How to Excavate With a Skid Steer

Measure off the dimensions of the excavating site with an industrial size measuring tape. Make the measurement marks with the spray paint.

Drive the wooden stakes over the spray paint markings with a hammer. Tie a string to the bottom of one of the wooden stakes. Pull the string to the next wooden stake and tie the string around the bottom of the stake. Continue pulling and tying the string around the bottom of each wooden stake until the string has been tied to all of the stakes. The process of tying the string to the bottom of each wooden stake will create a boundary line around the entire location of the excavation site and allow the skid steer to cross over the string.

Check the engine oil and coolant level inside of the skid steer to ensure they are both full. Crawl into the driver's seat. Pull the safety bar over your shoulders and lock it in place, then pull the safety belt over your body and lock it in place as a secondary safety measure. Familiarize yourself with all of the gauges, throttle lever, right and left side hand levers, and the right and left side foot pedals.

Crank the engine. Pull back on the throttle lever to increase the speed of the skid steer. Drive the skid steer to the desired location inside of the excavating location by pushing forward on the right side and left side hand levers at the same time. When the machine reaches the string, ensure that it can cross over the string without the string getting caught on anything.

Turn the skid steer to the left by pulling back on the left side hand lever and pushing forward on the right side hand lever at the same time. Turn the skid steer to the right by pulling back on the right side hand lever and pushing forward on the left side hand lever at the same time. Continue driving the skid steer to the desired starting location inside of the excavation site.

Lower the front bucket of the skid steer to the ground by pressing down on the front section of the left side foot pedal with your foot. Each foot pedal performs two functions. When the bucket reaches the ground, angle the bottom of the bucket toward the ground a little bit by pressing down on the front section of the right side foot pedal with your right foot.

Drive the skid steer straight ahead with the bucket angled down by pushing both hand levers forward at the same time. Adjust the bucket up and down as needed to maintain the desired digging depth. Once you reach a desired stopping point, angle the bucket upward by pressing down on the back section of the right side foot pedal with your foot. This process will allow the dirt to fall back into the bucket. Raise the bucket full of dirt off of the ground by pressing down on the back section of the left side foot pedal with your foot.

Drive the skid steer in reverse with the bucket full of dirt in the air by pulling back on both hand levers at the same time. Turn the skid steer as needed by pulling one hand lever back and pushing the other hand lever forward at the same time. When you reach the desired dirt dumping location, dump the dirt by pressing down on the front section of the right side foot pedal.

Drive the skid steer back to the area that you just excavated, then position the machine next that area. Excavate the next area of dirt using the same process as before. Continue excavating the dirt until all of it has been excavated from the site. Once all of the dirt has been excavated, back drag the freshly excavated site to level the dirt surface.

Drive the skid steer to the back of the excavation site. Lower the bucket to the ground and angle the bucket downward into the dirt so that about two inches of the bucket are down inside the dirt. Pull back on both hand levers to drive the skid steer in reverse while the bucket is dragging the dirt. When you reach a stopping point, drive the skid steer back to the rear of the excavation site and repeat the process until the dirt surface is level. This process is known as back dragging the excavated area.