Bobcat is a brand name that has become the generic word for a skid steer loader, and the smallest skid steer the company currently sells still weighs 2,892 lb. That single number settles the whole question of how it ships: nowhere near a parcel carrier, always onto an open trailer, always priced by a person who has seen the model and the route. No dollar figure appears on this page, because none of ours would be honest without both.
A machine this heavy was never a candidate for a shipping label. The only open question is the trailer and the route.
Two current Bobcat models, pulled straight from the company's own specifications pages on 2026-08-26, show the range a buyer is actually choosing between. Neither is close to a package.
| Model | Operating weight | Length × width × height |
|---|---|---|
| Bobcat S70 (smallest current skid steer) | 2,892 lb | 75.6 × 35.5 × 71.4 in |
| Bobcat S650 (mid-frame skid steer) | 7,901 lb | 108.5 × 72.1 × 81.3 in |
Set those against the ceiling on the other side of the comparison: UPS states on its own shipping dimensions page, read 2026-08-26, that a package may weigh up to 150 lb, measure up to 108 in long, and reach 165 in once length and girth are added together. The S70, the lightest skid steer in Bobcat's current line, is already about nineteen times over the weight figure, and its own published dimensions add up to roughly 289 in of length plus girth against that 165 in ceiling. A compact track loader or a larger frame size only widens the gap.
A skid steer that starts and runs is loaded under its own power onto an open flatbed or step-deck trailer, which is quicker and cheaper than a machine that needs a winch or a forklift. Tell the carrier up front whether it runs; that single fact changes what shows up to load it.
Federal width on the National Network is 102 in, and both machines above sit inside it on their own: 35.5 in across for the S70, 72.1 in for the S650. What reaches the line is what is bolted to the front. A wide bucket or a set of forks can add a foot on each side, which is why attachments usually travel off the machine or strapped flat rather than mounted.
Nobody is asking for a dry tank on a machine that has to drive itself onto a trailer. What haulers ask for is a low one, roughly a quarter: fuel is dead weight on a rated deck, and a brimmed tank on an open trailer is a spill waiting for the first hard stop. Cap or disconnect the battery so nothing energizes under a strap.
Small parts, a filter, a seat cushion, a manual, are ordinary parcels and price live in the calculator. The machine itself never touches that calculator; it goes straight to a freight review, the same as any other piece of heavy equipment.
A skid steer quote is built from a short list of facts, not a photo: the exact model, since a frame size difference of two model numbers can be a couple thousand pounds; the operating weight as it will actually travel, with any attachment left on; the overall width at the widest point; whether it starts and drives, or has to be lifted; and both addresses, since a machine sitting on gravel behind a locked gate is a different pickup from one on a paved commercial lot. Send those and a person can tell you whether the load needs a permit before a number gets attached to it.
Manufacturer specifications are for a base machine; attachments, tracks instead of wheels, and cab options add weight. Carrier limits are revised without notice. Treat the figures above as what those pages showed on 2026-08-26, and weigh and measure your own machine before booking.
The smallest current model, the S70, has an operating weight of 2,892 lb. A mid-size machine like the S650 runs 7,901 lb. Both figures come from bobcat.com's own key-specifications pages, read 2026-08-26. Even the lightest skid steer Bobcat sells is more than nineteen times UPS's 150 lb package ceiling.
No. UPS publishes a ceiling of 150 lb per package, 108 in of length, and 165 in of length and girth combined, per ups.com read 2026-08-26. The lightest Bobcat skid steer is nineteen times over the weight ceiling and roughly 289 in on length plus girth, so the machine never enters the parcel network and moves as freight instead.
If it starts and runs, it usually drives on and off an open trailer under its own power, which is faster and cheaper than a machine that has to be winched or lifted. A dead machine still ships, but the carrier needs to know in advance so the right equipment shows up.
Not empty, since the machine usually drives itself on and off the trailer. Haulers generally want the tank low, around a quarter, because fuel is weight on a rated deck and a brimmed tank on an open trailer is a spill risk. Battery terminals should be capped or disconnected, and loose attachments, buckets, forks, augers, travel secured or removed rather than resting on the machine.
SMKlog does not publish a figure, because the honest answer depends on the exact model's weight and width, the trailer type the site can accommodate, the distance, and whether the machine runs. Those variables are why this is priced by a person during freight review rather than by a table.