A skid loader or skid steer loader is a rigid frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms used to attach a wide variety of labor-saving tools or attachments. Though sometimes they are equipped with tracks, skid-steer loaders are typically 4 wheel drive vehicles with the left-side drive wheels independent of the right-side drive wheels. By having each side independent of the other, wheel speed and direction of rotation of the wheels determine the direction the loader will turn.

Capable of zero-radius, "pirouette" turning, these machines are extremely maneuverable and valuable for applications that require a compact, agile loader.