The original idea for today’s compact utility loader was basically a motorized wheelbarrow invented in 1978.
It gradually evolved into a walk-behind machine, and in 1981, the first stand-on model was introduced in Australia with an 11-horsepower engine. The mini loader continued to evolve into the Dingo wheeled mini skid steer, which first entered the U.S. in 1995.
Toro soon acquired the U.S. rights to the Dingo and launched a wheeled walk-behind model in 1997. In 2000, the company launched a tracked model, and in 2006, it introduced the TX Platform ride-on attachment for its Dingos.
Toro created an entire division to producing a range of compact utility loaders – tracked, wheeled, walk-behind, stand-on, electric, diesel and gas – and has maintained the Dingo name.
Today’s compact utility loader market is a crowded one, with new machines and companies all trying to capture market share of the increasingly popular mini loaders.
CULs have risen to the fifth-highest equipment category for sales in the U.S. At 10,503 new financed units over the past 12 months, their sales rank behind compact track loaders, mini excavators, standard-sized excavators and wheel loaders, according to Fusable’s EDA equipment finance data. (Fusable is also the parent company of Equipment World.)
For this article, we focus on the stand-on models, which are also called mini skid steers or mini track loaders. The naming is dictated by each OEM. We have settled on “compact utility loader” as a good all-encompassing name, which includes tracked and wheeled models.
Since the loader’s humble beginnings as a motorized wheel barrel, they have advanced to becoming versatile toolcarriers, doing everything from digging to demolition. Because of their small size, they have become ripe for electrification, making a labor-saving, emissions-free and low-noise indoor tool. Some manufacturers have also released remote-control models for working in dangerous and difficult-access areas.
In this report, we look at the most popular models of compact utility loaders, as well as new models and features on the market.
Here’s the latest from Bobcat, Boxer, Case, Cratos, Ditch Witch, Kanga, Kubota, New Holland, Scag, Toro, Vermeer, Viper and Wacker Neuson.
Bobcat
The top-selling compact utility loader in the U.S. is Bobcat's MT120. Bobcat
Its MT100 is the top-selling model in the U.S., with 1,000 pounds of rated operating capacity and 24.8 horsepower.
Earlier this year, the company launched it largest model, the MT120, which ranks fourth on the EDA list. The new loader has rated operating capacity of 1,200 pounds and a 24.5-horsepower diesel engine. The 3,720-pound compact utility loader has a top travel speed of 4.7 mph and pilot controls. A new direct-drive system eliminates belts for less maintenance.
Two track widths are available. The standard 9-inch tracks keep width to just under 36 inches, and optional 11-inch-wide tracks increase width to about 44 inches.
Designed with a vertical lift, Bobcat says, the MT120 offers a “best-in-class” lift height of 88 inches and reach of 22 inches. Counterweights come standard to increase lifting performance.
Boxer
Boxer's 375 and 385DBoxer
“Their compact size and agility allow them to operate in confined spaces, speeding up project timelines and improving overall productivity,” the company says. “Additionally, the intuitive joystick controls enable even less experienced operators to perform complex tasks with ease, maximizing the available workforce's effectiveness and reducing downtime.”
In all, Boxer offers four “mini skid steers,” all with tracks:
- 375 – tip capacity of 1,071 pounds and 14.5-horsepower Kohler gasoline engine.
- 385D – tip capacity of 1,100 pounds and 24.8-horsepower Kohler diesel engine.
- 600HD – tip capacity of 1,535 pounds and 24.8-horsepower Kohler diesel engine.
- 700HDX – tip capacity of 2,020 pounds and 24.8-horsepower Kohler diesel engine.
Case
Case TL100Case CE
The TL100 ranks ninth in new financed sales in the U.S., according to EDA.
The 25-horsepower CUL has an operating capacity of 1,000 pounds and has a standard auxiliary hydraulic setup of 13 gallons per minute and 2,700 psi for attachments. Weights can also be added to increase the tipping load and rated operating capacity.
