The Most Capacity Per Dollar Under $50k

Engine

74 hp

Aux flow

18.5 GPM

Weight

7,253 lbs

Small-platform size with large-platform power and hydraulic flow is JCB's pitch for the 215, a vertical-lift wheeled skid steer built around the single-arm PowerBoom and side-entry door. A 74 hp turbocharged JCB by Kohler diesel with no DPF powers its 2,112 lb rated capacity.

Engine

67 hp

Aux flow

20.6 GPM

Weight

6,470 lbs

2000 lbs of capacity, standard dual-range travel, and a 91.7-inch dump height put the New Holland L320 at the sweet spot of the smaller 300 Series frames. It's a mid-size wheeled skid steer with the patented Super Boom vertical lift and a 67 hp FPT diesel.

Also sold as the Case SR160B

Engine

60 hp

Aux flow

18.4 GPM

Weight

5,645 lbs

A light 5370 lb frame and narrow footprint make the L316 a value pick for landscaping, barns, and tight-access work. It's the smallest wheeled skid steer in New Holland's 300 Series, a radial-lift machine powered by a 60 hp FPT diesel.

Engine

60 hp

Aux flow

20.6 GPM

Weight

6,230 lbs

Super Boom vertical lift comes down to the 1800 lb class in the New Holland L318, a small-frame wheeled skid steer powered by a 60 hp FPT diesel. It offers truck-loading reach that radial small frames can't match.

Also sold as the New Holland L316

Engine

60 hp

Aux flow

18.4 GPM

Weight

5,645 lbs

At just 5,645 lbs and six feet tall, the SR160B is Case's entry point to its B-series wheeled lineup - a small-frame radial-lift machine with a 60 hp Perkins-family diesel and a 1,600 lb rated capacity. It's built for tight spaces, light-duty property work, and buyers who want to tow with a half-ton truck.

Engine

67 hp

Aux flow

18 GPM

Weight

6,514 lbs

Caterpillar's 232D3 sits one frame step above the 226D3, trading that machine's radial boom for a vertical lift path and 350 lb more rated capacity on the same 67 hp engine. It suits owner-operators who load pallets and trailers more often than they dig, and who want the Cat cab at the bottom of the price list.

Engine

67 hp

Aux flow

20.6 GPM

Weight

6,270 lbs

A 122-inch hinge pin, 7,270 lb of bucket breakout force, and an available 30.7 GPM high-flow package let the Case SR175B punch above its size in ways most small frames can't match. Underneath it's a small-frame radial-lift wheeled skid steer with a 67 hp turbo diesel and a 1,750 lb rated capacity.

Engine

60 hp

Aux flow

24.2 GPM

Weight

6,570 lbs

In Case's B-series wheeled lineup no vertical-lift machine is smaller than the SV185B, which pairs a 60 hp turbo diesel with an 1,850 lb rated capacity. Successor to Case's best-selling SV185, it's a farm and light-construction favorite that loads trucks and stacks pallets without the size, thirst, or price of a large frame.

Also sold as the Manitou 1650R

Engine

68 hp

Aux flow

20 GPM

Weight

6,165 lbs

Value-priced digging and grading for farms, landscapers, and budget-minded contractors is what the Gehl R165 is for - a mid-frame radial-lift wheeled skid loader from Manitou Group (also sold as the Manitou 1650 R) with a 1,650 lb rated capacity and a proven Yanmar diesel.

Engine

67 hp

Aux flow

18 GPM

Weight

5,849 lbs

Caterpillar's entry-level small-frame radial-lift wheeled skid steer, the 226D3 is a lightweight, agile machine popular with rental fleets, homeowners, and light-duty contractors who value the Cat dealer network.

Also sold as the Manitou 1050R

Engine

35 hp

Aux flow

15 GPM

Weight

4,200 lbs

Smallest wheeled skid loader in Gehl's lineup (sold in Manitou colors as the 1050 R), the R105 has a 1,050 lb rated capacity, a 34.7 hp Yanmar diesel under 25 kW emissions thresholds, and a narrow, low-profile frame. It's built for barns, hobby farms, and tight spots full-size machines can't enter.

Also sold as the Yanmar TL50RP

Engine

54 hp

Aux flow

13.3 GPM

Weight

5,180 lbs

Towable behind a half-ton pickup at just 5,180 lbs, the ASV RT-50 packs a 1,400 lb rated capacity into a small-frame radial-lift Posi-Track loader. It still brings the brand's suspended undercarriage and low ground pressure to tight residential work.

Also sold as the Manitou 1350RT

Engine

47 hp

Aux flow

17 GPM

Weight

6,510 lbs

Slotting between the gate-friendly RT105 and mid-frame RT165, the Gehl RT135 is a small-frame radial-lift compact track loader from Manitou Group, also sold as the Manitou 1350 RT. A 46.6 hp Yanmar diesel, a 1,350 lb rated capacity, and a 57-inch width aim it at the Bobcat T550/Cat 249D class.

Engine

23.5 hp

Aux flow

8.9 GPM

Weight

2,892 lbs

Bobcat's smallest loader pairs a 23.5 hp engine with a 760 lb rated capacity in a 2,892 lb machine. It exists for interior demolition, barn work and gated backyards where a mid-frame skid steer simply cannot get in.

Also sold as the Manitou 1050RT

Engine

35 hp

Aux flow

15 GPM

Weight

4,720 lbs

At 50.8 inches wide with a 34.7 hp Yanmar diesel, the Gehl RT105 targets backyard landscapers and rental fleets in the Bobcat T450/Cat 239D small-frame class. It's the smallest track loader in the Gehl line, a 4,720 lb radial-lift machine built by Manitou Group and also sold as the Manitou 1050 RT.

Engine

25 hp

Aux flow

11.3 GPM

Weight

3,755 lbs

48 inches wide and 3,755 lbs, the ASV RT-25 is the smallest sit-in compact track loader on the market - a Posi-Track machine that fits through a standard backyard gate. It gives fencing crews, landscapers, and rental fleets a real cab-and-joysticks loader where only walk-behinds used to fit.