Skid steer daily inspection checklist
A skid steer is small and quick, and it puts the operator in a cage between two lift arms. That layout is why its daily check spends so long on the arms, the quick-attach, and the seat bar and interlocks that keep the arms from moving while anyone is in their way. The walk below covers wheeled skid steers and compact track loaders: the undercarriage and the front end with the engine off, the functions and interlocks with it running, then the ground and the people around you.
Your operator’s manual is the authority for anything model-specific: tire pressures or track tension, the lube points, how your quick-attach locks, and how the support device fits. The table after the checklist sets out what each province and US OSHA asks, rule by rule.
Engine off — the walkaround
Do the walk with the lift arms down and the attachment flat on the ground. If the arms have to be up, the lift-arm support device goes on first.
- Tires or tracks — tire cuts and pressure to your operator’s manual; on track machines, track tension and cuts in the rubber.
- Rollers, idlers, and packed debris — rollers and idlers turning, and no mud or debris packed in the undercarriage to freeze solid overnight.
- Lift arms, pins, and bushings — every pin greased, no play at the pivots, no cracks at the arm welds or the cross tube.
- Lift-arm support device — present, undamaged, and used any time someone works under raised arms.
- Quick-attach locked — levers down or pins fully through the attachment plate on both sides, every time the attachment changes.
- Bucket cutting edge — edge or bolt-on edge not worn through, bolts and teeth all there.
- Auxiliary hydraulic couplers — clean, capped when not in use, fully seated when connected, and not weeping.
- Hoses and fresh drips — chafing where hoses flex with the arms, and the ground under the machine. Look for leaks; never feel for them.
- Fluids — engine oil, hydraulic oil, coolant, fuel, and diesel exhaust fluid where fitted.
- ROPS/FOPS, side screens, and door — protective structure undamaged, side screens intact, the cab door latching and its glass uncracked.
- Grab handles and steps — solid and clear of mud and ice. Use them to climb in and out, never the controls.
Engine on — the function checks
- Seat belt and seat bar — belt latching and not frayed, bar coming down fully and staying put.
- Interlocks — with the bar up, lift, tilt, and drive all lock out. If anything still moves, the machine is down.
- Park brake — set, it holds the machine; released, the machine drives.
- Lift and tilt travel — full travel, smooth, and no drift with the arms raised and the controls released.
- Drives straight — runs forward and reverse in a straight line with both controls matched.
- Gauges, lights, alarm, and horn — no warning lights left on, hour meter reading noted, lights on, alarm and horn sounding.
Around the machine
- Nobody under raised arms — not you, not a helper, not for a second, unless the support device is on.
- Front entry, attachment down — climb in and out over the front, attachment flat on the ground; shut down before you leave the seat.
- Overhead clearance — lines, doorways, and beams measured against the attachment at full lift.
- Ground and slopes — soft edges and drop-offs; on a slope, travel straight up and down with the heavy end uphill.
wearpointWhat the rules ask, jurisdiction by jurisdiction
Do this walkaround before every shift. Where a rule below doesn’t name a daily inspection, it often requires the machine to be inspected or used according to the manufacturer’s instructions — so check what your operator’s manual calls for before each shift.
Each row is what one regulation asks of this machine, in plain words, with a link to the text. Where a rule depends on the kind of site or machine, the row says so: check it against your own. This is a summary, not legal advice — the regulation and your operator’s manual govern.
Alberta
Before operating powered mobile equipment, the operator must complete a visual inspection of the equipment and the surrounding area. OHS Code s.257(1)
British Columbia
Before mobile equipment is first operated on a shift, the operator must inspect it and report any unsafe or potentially unsafe defect to the supervisor or employer, then keep monitoring it while it runs. The employer keeps a record of reported defects for at least 2 years. OHSR 16.3(1)–(3)
Ontario
Construction projects: No vehicle or machine may be used while it is defective or hazardous, and it must be used as its manufacturer’s operating manual says. Powered equipment rated over 10 horsepower must be inspected by a competent worker before it is first used at the project, then at least once a year or more often if the manufacturer recommends. Neither section sets a daily inspection. O. Reg. 213/91 ss.93–94
Every workplace: The employer must keep the equipment it provides in good condition, and a worker must report a known defect that may endanger a worker to the employer or supervisor. OHSA ss.25(1)(b), 28(1)(c)
Quebec
Construction sites: Any self-propelled vehicle or equipment driven by a power source other than manual must be checked by an experienced person before its first use on the site, then daily whenever it is used. CSTC s.3.10.1(b)
Elsewhere, such as a yard or plant: A self-propelled vehicle must be inspected and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions or standards offering equivalent safety. Section 272 sets no inspection frequency of its own. RSST s.272
Nova Scotia
The employer must ensure powered mobile equipment and forklifts are operated, inspected, serviced, maintained, and repaired according to the manufacturer’s specifications, or specifications certified by an engineer. N.S. Reg. 44/99 s.55
United States (federal OSHA)
General industry: OSHA has said a skid steer that is earthmoving equipment is outside its forklift standard, and one that isn’t — such as a vertical-mast skid-steer forklift — is covered by it. 29 CFR 1910.178(a)(1); OSHA interpretation, 1999-10-21
Construction sites: OSHA’s earthmoving equipment rules set no inspection interval of their own. 29 CFR 1926.602(a)
Construction sites: The employer’s safety program must provide for frequent and regular inspections of equipment by competent persons it designates. Equipment that doesn’t comply with OSHA’s construction rules may not be used and must be tagged, have its controls locked, or be removed. 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2)–(3)
Not in the table yet: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. We add a province once its official text has been checked.
Track loader differences
A compact track loader gets everything above plus an undercarriage that needs as much attention as a small excavator’s. Clean it out at the end of the shift, not the start of the next one: mud, gravel, and snow packed between the rollers and the frame freeze overnight, and a frozen undercarriage tears up the track or stalls a drive motor on the first turn. On a winter snow lot that cleaning is the most important job of the day.
Track tension is set the way your operator’s manual describes, and both too tight and too loose cost you. A slack track can walk off the idler on a side slope or a sharp turn. Look at the rubber for cuts across the track, exposed cords, and lugs torn off, especially after a day on demolition rubble or rebar. Check the drive motors and their covers for oil, and the sprockets for broken or hooked teeth.
Getting in and out
A skid steer has one way in and one way out: over the front, past the attachment, between the lift arms. So the attachment goes flat on the ground and the engine stops before you leave the seat, every time. Climb using the grab handles and steps, facing the machine. Never use the controls or the seat bar as handholds. A boot or a sleeve on a control with the engine running moves the arms you are standing under.
When something fails
Take the machine out of service. Tag it where the next operator will see it, take the key, and report what you found to your supervisor. Only a qualified mechanic repairs it, and an interlock that doesn’t lock out is a failure, not a quirk to work around. A defect that is noted and then run anyway is the one that ends up hurting someone.
How wearpoint runs this checklist
You build the checklist once in wearpoint as an inspection template for the category: one skid steer template, in your own words and the order your crew walks the machine, and every skid steer and track loader uses it. Each item takes a verdict of OK, Issue, or N/A, so the track items get N/A on the wheeled machines. A defect gets a quick note, and open defects carry forward to the next inspection until the fix is recorded.
The operator raises a defect as an issue in one tap and the shop triages it into a work order. Owners and the people responsible get an alert when a machine goes down, and a machine marked down can’t be started from the app until it’s repaired. Operators tap in on the machine and enter the hour-meter reading when they tap out, so service comes due on the hours the machine actually ran.
