.

[Peace]

.

 

[4570Man]

I wouldn’t buy an electric skid steer anyway but the speed is pitiful. That’s 1/3 the speed a diesels can move.

 

[Cycledude]

Well first time I ever saw an electric skid steer but I was impressed

 

[4570Man]

All skid steers are heavy duty. I seen nothing impressive compared to any other loader. You can buy a Kubota SSV75 with no cab for low 40s or a tracked 75 with cab for the same 60k that cost. And the diesel will work circles around what I saw in that YouTube video. In all fairness the guy in the video is no operator. But I’d still bet money on it loosing an all day work content to a diesel by a lot.

 

[4570Man]

I think it’s expensive too! It might be time to think ahead though. Both Bobcat and Gehl have introduced electric skid steers this year. I never thought too much about it until I clicked on the add and also watched a few videos on YouTube. I just put 25 gal diesel in my truck at $99.75. I wonder if we might be forced into electric motors in everything?

My personal prediction is in 10 years when people see what a sham this whole zero emissions thing is the electric equipment will drop. And yes diesel is expensive but electric and batteries aren’t free and it’s worth something to get done faster. If you’re paying an operator to run that and I’m paying an operator to run my 75 plus burning $5 of diesel an hour while getting done twice as fast who is coming out ahead? Just the operator salary is worth more than the diesel I’m burning and that’s putting no price on the increased work that got done.

 

[mikester]

Make's me realize how much I dislike using skidsteers. Riding a pogo stick is not my idea of a good time.

I would have hoped by going electric they could have improved operator visibility

 

[Hay Dude]

My personal prediction is in 10 years when people see what a sham this whole zero emissions thing is the electric equipment will drop. And yes diesel is expensive but electric and batteries aren’t free and it’s worth something to get done faster. If you’re paying an operator to run that and I’m paying an operator to run my 75 plus burning $5 of diesel an hour while getting done twice as fast who is coming out ahead? Just the operator salary is worth more than the diesel I’m burning and that’s putting no price on the increased work that got done.

Yeah but the virtue signaling the guy with the electric ssl is what seals the deal for him. If it’s a customer who wants a zero emissions worksite or the work is being done inside a building, guess what tool will be doing the job.
Its not the operator or the excavating company that decides diesel or electric on a job site, it will be the customer that owns the job site. As Peace mentioned, diesel fuel is pushing $4/gallon. I’m losing my shirt over this all the while listening to people complain about how food and everything else costs more now. It’s all made via the cost of diesel fuel.
The trend is going in the direction of the electric, be it as flawed or slow or actually equally as polluting as they are.

 

[4570Man]

I paid $2.57 for off road diesel last week.

 

[laurencen]

my guess is diesel will be around long after electric loaders are dead, electricity is not free, they would like to think it is but as some point it will fade, there is nothing that can pack energy for size than diesel or gas and when he electric loader is out of charge mid afternoon what do you do? diesel just add a few gallons and back up running

give it a few years, no one has a plan to recycle batteries fully, yes they can be but once they start putting a recycle charge on the batteries look out

 

[Hay Dude]

It almost seems like the commitment to electric everything is a tidal wave that can’t be stopped at this point. Corporate virtue signaling with all the social pressure. And, to be honest, electric will eventually, like it or not, have its place at the table.
I don’t think diesels are going away anytime soon, either. Equipment repair companies will have to train an entirely new line of techs to work on the stuff.
Life running equipment is about to get vastly more complicated and frustrating

 

[ning]

some would laugh at the “silly gutless battery drill”. Now it didn’t render the corded drills useless, but I think you can agree that nearly everyone has at least 1 cordless drill (or other battery power tool) in their collection now

I poo-poohed them "I don't need that!" until I had a zillion electric outlets and switches to screw into their boxes when I replaced the entire electrical in our first house. After turning a screwdriver 4000 times on the first few boxes I went out and bought a battery unit and zip zip zip I was done.
I still have my ancient craftsman corded unit but it almost never gets used, though manual screwdrivers still get the occasional action.

 

[4570Man]

I poo-poohed them "I don't need that!" until I had a zillion electric outlets and switches to screw into their boxes when I replaced the entire electrical in our first house. After turning a screwdriver 4000 times on the first few boxes I went out and bought a battery unit and zip zip zip I was done.
I still have my ancient craftsman corded unit but it almost never gets used, though manual screwdrivers still get the occasional action.

Even in their infancy when they sucked cordless drills offered something that corded drills didn’t. Now days cordless drills offer enough power for any hand held drilling applications with. An electric skid steer offers nothing except feel good over a diesel unit. Well I guess there’s a small market for indoor use but that’s not what they’re being marketed as.

 

[Hay Dude]

Even in their infancy when they sucked cordless drills offered something that corded drills didn’t. Now days cordless drills offer enough power for any hand held drilling applications with. An electric skid steer offers nothing except feel good over a diesel unit. Well I guess there’s a small market for indoor use but that’s not what they’re being marketed as.

Naaahhhh. Those electric skid steers could also be used in mines, where zero emissions are paramount. They could also be used in areas where quiet operation is necessary. I’m sure there’s more places they have an advantage. Maybe very high altitudes, etc.
“infancy” is a critical thing you mention. Gotta remember, these guys making these machines are NOT reinventing the wheel here. The skid steer loader is the same, it’s just the propulsion system. In fact it’s really just the batteries that are holding them back a little.
Technology breakthroughs will improve batteries the same way engines improved.