Caster Wheel Attached To Rear Of Skidsteer?

npalen · May 11, 2018

Until recently I had not seen a caster wheel mounted to the back of a skidsteer. I'm under the impression that they are used to take weight off of the two rear tires of the skidsteer.
Anyone familiar with this? Pics?

4570Man · May 11, 2018

I’ve never seen one. Are you sure it wasn’t a homemade job for a unique job? It seems like a terrible idea for regular work.

bcp · May 11, 2018

Might be so it can turn very sharply without skidding, like a 3-wheel forklift, or one of these.

Turning sharply without ground damage may be more important than 4-wheel drive.

Bruce

bcp · May 12, 2018

Or maybe this is it:

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View attachment 553893

Bruce

4570Man · May 12, 2018

bcp said:
Might be so it can turn very sharply without skidding, like a 3-wheel forklift, or one of these.

View attachment 553891

Turning sharply without ground damage may be more important than 4-wheel drive.

Bruce

That looks like a similar concept as the 3 wheeled delivery forklifts. The fourth post here looks like a more promising concept. I was envisioning something permanently mounted sticking down on the back of a skid steer.

jackpine savage · May 12, 2018

Quite a few commercial beekeepers use them. Like bcp said, sharp turns with less ground damage.

npalen · May 12, 2018

Sounds like someone needs to design a skid steer that converts between 2WD and 4WD and let's the two rear wheels caster in 2WD.
Bet that would be a challenge.

bcp · May 12, 2018

npalen said:
Sounds like someone needs to design a skid steer that converts between 2WD and 4WD and let's the two rear wheels caster in 2WD.
Bet that would be a challenge.

Getting close...

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