2-Speed Travel, Ride Control, and Air Ride Seat: Which Skid Steer Features Are Worth Paying For?

May 6, 2026 - 2 months ago

When you're shopping used skid steer loaders on SupplyPost.com, the option list can start to look more important than the machine. Current SupplyPost.com listings include terms like 2-speed, hydraulic quick coupler, auxiliary hydraulics, cab, A/C, ride control, air ride seat, and EH Controls.

Those features matter. But they do not matter equally.

The right question is not whether a used skid steer has a long option list. It is whether those options make the machine faster, easier to control, safer to run for long shifts, or better matched to the work you actually do.

Start with How the Machine Moves Around the Site

A skid steer doing short-cycle loading in a yard has different priorities than one working snow routes, acreage jobs, municipal sites, or farm lanes.

That is where 2-speed travel earns its keep. Two-speed is not about digging harder. It is about cutting travel time when the machine regularly moves across a yard, between piles, around a commercial property, or between work areas.

2-speed usually makes sense when:

The machine travels across larger sites

You're doing snow removal or parking lot work

The operator shuttles between piles, trucks, bins, or staging areas

Travel time is a real part of the shift

It matters less when:

The machine works in one tight area all day

Most time is spent grading, digging, or loading from a short distance

The used machine's condition is weaker than that of a cheaper one-speed alternative

A clean one-speed skid steer can still be the better buy if the work is compact and the records are strong.

Ride Control Is About Load Retention, Not Luxury

Ride control gets sold as comfort, but the better argument is productivity.

Caterpillar says its speed-sensitive ride control improves operation on rough terrain, helps retain material, increases productivity, and improves operator comfort. John Deere describes optional ride control as shock-absorbing boom cylinders that cushion bumps and help retain full bucket loads when travelling over rough ground.

That makes ride control especially useful when the skid steer carries material any real distance. Gravel, mulch, snow, topsoil, feed, demolition debris, and landscape material all punish a machine that bounces its load across the site.

Ride control is worth paying for when:

The machine carries full buckets over uneven ground

Spillage slows the job or requires cleanup

Operators travel loaded at higher speeds

The site has potholes, frozen ruts, gravel lanes, or broken pavement

It is less important if the machine is mostly doing stationary attachment work, short loading cycles, or fine grading at low speed.

For Canadian buyers, ride control gets more useful in winter and shoulder seasons. Frozen ruts, rough lots, and uneven access roads make a loaded skid steer harder on both the operator and the machine.

Cab Heat and A/C Are Working Features in Canada

An enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning is not just a comfort upgrade in Canada. It can decide whether the skid steer gets used productively in January, July, or dusty shoulder-season work.

Bobcat describes its sealed and pressurized skid steer cab as protection from dust, noise, and rough jobsite conditions, with HVAC and air-ride seating helping reduce fatigue. Bobcat also says enclosed cabs include heating and air conditioning to keep the interior temperature consistent across seasons.

That matters for snow work, road sanding, farm use, municipal sites, demolition cleanup, and dusty yard operations. A tired operator in a loud, cold, dusty cab does not just feel worse. They make more mistakes, work more slowly, and avoid longer shifts when the work is already hard enough.

Cab heat and A/C are worth paying for when:

The machine works year-round

Snow removal is part of the plan

Dust, cold, rain, or heat affect the operator's output

The buyer is hiring operators, not just running the machine personally

They matter less for low-hour seasonal use, where the machine only works in fair weather.

On a used machine, inspect the cab like a working system. Check door seals, glass, heater output, A/C performance, fan speeds, seat condition, cab wiring, and whether the controls still feel tight. A cab that looks good but does not seal, heat, or cool properly is not a premium feature.

Air Ride Seats Pay When the Hours Are Real

An air ride seat does not make the skid steer stronger. It keeps the operator useful longer.

That matters on snow contracts, farm chores, municipal work, and long landscaping days when the machine may run for hours at a time. Bobcat specifically links air-ride seating with reduced fatigue, and Cat's 270 XE spec lists an available ventilated and heated high-back air ride seat with seat-mounted adjustable joystick controls for operator comfort.

Pay for the seat when the machine runs long shifts or has multiple operators. Do not overpay for it if the machine is a low-hour backup unit, a short-cycle yard machine, or a price-sensitive purchase where hydraulic condition and tire life matter more.

Seat condition also tells you how the machine was treated. A broken air ride seat, torn cushions, loose armrests, and worn control pods suggest a harder life than the hour meter may show.

EH Controls Are Worth It When Operators and Attachments Vary

Electrohydraulic controls are not automatically better for every buyer. They are better when adjustability matters.

John Deere's E-Series skid steer literature says ISO, H-pattern, and foot/joystick EH controls were available, and that switchable EH controls let the operator choose different patterns. It also notes that joystick performance settings can customize vehicle and attachment response, creeper control, boom, and bucket speed, and propel aggressiveness.

That matters when:

Multiple operators share the machine

Operators prefer different control patterns

The machine runs hydraulic attachments

Slow, controlled movement matters for trenchers, cold planers, brooms, or fine work

The buyer wants a more precise response control

EH controls matter less when an experienced operator runs the same basic bucket-and-forks work every day. Mechanical simplicity still has value, especially on older used machines.

On a used EH-equipped skid steer, cycle through every function. Check joystick response, warning lights, display functions, stored codes, attachment controls, and whether the machine behaves consistently after it warms up.

Which Features Should You Pay for First?

For most Canadian used buyers, the priority looks like this:

Cab heat and A/C if the machine works year-round or in dusty conditions.

2-speed travel if the machine crosses yards, lots, farms, or snow routes.

Ride control if it carries loaded buckets over rough ground.

An air ride seat if operators spend long days in the cab.

EH controls if multiple operators or hydraulic attachments make adjustability valuable.

That order can change. A snow contractor may put 2-speed and cab heat first. A landscaping crew hauling material across rough ground may care most about ride control. A rental-style fleet or multi-operator contractor may value EH controls more than a single-owner operator would.

The feature list should match the job, not the other way around.

Used-Buying Checks Before You Pay the Premium

Do not buy these features from the listing description alone.

Check:

2-speed travel: Confirm both ranges work under load and the machine shifts cleanly.

Ride control: Test it with material in the bucket over rough ground if possible.

Cab system: Verify heat, A/C, fan speeds, seals, glass, wipers, and door fit.

Air ride seat: Check suspension movement, leaks, cushion wear, and armrest/control fit.

EH controls: Test patterns, response settings, attachment controls, displays, and any fault codes.

Tires and hydraulics: Do not let comfort options distract from tire life, hydraulic leaks, pins, bushings, and service records.

A high-option skid steer with weak maintenance history is still a risky buy. A cleaner machine with fewer features may be the smarter purchase if the work does not justify the premium.

Key Takeaways

2-speed travel is worth paying for when the skid steer regularly moves across yards, lots, farms, or snow routes.

Ride control pays when the machine carries loaded buckets over rough ground, and spillage costs time.

Cab heat and A/C are real working features in Canada, especially for snow removal, dusty work, and long seasonal shifts.

Air ride seats matter most when operators spend full days in the machine.

EH controls are valuable for multi-operator fleets and attachment-heavy work, but simplicity still has a place on older used machines.

Ready to find your next skid steer? Browse current skid steer loader listings on SupplyPost.com, compare optioned and non-optioned machines, and pay for the features that match the work you actually do.