Renting A Skid Steer for Feed Lot and Barn Cleanup

A skid steer rental makes economic sense when the machine is needed two to four times per year. Owning one at that usage frequency means paying for storage, insurance, maintenance and depreciation on an asset that runs 10–15 days annually. A rental keeps the full cost to the work days that justify it. For feedlot cleanouts, barn bedding removal, manure spreading prep and seasonal yard cleanup, a skid steer compresses a full weekend of hand labor into a single day. This post covers what to book, how to plan a full cleanup day across multiple tasks, how to manage the machine between jobs on the same property and — the section that most rental guides skip entirely — the biosecurity protocol before the machine arrives on your property and before it leaves. For a general machine orientation, see our guide on what is a skid steer.

The Right Machine and Attachments for Farm Cleanup

Machine size: the barn door is the first constraint

The first sizing constraint for barn and feedlot work is access. The machine must fit through the barn door, between stall partitions and through any interior passageways in the cleanup route. Standard barn doors run 8–12 ft wide; horse stall partitions may be 10–12 ft apart; hog barn aisles can be as narrow as 8 ft. Most mini skid steers with a track width of 30–48 inches fit through these openings with working clearance. A full-size skid steer at 68–80 inches wide requires confirmed clearance before booking — measure the narrowest access point before the rental date, not at delivery.

The second constraint is manure density. Compacted feedlot manure can weigh 60–80 lbs per cubic foot — significantly heavier than soil. A machine rated at 1,200 lbs of operating capacity loading a full general-purpose bucket of compacted manure may approach its limit on a single scoop. Confirm the machine's rated operating capacity against the expected bucket load before booking, particularly for deep-pack feedlot pens.

• First constraint: barn door and aisle width — measure the narrowest access point before booking, not at delivery
• Mini skid steer track width: 30–48 in — fits most standard barn doors and stall configurations
• Full-size skid steer: 68–80 in wide — confirm clearance before booking for any indoor work
• Compacted feedlot manure: 60–80 lbs per cu ft — confirm operating capacity against expected bucket load

The general-purpose bucket: the primary cleanup tool

A standard general-purpose bucket handles the majority of barn and feedlot cleanup work: scooping compacted manure from feedlot pens, scraping barn floors, loading bedding into a spreader or dump area and pushing loose material to a collection point. For most farm cleanup applications, the general-purpose bucket is the correct booking — it's included with most skid steer rentals as the standard attachment.

Bucket width matters for cleanup efficiency: a 60-inch-wide bucket covers a feedlot pen aisle in fewer passes than a 48-inch bucket. But a 60-inch bucket may not fit through narrow hog barn aisle configurations. Confirm bucket width against the narrowest aisle in the cleanup route before the rental date.

• Standard attachment: included with most skid steer rentals — confirm on the specific listing
• Primary uses: scooping compacted manure, scraping barn floors, loading bedding, pushing material
• Bucket width: 48–72 in on most rental configurations — confirm fits narrowest aisle before booking
• Most farm cleanup: general-purpose bucket handles it — specialized attachments improve efficiency on specific tasks

Specialized attachments that improve efficiency

Three additional attachments improve efficiency on specific farm cleanup jobs. A manure fork or grapple bucket allows loose bedding material — straw, shavings, sawdust — to be handled without scooping the finer material below it; the tines grab the bulk bedding while debris falls through. A push blade covers more width per pass than a bucket for pushing loose manure or feed across large flat feedlot surfaces and doesn't require lifting and dumping between passes. A pallet fork attachment is useful on rental days that combine cleanup with material handling — moving feed bags, straw bales or equipment between tasks.

Confirm attachment availability with the rental partner before booking. Not all listings include specialized agricultural attachments — ask specifically rather than assuming. For the full range of skid steer attachments and their applications, see our guide on skid steer attachments explained.

• Manure fork / grapple bucket: handles loose bedding without scooping fines — tines grab bulk, fines fall through
• Push blade: faster than a bucket for pushing loose material across large flat feedlot surfaces
• Pallet forks: useful when the rental day includes material handling alongside cleanup tasks
• Confirm availability: not all listings include agricultural attachments — ask the rental partner before booking

Planning a Full Cleanup Day

Sequence tasks from dirtiest to cleanest

Plan the rental day with the most contaminated tasks first. Feedlot manure cleanout — where the machine contacts the most concentrated biological material — should open the day before any cross-contamination consideration becomes relevant for subsequent tasks. Barn floor scraping follows. Loose bedding removal (straw, shavings) comes next. Feed pushing, silage face management or material handling tasks go last — these involve material that enters the feed chain, and doing them after the machine has been cleaned between tasks is the correct sequence.

