Winterize Your Skid Steer: The Complete Fall Checklist
SSD
Skid Steer Doors of North America
JULY 2026
To winterize a skid steer, do six things before the first hard freeze: switch to winter-grade fluids, treat your fuel, test the battery, check your tires or tracks, grease every pivot point, and close up the cab with a door, side window panels, a heater, and a wiper kit. Schedule enough time for each component; door mounting varies by exact model, and some kits bolt straight on while others require drilling and bolting. The cab enclosure is the step most operators skip, and it is the one that matters most from November through March.
Why winter prep is worth an afternoon
A skid steer that will not start in January costs you money every hour it sits. Cold is hard on batteries, fluids, fuel, and rubber. It is even harder on the operator.
Most winter breakdowns trace back to small things you can check in the fall for little or no cost. And most short, miserable, unproductive winter days trace back to an open cab. This guide covers both.
The skid steer winterizing checklist
Print this and work through it before the first hard freeze. Your operator’s manual is the final word on fluid types and track tension for your machine.
Fluids
Fuel
Battery and electrical
Tires, tracks, and undercarriage
The cab (the hero item)
Fluids and fuel: the quick version
Cold thickens oil. Thick oil makes the starter work harder and starves parts of lubrication on cold starts. Run the winter-grade engine oil your manual lists and you avoid both problems.
Diesel fuel gels in deep cold. Winter-blend fuel or an anti-gel additive keeps it flowing. A fresh fuel filter and a drained water separator matter more in winter too, because water in the fuel system freezes and ice does not pass through a filter.
Coolant is cheap insurance. Test it with a simple tester from any parts store and make sure it is mixed for the coldest temperature you expect.
Battery, tires, and tracks
Cold weather cuts a battery’s cranking power at the same time the engine needs more of it. A battery that started the machine fine in October can leave you stranded in January. Load-test it now, and if it is on the edge, replace it in the fall on your schedule instead of in a snowstorm on the battery’s schedule.
Check tire pressure every week or two through the winter, since pressure falls as the temperature drops. On tracked machines, set the tension to spec and knock the packed mud out of the undercarriage before the first freeze. Frozen mud in the rollers is a common and avoidable winter repair.
The hero item: close up your cab
Everything above keeps the machine running. This section keeps you running.
An open cab in winter means wind in your face, snow blowing back off the bucket, and numb hands on the controls by mid-morning. A closed, warm cab means you work faster, work longer, and make fewer mistakes. Comfort is not a luxury in January. It is what gets the job finished.
Here is the four-part winter enclosure, with real prices:
| Part | What it does in winter | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Polycarbonate skid steer door | Blocks wind and snow, protection superior to tempered glass | $1,395 to $1,795 for most models |
| Side window panels | Close the side openings so heat stays in | $399 |
| Cab heater | Warms the cab and helps keep your view clear | $119 |
| Electric wiper kit | Clears snow and sleet off the door while you work | $229 |
The door comes first
The door is the backbone of the enclosure. Ours is the Original Shatterproof Polycarbonate (Lexan) Door, first to market, made from heavy-duty polycarbonate instead of tempered glass. Polycarbonate handles winter work without shattering, and it takes hits from ice chunks and frozen debris that would ruin a glass door. If you want proof, watch our owner Leighton swing a hammer into our 1/2 inch thick CAT D door on camera, unedited. For more on how the material behaves in deep cold, see our guide on polycarbonate doors in extreme cold.
Every door is CNC-cut for your exact make and model. No guesswork. We build doors for ASV, Bobcat, CAT, Case, Gehl, John Deere, Kubota, Mustang, Manitou, New Holland, Takeuchi, and Terex machines, including older machines nobody else builds enclosures for, like the Case 1840 and 1845C.
Every door is backed by our limited lifetime warranty against door failure or breakage: one free replacement for life for the original owner, under normal conditions. Hardware is covered for 3 months.
What’s in the box with every door: the CNC-cut polycarbonate door, handle with locking latch and keys, hinges, weather seal gasket, supplied nuts, bolts, washers, and printed instructions. Some kits bolt straight on and others require drilling and bolting, so those model-specific instructions determine the tools and time required.
Side panels, heater, and wiper
Side window panels close up the openings beside you. Without them, a door alone still leaves two big holes for wind and heat loss. With them, the enclosure helps regulate cab temperature so the heater has a fighting chance.
The cab heater is the comfort piece. At $119 it is the cheapest line on the table and the one operators thank us for most in February. Our cab heater guide covers mounting and setup.
The electric wiper kit earns its keep the first time you push snow in a storm. A door you cannot see through is a door you will end up opening, and then you are cold again. See the electric wiper kit guide for what is included and how it installs.
One note on installation: if your machine uses a door safety switch or magnet, call us at (800) 781-8000 and we’ll walk you through your machine’s setup.
Order before the freeze, not after
Every parts counter in the country gets busy in the fall, and winter cab gear is no different. The operators who order doors, heaters, and wiper kits in September install them in a warm shop in October. The ones who wait install them with cold fingers in December.
Doors ship UPS 3 Day Air, $150 flat, typically 3 business days (not guaranteed). Winter storms can slow any carrier, which is one more reason not to wait for the first blizzard to order.
Common questions
Can I skip the enclosure if I only plow a few driveways? You can, but even short sessions in wind and blowing snow wear you down and slow you down. The heater and wiper kit alone make a bigger difference than most operators expect.
Will a polycarbonate door fog up in winter? Any enclosed cab can fog when warm air meets cold panels. The cab heater moving air across the door keeps your view clear, the same way your truck’s defroster does.
My machine never came with a factory door. Can I still enclose it? In most cases, yes. We make a door frame kit ($599) for machines that never had a factory door. Call us and we will confirm what fits your machine.
Find your door in 30 seconds. Pick your machine’s make and model and see the exact door built for it: [Find Your Door]. Questions? Call or text (800) 781-8000, Mon–Fri 7am–4pm CST.