Skid loader and skid steer are two names for the same machine, so a rental yard will walk you to the same row either way. The name describes how it turns: the wheels on one side stop or reverse and the machine skids about its own centre. The comparison worth making is the next one down, wheels against rubber tracks.
Where the two words came from
Manufacturers and regions settled on different words for one loader. Skid steer describes the steering, skid loader describes the work, and older hands still say uniloader or use the brand name that made the machine common. None of that changes what arrives on the trailer. Say the capacity or the attachment you need and any counter will know the machine.
The fork that does matter
One row runs on tires, the other on rubber tracks, and they behave differently. Wheels are quicker between piles, cheaper to hire and easier on abrasive gravel. Tracks spread weight, so they float on soft ground and mark a lawn far less. That difference is worth roughly seventy five to a hundred and twenty five dollars a day at the same rated capacity.
What it changes on the quote
Ask which frame class the price covers, whether a standard bucket is included, and what the hydraulic flow is, because those three decide the work you can do. Undercarriage damage on a tracked unit is treated more seriously than a punctured tire, so read what the waiver covers. Delivery is priced from the holding branch either way.
How to ask for one at the counter
Do not lead with the name. Say what you are lifting, how wide the tightest access is and which attachment you want, and the yard will put you on the right frame. If the answer is a machine that will not clear your gate, the follow up question is whether the lot holds a mini, which is a separate row again.
Questions people ask about skid loader vs skid steer
Is a bobcat the same thing as a skid steer?
That is a manufacturer's name used as a generic word, the way people say hoover for a vacuum. It refers to the same class of machine. Yards understand it perfectly well, but they will still ask what capacity and attachment you want before they quote.
Which one is better on grass?
The tracked machine, easily. Weight spread along two belts leaves shallow marks where four tires would cut ruts, especially on damp ground. If the lawn has to survive the job, pay the difference for tracks and keep turns wide rather than spinning on the spot.
Do the two names ever mean different day rates?
No. The price follows the frame class, the tires or tracks, the attachment and the hire length. If two quotes differ, compare rated operating capacity and what is included rather than the word each yard used in its listing.