The TL100 features hydraulic ISO-pattern joystick pilot controls, and it can run over 150 attachments, according to Case.
Cratos
Its first product, the Sherpa 100ECO mini skid steer, has been a popular niche loader for the indoor demolition industry. It has a battery runtime of 7 to 9 hours and tipping load of 620 pounds.
The new THR2000 CTL is a response to growing customer demand for more power, lifting capacity and maneuverability, the company says.
The THR2000 has a lifting capacity of 1,050 pounds. It runs on a 48-volt lithium-ion battery system that gets 6 to 9 hours of runtime on a charge, depending on how it's operated. Charging takes less that 15 hours, the company says. It is 32 inches wide for fitting through doors and in elevators. It weighs 2,058 pounds. It can also work in the dirt.
Ditch Witch
Ditch Witch's SK1750 is the company's top-selling model and ranks seventh in sales in the U.S.
The SK1750 is ranked seventh and is the company’s top-seller. The “stand-on mini skid steer” has a 2,000-pound ROC and was the first to be equipped with Ditch Witch’s TriTrax System with tension window, redesigned rollers and an upgraded outer frame. Along with less maintenance, the system is designed to deliver “smooth performance, comfortable operation and reduced ground pressure.” The tension window allows operators to check track tension at a glance. It runs on a 43-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine.
The eighth-top-selling CUL is Ditch Witch’s SK1050, which has a 37-horsepower Yanmar diesel and an ROC of 1,062 pounds at 35% of tipping capacity.
Coming in 10th place is the SK900 with a 24-horsepower Yanmar diesel and ROC of 932 pounds at 35% of tipping capacity.
Other models from Ditch Witch range from the SK800, with 24.8-horsepower Kubota diesel and 911-pound ROC, to the SK300, with a 58.9-horsepower Yanmar diesel and 3,102-pound ROC.
Kanga
Kanga PW220Kanga
Today, the company offers five series of CULs in tracked and wheeled models and remote control.
In 2023, Kanga unveiled the next generation of the Kanga Kid 220, which it claims as “the world’s smallest multi-task compact skid steer loader.”
At 30 inches wide for the wheeled PW220 and 31.5 inches wide for the tracked PT220, the stand-on compact mini loaders can fit through narrow passages and standard doorways.
Both models run on a Honda gas engine. The PW220 has a tipping load of 785 pounds, and the PT220, 794 pounds.
Kubota
Kubota SCL1000Kubota
The SCL1000 has become the No. 2 top-selling model on EDA’s new financed list. It has a rated operating capacity of 1,000 pounds and runs on a 24.8 horsepower Kubota diesel engine.
The CUL has a standard 9.8-inch-wide track and a 36-inch-wide total machine width. The loader features pilot-operated controls. Push-button control of auxiliary hydraulics is incorporated in the control handle.
Operators get cushioned loader boom cylinders and an adjustable platform suspension system. Keyless start with passcode protection is standard. It also has a 12-volt charging port and a 4.3-inch LCD color dash monitor.
New Holland
New Holland C314New Holland
The C314 is compatible with a variety of New Holland attachments, including augers, trenchers, grapple buckets, rakes, thanks to its auxiliary hydraulic flow rate of 15 gallons per minute. It also has a common industry interface and 14-pin electric multifunction control to link with new and older attachments.
It runs on a 24.8-gross-horsepower Kubota diesel engine and has a rated operating capacity of about 1,000 pounds at 35% of tipping load. Standard tracks put the loaders width at 35 inches for fitting in narrow spaces. Wider tracks of 40.4 inches are also available.
Scag
Scag JackalScag
The CUL comes with three engine options: a 24.8-horsepower Kubota, 24.7-horsepower Kohler or 24.7-horespower Yanmar.
