When you’re on a job site with your skid steer, you need to know that your equipment is up to the task. You need American made skid steer attachments. Maybe you’re pulling up trees, grappling dirt, or clearing snow. Whatever the work is, American made attachments help you get it done right because they are built for the job and built to last.
American-Made vs. Foreign-Made Attachments
What does “American made” mean? It’s more than just where an attachment is manufactured — it’s about the quality of that process. When you are shopping for a skid steer attachment, these are some of the things to look into:
“Types” of Steel Used
Foreign skid steer attachment companies, such as ones located in China, often use scraps from American steel products as the base for their equipment. This is melted down and then reforged into the parts needed to build a skid steer attachment. They are basically built using recycled steel, which, because it’s comprised of different sources, can have a compromised integrity.
Our American made skid steer attachments at Prime only use Grade 50 steel on any parts that are ¼” or thicker. This high quality, low alloy steel provides strong corrosion resistance and a high strength-to-weight differential. This is also stronger steel than you’ll see from most of our competitors. (There’s a reason we say “built to be badass!”)
Welding Quality
Foreign attachments are generally tacked together rather than traditionally welded. In this process, a manufacturer may even insert filler material between two metal pieces to join them during tack welding. This is a quick process to complete, sure, but results in connections that are imprecise and often impaired.
American-made Prime Attachments use heavy spot and seam welds that fuse the metal pieces together. This produces strong welds that are reliable, durable, and free of filler.
Compatibility Concerns
At Prime, we have over 30 years of engineering experience. When we are designing attachments in our US-based offices, compatibility with major skid steer suppliers is always top of mind. And it’s something we rigorously test our attachments for during the manufacturing process.
The build of foreign or Chinese skid steer attachments is often driven not by compatibility concerns, but solely with a speed-to-market focus (which is more profitable).
Service Support
Oftentimes, people will purchase a Chinese skid steer loader attachment at auction. But they’re only getting a piece of equipment, not any warranties or support. This is one reason foreign attachments are able to get away with lower build quality — they don’t have to answer to customers when there’s no warranty.
Because they are built under certain regulatory guidelines and fully warranted, American made Prime Attachments products come with a level of quality and service support.
You Get What You Pay For
You can certainly shop around and find a “too good to be true” price for a skid steer attachment. But what are you really getting?
- Inferior craftsmanship?
- Attachments built overseas using uncertain steel compositions?
And when that equipment breaks, who will you call?
Are the savings worth the potential issues that cheap equipment will cause to your business and reputation?
Strong Attachments, Stronger Service
Prime Attachments are not only made at our Minnesota facility, they are designed there as well. In each step of that process, we’ve pressure tested every piece of every attachment. That ensures that when you get it on site, it’s going to function exactly how you need it to.
Other advantages American-based Prime offers include:
- A focus on using only the strongest available materials.
- Machining everything to common sizes. This makes attaching and maintaining equipment easy.
- Direct, 24-7 customer service.
- Two-year warranties.
Visit the Prime Attachments shop today and start to realize the benefits of American made skid steer attachments.
