What is the Difference Between a Radial Lift Skid Steer Loader and Vertical Lift Skid Steer Loader?

Nowadays, construction equipment manufacturers are tailoring their machine specifications to customer’s exact needs and applications. Take the skid steer loader as an example. If you’re in the market for a skid steer, you have a couple of different options to consider before making your purchase. 

Takeuchi TS50R
Radial Lift Skid Steer

Well known earth-moving equipment manufacturers like Takeuchi, now offer two different types of lift-arm designs, the radial lift skid steer loader and the vertical lift skid steer loader. You will often see “R” or a “V” after the model number to differentiate between the two. Keep in mind, both machines are capable of performing the same exact task, one of them just does it better and more efficiently.

The loader arms are located at the very front of the skid steer loader and are designed to hold a variety of attachments, usually a bucket, but can also be an auger, sweeper, dozer blade, pallet forks and breaking hammers, to name just a few.

Key Differences

Just looking at the two machines you probably wouldn’t notice any difference in their swing

arcs until the bucket was about 3 feet off the ground. Performance is virtually identical when the loader arms aren’t raised.

Radial Skid Steer Loaders

• Radial lift machine provides greater forward reach for more than 80% of the lift-arm path including a greater max reach at mid-range heights
• Great for dumping materials over a wall, backfilling, unloading flatbed trucks
• More for flat work with greater push capabilities

Vertical Skid Steer Loaders

• Vertical lift path machines provide more reach at full height without decrease in performance
• Vertical lift path machines keep load closer to machine
• Can lift more than radius lift path machines
• Good for clearing high-sided truck boxes and hoppers
• Good for placing heavy material pallets

At the end of the day, the decision to buy a radial lift skid steer vs. a vertical lift skid steer comes down to how you intend to use the machine. One of the more popular choices are the Takeuchi TS70R and the Takeuchi TS70V.