A machine that pushes feed immediately after working in a manure-deep feedlot without intermediate cleaning carries contamination into the feed area. The sequencing rule is simple: biological contamination first, clean material last.

• First: feedlot manure cleanout — most concentrated biological material
• Second: barn floor scraping
• Third: loose bedding removal — straw and shavings after floor cleanup
• Last: feed pushing and material handling — contact with feed chain material only after intermediate cleaning
• Core rule: biological contamination first, clean material last

Time estimates for common farm cleanup tasks

Rough planning estimates for common agricultural skid steer tasks, assuming average conditions — dry-to-moist compacted manure, reasonable haul distance to the stockpile and an operator with basic skid steer familiarity. Add time for very deep compacted manure (over 12 inches), long haul distances, wet or frozen manure and confined spaces that require additional positioning passes.

• Feedlot pen cleanout (100-head pen): 2–4 hours depending on manure depth and haul distance
• Horse barn (10 stalls, full bedding removal): 1–2 hours
• Hog barn aisle scraping (narrow aisle configuration): 1–3 hours depending on barn length and aisle width
• Feedlot push-up / feed pushing (200-ft bunk): 30–60 minutes
• Full 8-hour rental day: covers a feedlot cleanout + barn scraping + bedding removal comfortably at most farm scales

Cleaning the Machine Between Tasks

Why intermediate cleaning matters on a livestock operation

A skid steer moving from feedlot manure cleanup to feed pushing or bedding handling without intermediate cleaning carries manure residue on the bucket, cutting edge and tracks into areas where livestock eat and sleep. On a cattle operation, this represents a pathogen transfer pathway for diseases including bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and other enteric pathogens that survive in manure for extended periods. On a hog operation, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and similar diseases present the same risk. It also represents a feed contamination concern — manure contact with feed bunks, silage faces or stored feedstuffs degrades feed quality.

The intermediate clean between tasks is not a rental return requirement. It's an on-farm biosecurity practice that protects the operation's animals and feed supply.

• Pathogen transfer: manure residue on bucket and tracks carries pathogens from cleanup areas to feed and bedding contact zones
• Cattle operations: BVD and other enteric pathogens survive in manure — transfer pathway is real
• Hog operations: PRRS and similar diseases present the same manure-to-feed-area risk
• Feed contamination: manure contact with feed bunks and silage faces degrades feed quality
• Not a rental requirement: intermediate cleaning is an on-farm practice, not a return condition

Field-level cleaning between tasks: what's needed and how long it takes

A field-level clean between tasks doesn't require a full pressure wash. The goal is removing gross contamination from the contact surfaces — the bucket interior, bucket cutting edge, front of the machine and the track undercarriage — before the machine moves to a clean area. Equipment needed: a pressure washer (preferred) or a garden hose with reasonable flow.

The clean-out sequence: scrape any remaining material from the bucket against a waste area, rinse the bucket interior and cutting edge, rinse the front of the machine from the bucket mount down and run the machine forward and backward through a hose-down of the tracks and undercarriage. A field-level intermediate clean takes 10–15 minutes with a pressure washer. Plan this time into the rental day schedule — a day with three task transitions needs 30–45 minutes of cleaning time in the day's total.

• Goal: remove gross contamination from bucket, cutting edge, front of machine and track undercarriage
• Equipment: pressure washer preferred — garden hose acceptable for a field-level clean
• Sequence: scrape bucket, rinse bucket interior and cutting edge, rinse front of machine, run tracks through hose-down
• Time: 10–15 minutes per intermediate clean with a pressure washer
• Plan it in: three task transitions = 30–45 minutes of cleaning time in the rental day schedule

Biosecurity: Incoming and Outgoing

Incoming: inspect and clean the rental machine before it touches your farm

A rental skid steer has been on other farms before arriving on yours. The rental company cleans machines between rentals — but the depth of that cleaning varies, and a machine returned with manure residue in the track undercarriage, bucket cavity or on the cutting edge carries biological material from a previous farm's livestock operation. Before the machine enters any area with direct livestock contact — feedlot pens, barn alleys, pasture gates — inspect the bucket, tracks and undercarriage for visible manure residue.

