Skid Steer salvage yards are great for cheap parts. Most of the best yards are located in the midwest, but you can find them scattered around the US. You can find skid steers at junkyards that carry other construction equipment, but an exclusive is ideal. If you are having trouble finding the skid steer parts secondhand, some of these salvos run websites and you can order the used parts. Below I’ll also share my experience with the skid steer salvage yards near me and help you find one near you.
Map of Skid Steer Salvage Yards Near Me
For “Skid Steer Salvage Yards Near Me” or “Skid Steer Junkyards Near Me”, see the map below…
Skid steers also known as skid loaders, are a genre of industrial and construction vehicles. These vehicles either have four wheels or tracks, a small rigid steel frame, and lift arms that can attach different buckets, tools, and other labor assisting pieces
How Skid Steer Salvage Yards Near Me Work
Skid steer salvage yards play a crucial role in the construction equipment industry by offering rebuilt parts and aftermarket components. These yards acquire damaged or decommissioned skid steers, carefully extract reusable parts, and refurbish them to ensure functionality.
Skid steer salvages are locally owned and operated. These salvos purchase used or junked skid loaders and then sell the used parts that still work. Normally at the end of the process, the steel frame and remaining pieces will be sold for scrap metal. These construction equipment junkyards serve the vehicle recycling industry and help reduce the energy required to manufacture new parts.
Skid loaders can end up at a salvage yard for different reasons. Some break down, others have broken components, and some may even be in accidents. There are other ways as well like when a company goes out of business. Some vehicles might get purchased at auction. Regardless of the reason for being junked, these units are often beyond repair and are ready to be dismantled.
If the Skid Loader Runs, They Might Auction It
If the skid steer runs and the salvage yard has it, they may actually just auction it themselves. Some yards may do some small mechanical repairs in order to boost the value at auction. For a junkyard, this is a faster way to make a profit than waiting for parts to be pulled.
Understanding this concept is important. If you sell a running skid steer to a salvage yard, they may bring it straight to auction.
That means two things for you:
First, If the skid steer runs, you should negotiate a higher price from the salvage yard. Second, don’t sell a skid steer to a scrap metal plant if it runs, you will get paid more by a salvage.
Now with that being said, if the skid loader runs, but the entire lift system is junk, the leverage you have in negotiations is diminished.
Pick and Pull and Dismantling…
When a skid loader arrives at a junkyard it doesn’t go straight out to the yard for dismantling. It needs to be processed and prepped to meet environmental regulations and for the salvage yard to maximize its profit.
It’s common that all the major fluids are drained like gas, oil, diesel, fuel cell, etc. These are drained because when the skid steer goes into the lot it could leak dangerous chemicals into the local groundwater. If it is a battery-powered machine, the battery needs to come out because that two can leak and impact the local water supply. The advantage of pulling the battery is that it is an easy part to resell if it is still functioning.
Other valuable parts may get dismantled like the motor, attachments, and accessories for the lift, and any part that may corrode outside in the elements. Certain yards will sell these pre-pulled parts online and others sell them from inside their warehouse.
How a Skid Steer Junkyard is Arranged
The skid steer salvage yards near me are actually industrial salvages. So you have skid steers mixed among excavators, forklifts, front loaders, booms, bulldozers etc…There is a specific section for pick and pull of skid loaders, but my local industrial salvage isn’t a skid steer salvage.
At a specialized lot though, you can find strictly skid steers. They will be mixed by make and model, but in my experience, they will be grouped by four wheels and tracks.
The better the salvage is arranged, the easier it is to find the salvage skid loader parts you need. If you are visiting a junkyard that is a mess, just ask for service. Most of these places know exactly what they have, the condition the equipment is in, and where it is in the yard.
Finding the Salvage Parts You Need…
In my experience, the best salvage yards have a computerized inventory. When equipment comes to the yard they label it with a bar code sticker, scan it, and then log details into a database. Some make their databases searchable online, which means you can check and see if they have what you need in stock. Other yards don’t have a database online, but you can call and ask for what parts you are looking for. The best salvos know what they have down to year, manufacturer, model, and part.
The skid loader salvages near me are all industrial equipment pick and pull lots. This means you pay a few bucks to enter the junkyard, find the parts you need, remove them, and then pay for what you take. The pick and pull style yards tend to have lower prices, but older inventory.
On the flip side yards that dismantle skid steers and sell the parts have higher prices, but a better quality inventory of parts. These junkyards pull the parts, which preserves their condition, and then label the parts so they are easier to find. Many of these places sell their parts on their online shops or even on eBay. What you might lose in money by paying a little more, you will save in time.
What Kind of Skid Steers and Salvage Parts Can You Find…
Skid loader parts and brands will vary from yard to yard, but essentially you can find almost anything. Now of course, not every part you find will be quality enough to pull out of it.
For manufacturers, you can find skid loaders from CAT, Gehl, John Deere, Bobcat, CASE, Clark, Komatsu, Volvo, and other popular makes. Variety also comes in the kinds of skid loaders you will find. This includes 4-wheelers and tracks as well as rough terrain skid steers. Then of course there are the attachments like buckets, rock buckets, grapple rakes, backhoes, tree pullers, skeleton loaders, land planers, and even riding platforms.
As far as parts you can find engines with varying power sources like gas, battery, or fuel cell. Then there are arms, lift cylinders, tilt cylinders, motor mechanics, controls, pedals, wiring harnesses, seats, wheels, tires, cabs, cages, levers, capacity plates, and overhead guards. Pretty much anything that has ever been bolted onto a skid loader you can find.
Certain yards may also offer a warranty on mechanical parts. If you aren’t sure you should ask. The skid loader junkyard near me charges $8 to add a part warranty. That gets you 30 days for an exchange of parts or a junkyard credit. No cash back though.
Skid Steer Salvage Parts – Pros and Cons
Advantages of Used Skid Steer Parts
Saving money is the primary reason you want to buy used skid steer parts. Any parts you find at a junkyard are sold significantly below retail prices. It’s not crazy to save 75% and get parts that will last a few years.
It’s not all about saving money though, if you have an older skid loader, you may not be able to even buy new parts. Sometimes a junkyard is your only option.
The other advantage is finding factory-installed OEM pieces. It’s great when you get a part that you can see how the factory assembled it. This is really helpful if the part you replacing is really damaged and you need to see how it’s supposed to be attached.
Disadvantages of Buying Used Skid Steer Parts
Anytime you buy used parts for any type of vehicle quality is the X factor. On average skid steers are built to log about 10K hours of hard labor. You and I both know that these machines are beaten on and are placed under heavy duress. When you buy used skid steer parts, you don’t know how the equipment was treated or maintained. Of course, anything you get at a salvage yard does not come with maintenance records.
The key to buying used skid loader parts and getting quality pieces is doing a very thorough inspection before you remove the part. Then do another inspection after you remove it.
Skid Steer Salvage Yards Near Me Conclusion
For me, the internet is often my first search for salvage skid steer parts. It’s just a little more efficient as I don’t have a good specialty yard close by.
Different kinds of construction equipment salvages will carry skid steers. The best thing to do though is see if you have a specialized skid steer yard nearby, You have greater choice of parts, save time looking for parts, and get better customer service from a specialist who knows these vehicles.
Sometimes you can find these vehicles in other yards like farm equipment and/or tractor salvages, which are good alternatives to check. The downside is that selection will be limited and they may not have your make and model. That’s my experience from the skid steer salvage yards near me.
