How flow vs non skid steer full#
So, both of the company’s skid steer loaders are in full compliance with Tier 4 Final.Īt the other end is IHI, also with two skid steers, neither of which will meet Tier 4 Final standards until late 2017. “If you took off the drive systems and ignored the lift type, all four machines would be identical,” says Brent Coffey, loader product manager for Wacker Neuson.
These machines were designed, from the outset, to be Tier 4 Final compliant. Wacker Neuson had no skid steers until launching two models (and two compact track loaders) in late 2014. There are rigorous guidelines for applying these “flex credits,” and not all OEMs opted to use them. Because of the stringency of the Tier 4 Final emissions standards, the EPA created the Transition Program for Equipment Manufacturers (TPEM) to allow OEMs more time to develop and produce Tier 4 Final compliant machines. In theory, all skid steers should now be Tier 4 Final compliant (see sidebar for timelines). How can you add more components, while also maintaining access and the small overall size that makes skid steers so versatile? Customers complain about service access on skid steers as it is. Third, skid steers have a small form factor, and Tier 4 Final compliance requires stuffing additional hardware into an already-crowded envelope.
However, the difference is still substantial for any Tier 4 Final machine when compared to an earlier model of the same power rating. The cost of compliance (and resulting percent of increase in total machine cost) can vary significantly on either side of the 75-horsepower break. Second, skid steer customers are price sensitive, and Tier 4 Final machines cost significantly more than their predecessors. Skid steer models fall on both sides of this rating. First, emissions standards for machines less than 75 horsepower are different than the standards for those with 75 horsepower and above. Why did Tier 4 Final have so much impact on skid steers? Three reasons.