If residue is present, clean the machine before it crosses into the livestock zone. A pressure wash at the farm entrance or in the driveway before the machine enters the working area takes 15–20 minutes and eliminates the incoming contamination pathway. For operations that have recently managed a disease outbreak or are maintaining strict biosecurity protocol, follow the pressure wash with an application of an approved agricultural disinfectant — Virkon S or a comparable broad-spectrum product approved for use around livestock. Allow the disinfectant the contact time specified on the label before the machine proceeds into the livestock area.

• Inspect on arrival: check bucket, tracks and undercarriage for visible manure residue from previous use
• Clean before entry: pressure wash at the farm entrance before the machine crosses into any livestock area
• Time: 15–20 minutes — plan this before the rental day begins, not after the machine is already in the pen
• Disease-sensitive operations: approved agricultural disinfectant (Virkon S or equivalent) following the pressure wash
• Ask the rental partner: confirm the machine was cleaned after its last use — most reputable partners can confirm

Outgoing: returning a machine that doesn't contaminate the next farm

A machine returned with manure from your operation is a potential transmission vector to the next farm that rents it. The rental agreement typically requires the machine returned clean — meeting that requirement is also a biosecurity responsibility to the broader agricultural community. The return clean is more thorough than the field-level intermediate clean: bucket interior, cutting edge, bucket pins and pivot points, front of the machine from the boom arms down, the full undercarriage including track rollers and idlers, and the cab floor if the operator tracked material in during the rental.

A full return clean takes 20–40 minutes with a pressure washer. Budget this time at the end of the last rental day rather than rushing at machine pickup. If the operation had a confirmed disease diagnosis during the rental period, communicate this to the rental partner before return. They may require a disinfectant treatment before the machine leaves the property and will want to schedule a more thorough cleaning before re-renting to another farm.

• Return clean scope: bucket and cutting edge, bucket pins, boom arms, full undercarriage including track rollers and idlers, cab floor
• Time: 20–40 minutes with a pressure washer for a thorough return clean
• Budget it in: last 30–45 minutes of the final rental day — not rushed at machine pickup
• Disease history during rental: communicate to the rental partner before return — they need to know before re-renting
• Rental agreement: machine returned clean is both a contractual and biosecurity requirement

Making the Most of a Periodic Rental

Four practices that improve value on a one- or two-day farm rental

Book delivery one day early if possible. If the rental partner offers delivery the day before the main work day, take it. Arrival, the incoming biosecurity inspection and clean, and machine familiarization all happen on Day 0 — Day 1 is fully productive from the first pass. A rental day that starts with a 20-minute incoming clean and a machine the operator has never run before loses the first hour before the first bucket of manure moves.

Have the work site ready before the machine arrives. Manure stockpile area accessible, barn doors open and cleared, obstacles in the cleanup path removed. A machine that arrives to a prepared site starts working immediately. A machine that arrives to a closed barn door and an uncleared approach takes the first 30 minutes of the rental day to set up what should have been ready the day before.

Plan the haul route to the stockpile before the machine starts. Confirm the stockpile location and the route before the first pass. A haul route that requires repositioning the machine, opening gates or negotiating a narrow passage mid-load slows the cleanup pace on every cycle. Walk the full haul route on foot before the machine starts and resolve any constraints before they cost time at operating rate.

Budget 30–45 minutes at the end of the last rental day for the return clean. Rushing a return clean at machine pickup produces a machine that doesn't meet rental agreement standards and creates biosecurity risk for the next user. The return clean is part of the rental — plan it into the day's schedule from the start rather than discovering at 4 p.m. that there's 40 minutes of cleaning between finishing the work and meeting the pickup window.

• Book delivery one day early: Day 0 for biosecurity clean and familiarization — Day 1 fully productive
• Site ready before arrival: stockpile accessible, barn doors open, cleanup path cleared
• Haul route confirmed: walk it on foot before the machine starts — resolve constraints before they cost operating time
• Budget return clean: 30–45 min at end of last rental day — not rushed at machine pickup

Insurance and Damage Protection

Before operating rented equipment, contact your insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability for heavy equipment operation on your property.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

For livestock operations that need a skid steer two to four times per year, rental is the right economic choice — the machine cost is fully justified by the work days it covers without the overhead of ownership. Plan the work sequence before the machine arrives, account for intermediate cleaning time between tasks and run the biosecurity protocol in both directions: inspect and clean the incoming machine before it enters the livestock zone, and return the machine clean with full disclosure if any disease was present during the rental period. The rental day is productive when the site is ready, the tasks are sequenced and the cleaning plan is part of the schedule from the start.

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