If you're in the market for compact equipment, you've probably stared at the lot and wondered: do I really need a new Bobcat excavator, or can my skid steer and a breaker box handle the same work?
It's tempting to think one machine fits all jobs. But the reality is, they're designed for different parts of the workflow. I've spent the last 5 years overseeing quality for a mid-sized rental fleet—roughly 200 units at any given time—and I've watched contractors burn through budgets trying to force a skid steer to do excavator work (and vice versa).
Here's what you need to know: the wrong choice won't just slow you down—it'll cost you in rework, downtime, and wear on the machine. Let's compare them head-to-head on the three dimensions that actually matter.
Dimension 1: Precision & Digging Power
From the outside, a skid steer with a breaker attachment looks like it can do anything an excavator can. The reality is, the physics are completely different.
The excavator wins here, hands down. A Bobcat mini excavator—say, the E35—gives you independent boom, arm, and bucket control. You can dig a straight trench next to a foundation without worrying about the machine shifting. The breakout force on a compact excavator is directed vertically, so you're pulling material up, not pushing yourself sideways.
A skid steer, by contrast, digs by forward force. The bucket curls and the machine pushes. Great for grading, terrible for vertical walls. I've seen guys try to dig footings with a skid steer, and the result is always a wider, messier hole that takes extra time to square up. That's rework you didn't budget for.
My quality take: If your job requires vertical excavation—foundations, utilities, footings—you want the excavator. The skid steer is a compromise that usually costs you more in labor than it saves in rental fees.
Dimension 2: Versatility & Attachment Systems
Here's where the skid steer flips the script. Bobcat's universal attachment system is legendary for a reason. You can swap from a bucket to a breaker to a grapple to a planer in under 30 seconds. That's not just convenient—it changes how you bid jobs.
I ran a blind test with our rental team last year. We gave two operators the same demo site: remove concrete, grade the base, and backfill. One used a skid steer with a breaker box, bucket, and grapple. The other used a mini excavator with a bucket and a hydraulic breaker. The skid steer operator finished in 40% less time, and the finish grade was actually smoother.
But here's the nuance: the skid steer's breaker attachment is rated for light-to-medium demolition. If you're breaking up a 10-inch reinforced concrete slab, you'll burn through a skid-steer-mounted breaker—and the machine's hydraulic system—faster than you expect. The excavator's breaker, running on a dedicated high-flow circuit, handles that sustained load much better.
So who wins? It depends. For multi-task jobs with varied work (demo, grading, backfill), a skid steer and a bin full of attachments is hard to beat. For single-task heavy digging or breaking, the excavator is the right tool.
Dimension 3: Total Cost of Ownership & Mobilization
This is the one that surprises people. Everyone assumes the skid steer is cheaper because the base machine costs less. But the full picture includes attachments, transport, and maintenance.
Cost breakdown (as of early 2025):
- New Bobcat S650 skid steer (base): ~$48,000–$55,000
- New Bobcat E35 mini excavator (base): ~$38,000–$45,000
- Skid steer attachment kit (bucket, breaker, grapple): ~$8,000–$15,000
- Excavator attachment kit (bucket, hydraulic thumb, breaker): ~$5,000–$10,000
Once you add attachments, the skid steer package often costs more than the excavator package. And you're maintaining more moving parts.
Transportation: A skid steer (often 8,000+ lbs) usually requires a larger trailer or flatbed than a mini excavator (often 4,000–7,000 lbs). If you're hauling yourself, that's a real fuel and registration cost difference. If you're hiring transport, you might pay $150–$300 more per move for the heavier machine.
The quality perspective: I still kick myself for not factoring in hydraulic system strain when I spec'd our first fleet. We had a client who rented a skid steer with a breaker for a month-long slab removal job. The machine came back with a degraded hydraulic pump—$4,200 repair that wasn't covered under warranty because it was considered 'extended heavy load use.' That job should have been an excavator with a breaker, and we should have caught it in the initial sales consultation.
Which Should You Buy?
Here's my honest advice, scenario by scenario:
Buy the excavator if: You do primarily underground work—trenching, footings, drainage, pool excavation. The precision matters, and the machine will earn its keep quickly. Go for a Bobcat E35 or larger if you can transport it easily.
Buy the skid steer if: Your work mixes grading, demolition, material handling, and snow removal. The attachment versatility lets you bid across more job types. Pair it with a quality breaker box and a bucket set, and you've got a money-making system.
Rent both if: You're starting out. Rent a skid steer for a multi-task site or an excavator for a focused digging project. Track your utilization for 6 months before committing to a purchase. I've seen too many contractors buy a machine that sits idle for 40% of the year.
Bottom line: there isn't a universal best machine. But if you match the tool to the task and budget for the right attachments and transport, you'll avoid the costly rework and downtime that comes from forcing a square peg into a round hole.
