estimations of the size of the local skid steer market vary. According to Bobcat’s Swart, the market for 2019 amounted to some 320 units sold (“of which Bobcat captured 44%”). He estimates that, as of end-June 2020, sales have totalled around 120 units. Barloworld Equipment’s Dube, on the other hand, says some 220 machines have been sold locally so far this year. However, Manitou’s Webster says the South African market sold around 300 units per year over the last three years while Wacker’s Vietze quotes the Construction and Mining Equipment Suppliers’ Association (Conmesa) figure of 298 skid steer loaders sold in the past 12 months. “Of these,” he says, “239 machines were classified in the payload ranges from 0 – 1 000+ kg, while another 59 machines have not yet been classified.”

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Skid steer loaders have, over the years, maintained great popularity in the African market. In South Africa, for example, skid steers are the most sought-after machine range in a number of industries

Skid steer machines provide excellent forward reach at the middle of the lift path. This provides high performance for loading and offloading capacities

A standard unit can take over 40 attachments while high-flow units can accommodate over 70 plus attachments, ranging from bale spears to cold planers, industrial grapples, trenchers, and vibratory compactors and material arms

Radial-lift machines enhance performance in excavating, grading and digging below grade applications

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS SEPTEMBER 2020 23