Lift Type
Nicholas Hogan
Physics 212
Spring 2014
Which lift
type fits your lift style?
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The two main
lift times shown above are radial lift and vertical
lift. Like most aspects of a skid steer, each of them
has their good's and bad's. Again, each of these will
come in handy in different situations, but they are both
good choices overall.
Vertical Lift: This is the option that gives the greatest lifting power. A vertical lift arm lifts things straight up, thus maximizing the amount of weight that you can lift, and keeps it closest to the skid steer. According to an article by forconstructionpros.com, "With the vertical lift design, the bucket raises in a uniform straight line, so your overall dimensions remain the same while lifting and turning at the same time."
Vertical lift also gives you the best lift height advantage. The same article states that "because you achieve maximum reach in vertical lift machines at full lift height, it's easier to clear high-sided truck boxes and hoppers." There are really two big advantages to a vertical lift skid steer, and they are that you will be able to lift more and you will be able to do so up to a greater height than with a radial lift skid steer.
Radial Lift: Bobcat company explains its radius lift path design provides greater forward reach than that of a vertical lift skid steer. This makes the radial lift loader the idea option if you want to keep objects further from the cab of your skid steer, or if you will be doing a lot of tasks that involve moving things in and out of the bed of a truck or a trailer.
According to Rostberg, a writer on forconstructionpros.org, states tht "Since the arm is moving in an arc, a radius path has more reach through most of its path than a vertical lift path system." This is one of the biggest areas that radial lift skid steers excel, however it is also their downfall.
When you look at the two, you can compare the force that they will put on the skid steer. It would be easiest to look at the torque of each arm. We know that the equation for torque is:
Torque = Force x distance
and because the radial lift has more reach, its distance will be the greatest. Building off of that, we can see that the same amount of force on each arm will put more torque on the radial lift arm than the vertical lift.
Vertical Lift: This is the option that gives the greatest lifting power. A vertical lift arm lifts things straight up, thus maximizing the amount of weight that you can lift, and keeps it closest to the skid steer. According to an article by forconstructionpros.com, "With the vertical lift design, the bucket raises in a uniform straight line, so your overall dimensions remain the same while lifting and turning at the same time."
Vertical lift also gives you the best lift height advantage. The same article states that "because you achieve maximum reach in vertical lift machines at full lift height, it's easier to clear high-sided truck boxes and hoppers." There are really two big advantages to a vertical lift skid steer, and they are that you will be able to lift more and you will be able to do so up to a greater height than with a radial lift skid steer.
Radial Lift: Bobcat company explains its radius lift path design provides greater forward reach than that of a vertical lift skid steer. This makes the radial lift loader the idea option if you want to keep objects further from the cab of your skid steer, or if you will be doing a lot of tasks that involve moving things in and out of the bed of a truck or a trailer.
According to Rostberg, a writer on forconstructionpros.org, states tht "Since the arm is moving in an arc, a radius path has more reach through most of its path than a vertical lift path system." This is one of the biggest areas that radial lift skid steers excel, however it is also their downfall.
When you look at the two, you can compare the force that they will put on the skid steer. It would be easiest to look at the torque of each arm. We know that the equation for torque is:
Torque = Force x distance
and because the radial lift has more reach, its distance will be the greatest. Building off of that, we can see that the same amount of force on each arm will put more torque on the radial lift arm than the vertical lift.
Summary:
This page is all about which type of lift arm that you are going to choose. There are two main types: radial and vertical. It will be up to you to choose the one that will fit in with what you are looking for. Each has its own pros and cons, however they are used for quite different tasks.
This page is all about which type of lift arm that you are going to choose. There are two main types: radial and vertical. It will be up to you to choose the one that will fit in with what you are looking for. Each has its own pros and cons, however they are used for quite different tasks.