The Jackal has a 1,125-pound lift capacity, a 3,142-pound tip capacity and an 83-inch hinge pin height for unloading into Dumpsters, containers and truck beds. It has 15 gallons per minute of auxiliary hydraulic flow at 3,000 psi.
Toro
Toro's latest Dingo is the all-electric TX 750.Toro
Its Dingo TX 1000 is No. 3 on EDA’s top-selling new financed CULs list. The model was the first in its class with a 1,000-pound ROC. It runs on a 24.7-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine.
Toro offers CULs in wheeled, tracked, diesel, gas and electric versions. Earlier this year, it unveiled its all-electric Toro TX 750 eDingo. The TX 750 has 250 pounds more capacity than the company’s first eDingo, the wheeled TX 500, and it is the first eDingo to come with tracks. The new compact utility loader comes in two models, narrow at 31.5 inches wide and able to fit through standard doorways and wide at 37.2 inches for less ground pressure for outdoor projects, such as moving gravel, soil, rock or concrete.
Other models in the Toro lineup range include the Dingo TXL 2000 mini track loader with telescoping arm for reaching up to 10 feet high and 44 inches out. It has a 2,000-pound ROC and 46.9-horsepower Kubota diesel.
On the smaller, wheeled side, Toro offers the 25-horsepower, gasoline Dingo 323 with 515 pounds ROC and the 20-horsepower diesel Dingo 320-D at 524 pounds ROC.
Vermeer
Vermeer's new ML130Vermeer
The company recently launched its next-generation series of tracked mini loaders. The four new ML Series mini loaders are fitted with Rehlko diesel engines, replacing the Kohler engines in the CTX models they will replace.
The new lineup offers radial lift with the ML80 and ML100 for digging and loading, while the vertical-lift ML130 and ML150 are designed for loading and material handling at height.
Operators will find an updated hydraulic system for increased power transfer, a greaseless track system and easier engine access.
The new ML Series lineup consists of the following:
- ML80 – 760-pound ROC and 25 horsepower.
- ML100 – 950-pound ROC and 25 horsepower.
- ML130 – 1,270-pound ROC and 40 horsepower.
- ML150 – 1,530-pound ROC and 40 horsepower.
The company also revealed a prototype ML180 mini track loader at Utility Expo 2025. The new loader, which isn’t production-ready, was displayed to gather customer feedback and, at 48 horsepower, would be Vermeer’s largest mini loader.
Viper
Viper V1300XViper
The V1300X has an ROC of 1,300 pounds and 24-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine. It features a self-leveling boom, two sets of auxiliary hydraulic quick couplers, 8-inch-wide rubber tracks, simple joystick control and LED screen display.
The CUL is 41 inches wide without bucket. It can run such attachments as standard 49-inch-wide bucket, tooth bucket, forks, grapple, tree boom lift and more.
Viper formed in 2021 and is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, according to its LinkedIn page.
Wacker Neuson
Wacker Neuson SM100Wacker Neuson
The company’s SM100 is its best-selling new financed model, according to EDA. It runs on a 24.8-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine and has an ROC of 998.7 pounds at 35% of tipping load.
Features on the SM100 include:
- Operator presence pedal and hydraulic function lockouts to prevent accidental movement of lift arm and drive functions.
- Large, spring-suspended operator platform.
- Fine-tuned, forward angled joysticks that position the operator’s hands in a neutral position to reduce fatigue.
- Front-mounted coolers to eliminate hot or dusty air blowing across the operator’s legs.
- Cupholder, 12-volt charging port and storage compartment.
Wacker Neuson’s next top-selling model is its largest, the SM120, with an ROC of 1,226 pounds at 35% of tipping load and a 24.8-horsepower Yanmar diesel.
Other CULs in the lineup: the wheeled SM50, with a 21.1-horsepower Yanmar diesel and an ROC of 533.5 pounds, and the tracked SM60, with a 24.9-horsepower Kohler gasoline engine and ROC of 601.9 pounds.
