Wacker Neuson

Wacker Neuson ST31

$67,000before options, dealer-quotedVertical LiftRubber tracks
Wacker Neuson ST31
Rated capacity of tipping load50%
3,100 lb rated6,199.4 lb tipping

The bright segment is what Wacker Neuson ST31 is rated to carry; the grey run past it is the rest of its tipping load. Bar length is tipping load drawn to the same scale on every machine on the site, so a short bar is a smaller machine and not a conservative rating.

One caveat on this machine: we could not find a published tipping load for it, so the figure above is its advertised capacity divided by the fraction its maker rates at. That makes the grey run arithmetic rather than a measurement, and it is the number worth asking a dealer to confirm.

Volume mid-frame model in Wacker Neuson's ST-series compact track loaders, the ST31 moved to the uni-body frame design in 2024. Built in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, it carries a 74 hp Kohler diesel with no DPF or DEF, a 3,100 lb rated operating capacity, and a vertical lift path with a 10-foot-8 hinge pin height.

Suits: The simplest Tier 4 emissions solution on the market, in a mid-frame vertical-lift CTL Its vertical lift path reaches highest at full extension, for loading high-sided trucks and stacking.

Lifting and reach

Rated operating capacityTrack loader rating convention
3,100 lbs
Tipping loadDerived from the advertised capacity, not published
6,199.4 lbs
Lift height to hinge pin
128 in
Lift path
Vertical Lift
Operating weight
8,241 lbs

Power and hydraulics

Engine power
74 hp
Engine
Kohler KDI 2,504
Auxiliary flowStandard circuit
19.8 GPM
Flow type
Standard
Warranty
2 yr / 2,000 hr

Fitted or available

What this machine can be ordered with. Some of these are standard and some cost extra, and which is which moves between trim levels, so check them against the quote rather than against this list.

Vertical LiftHigh-FlowEnclosed CabTwo-SpeedSelf-LevelingA/C & HeatTracksNo DPF

What owners report

Summarised from the sources listed below. Nothing here was tested by us.

Speed and width are what distinguish this one inside its own range. At 7 mph and 9.5 mph it travels faster than any of its siblings, and at 64 inches it is narrow enough for work the 72-inch ST37 cannot reach - while matching that machine's 128.5-inch hinge pin height exactly. For a lot of general contracting, that combination is the sweet spot of the line.

Where it gives ground is underneath. Twelve-and-a-half-inch tracks produce 5.7 psi, the highest ground pressure of the five, so it is the least capable of the range on saturated or finished ground - a genuinely important point given that flotation is why many people buy tracks at all. Breakout force is modest too at 5,611 lbf, barely ahead of the much smaller ST27. What it does well is move, lift to a useful height and stay simple: the Kohler KDI 2504 needs no diesel exhaust fluid and runs no regeneration cycles, the cab tips forward for service, and the engine carries four years of Kohler cover.

General construction and utility work on reasonable ground, where mobility and access beat flotation, is where it lands. If the ground is soft, the ST37 is a materially different machine and worth the extra width. Before signing, measure your access against 64 inches, ask the dealer directly what fault-code documentation they can supply, and find out how far away the nearest technician who has actually worked on one is.

What owners like

  • It is the fastest machine in the range in both ranges - 7 mph in low and 9.5 mph in high, against 5.8 and 8.7 for the larger ST37. On a site with any distance in it, the model below the mid-range is the one that gets around quickest.
  • Sixty-four inches wide keeps it usable on constrained sites, which matters because the next model up jumps to 72 inches. That eight-inch step is often what actually decides between the two.
  • A 128.5-inch hinge pin height with a 40-degree dump angle is identical to the larger ST37's, so the smaller, narrower, faster machine loads trucks just as high.
  • The Kohler KDI 2504 meets its emissions standard with a passive oxidation catalyst and exhaust gas recirculation - no particulate filter regeneration, no diesel exhaust fluid, nothing to top up or plan work around.
  • Kohler's 4-year, 4,000-hour engine warranty on top of the 2-year, 2,000-hour machine warranty is among the strongest paper coverage in the class, and it applies to the part that costs most to replace.
  • The uni-body generation brought a forward-tipping cab and a swing-up cooling package, so hydraulics, engine and coolers are reachable without dismantling - a real saving on a machine that will be serviced for a decade.

