Class Comparisons
Which class of machine for the job? Each comparison is computed across our full population of both classes — median weight, power, and reach, each carrying its sample size — with the decision framing that the raw numbers don't give you. Every figure is QA-checked; failures are withheld, never estimated.
✓ Population statistics — every figure spans the full class, with its sample size; method →-
Skid Steer vs Compact Track Loader
Compact track loaders run a median 9,360 lb — 37% heavier than skid steers — and rate 39% more lift. The real decision is tracks vs wheels: flotation vs speed and cost.
360 skid steers · 184 track loaders -
Mini Excavator vs Backhoe Loader
Both dig; backhoes dig a median 14.6 ft — 59% deeper than mini excavators — on far more power (85 vs 24 hp). But the split is format: one dedicated digger vs a road-legal load-and-dig machine.
479 mini excavators · 294 backhoes -
Wheel Loader vs Skid Steer
Comparing the two really means a compact wheel loader (≤22,000 lb): median 12,590 lb, 1.8× a skid steer — full-size and mining loaders aren't in the same decision.
374 compact wheel loaders · 360 skid steers
Method. Each headline figure is a median over our full population of the class named, using only QA-passed values, and carries its sample size on the same line. Wheel loaders are compared as their compact band, because the raw category spans 2,050–598,004 lb and is not one class. No figure is estimated.