What owners complain about

  • Ground pressure is 5.7 psi, the highest of all five machines. The 12.6-inch tracks give it less flotation than anything else in the range, including the smaller ST27 at 5.5 psi. Buyers choosing a track loader specifically to stay off soft ground should look hard at the ST37 and its 4.3 psi instead.
  • Bucket breakout force is 5,611 lbf, only 207 lbf more than the much smaller ST27, despite carrying 891 lbs more machine. The step up from the ST27 buys capacity and height rather than digging force.
  • Rated 3,100 lbs at 50 percent of tipping load where most brands headline at 35 percent, so it keeps less in reserve at the same quoted number - the 35 percent figure Wacker Neuson publishes is 2,170 lbs, on a 6,200 lb tipping load.
  • Owners report that machine fault codes are not documented in plain language. One ST31 owner hooking up a third-party grapple hit an auxiliary hydraulics code that did not appear in the published code list at all, which is a frustrating place to be with a machine that will not do what you bought the attachment for.
  • Dealer coverage for the brand's compact line is uneven across the US, so the ownership experience depends heavily on how close the nearest properly equipped dealer happens to be.

Drawn from d12oqns8b3bfa8.cloudfront.net, wackerneuson.com, compactequip.com, skidsteerforum.com.

What buyers ask

How does the ST31 compare with the ST37?
They share a 128.5-inch hinge pin height and a 40-degree dump angle, so lift is the same. The ST31 is eight inches narrower and faster in both travel ranges. The ST37 carries 600 lbs more rated capacity, 1,431 lbf more bucket breakout, nearly three gpm more standard flow, and far better flotation at 4.3 psi against 5.7. Width and speed against strength and flotation is the real choice.
Is the ST31 good on soft ground?
It is the weakest of the five there. At 5.7 psi on 12.6-inch tracks it has the highest ground pressure in the range - higher even than the smaller ST27. If working on saturated ground or finished turf is a regular requirement rather than an occasional one, the ST37 at 4.3 psi is the model that actually solves it.
Does it need diesel exhaust fluid?
No. The 74 hp Kohler KDI 2504 uses a passive diesel oxidation catalyst with exhaust gas recirculation, so there is no DEF and no particulate filter regeneration cycle. Only the 100 hp ST50 in this range uses selective catalytic reduction and requires exhaust fluid.
Why do fault codes come up so often with these machines?
Because plain-language descriptions are not readily published, which owners find genuinely obstructive. One ST31 owner fitting a third-party grapple hit an auxiliary hydraulics code that was not in the code list available to him at all. Before buying, ask the dealer what diagnostic documentation and support they provide - the answer varies and it is a fair question to base a decision on.
Is 3,100 lbs comparable with a Bobcat or Kubota number?
Not as printed. Wacker Neuson headlines at 50 percent of tipping load; most brands use 35 percent, which is the more conservative basis and holds back more reserve. Wacker Neuson publishes its own 35 percent figure of 2,170 lbs, and the tipping load is 6,200 lbs. Use one of those two numbers when comparing across brands.

Put the Wacker Neuson ST31 against

Wacker Neuson ST27Bobcat T595

Machines in the same range

The rest of the Wacker Neuson line
Wacker Neuson ST27

Wacker Neuson

Wacker Neuson ST27

$69,000

Vertical Lift · rubber tracks
2,700 lb rated50% of 5,401.3 lb
Engine
74 hp
Aux flow
19.4 GPM
Weight
7,350 lbs

The stiff uni-body frame design Wacker Neuson introduced in 2023 arrived on the ST27, the small-frame entry to its ST-series compact track loaders. Designed and built in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, it pairs a 74 hp Kohler diesel that needs no DPF with a 2,700 lb rated operating capacity and vertical lift path.

Full sheet & owner reports
Wacker Neuson ST37

Wacker Neuson

Wacker Neuson ST37

$76,000

Vertical Lift · rubber tracks
3,700 lb rated50% of 7,400.9 lb
Engine
74 hp
Aux flow
23 GPM
Weight
9,014 lbs

Largest of Wacker Neuson's new uni-body generation of compact track loaders, the ST37 joined the line in 2024. Built in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, it combines a 74 hp no-DPF Kohler diesel, a 3,700 lb rated operating capacity, and just 4.3 psi ground pressure thanks to wide tracks spreading its 9,014 lb operating weight.

Full sheet & owner reports
Wacker Neuson ST45

Wacker Neuson

Wacker Neuson ST45

$79,000

Vertical Lift · rubber tracks
4,500 lb rated50% of 8,999.3 lb
Engine
74 hp
Aux flow
22.1 GPM
Weight
10,315 lbs

A 4,500 lb rated operating capacity and 134.8-inch hinge pin height come out of a 74.3 hp Kohler diesel with no DPF. The Wacker Neuson ST45 is a large-frame vertical-lift compact track loader built in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin - the proven Series-II platform positioned just below the 100 hp ST50 flagship.

Full sheet & owner reports