John Deere builds ten current compact loaders: five skid steer loaders and five compact track loaders. They run from the 318 P-Tier at 1,945 lb rated operating capacity up to the 335 P-Tier at 4,025 lb. The number that decides most purchases is rated operating capacity, because it sets what the machine can lift and carry without getting light in the back. Horsepower matters less than buyers expect on machines this size.
The short version: pick a skid steer if you work on pavement, gravel and hard surfaces and want the lower purchase price and cheaper undercarriage. Pick a compact track loader if you work on mud, sand, slopes or finished turf, where tracks float the machine and keep you working on days wheels cannot. Every model below links to its page on our lot.
The lineup at a glance
- Skid steer loaders: five models, the 318 through the 334 P-Tier, 1,945 lb to 4,000 lb rated operating capacity.
- Compact track loaders: five models, the 317 through the 335 P-Tier, 2,125 lb to 4,025 lb rated operating capacity.
- Every current model is P-Tier. The G-Series machines many people still search for are the previous generation.
Every figure below is the number John Deere lists for that model. Rated operating capacity is quoted at Deere's standard counterweight configuration, so a machine ordered with extra counterweight will differ.
John Deere skid steer loaders
| Model | Rated operating capacity | Net power | Operating weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere 318 P-Tier | 1,945 lb | 61 hp | 6,542 lb |
| John Deere 320 P-Tier | 2,190 lb | 66 hp | 7,150 lb |
| John Deere 324 P-Tier | 2,690 lb | 70 hp | 7,700 lb |
| John Deere 330 P-Tier | 2,950 lb | 95.0 hp | 9,930 lb |
| John Deere 334 P-Tier | 4,000 lb | 114.7 hp | 10,264 lb |
The step from the 324 to the 330 P-Tier is the biggest jump in the line: 25 more horsepower and better than a ton of extra operating weight.
We also stock the 316 P-Tier, the smallest skid steer in the family. It is not in the table above because John Deere does not currently publish a product page for it, and we only put numbers here that come from the manufacturer. Call us for its specs.
John Deere compact track loaders
| Model | Rated operating capacity | Net power | Operating weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere 317 P-Tier | 2,125 lb | 61 hp | 8,423 lb |
| John Deere 325 P-Tier | 2,590 lb | 70 hp | 9,500 lb |
| John Deere 331 P-Tier | 3,150 lb | 95.0 hp | 11,914 lb |
| John Deere 333 P-Tier | 3,850 lb | 105.8 hp | 12,183 lb |
| John Deere 335 P-Tier | 4,025 lb | 114.7 hp | 12,300 lb |
Compare any track loader with the skid steer carrying the same model number and you see the tradeoff plainly: the 325 P-Tier weighs 9,500 lb against the 324 P-Tier skid steer at 7,700 lb, and its rated operating capacity is 2,590 lb against the skid steer's 2,690 lb. You are buying flotation and traction, not lift.
Skid steer or compact track loader
Ground conditions decide this more than anything on the spec sheet.
- Skid steers cost less to buy and far less to maintain, because tires are cheaper than tracks and there is no undercarriage to wear out. They are faster on pavement and they do not tear up a finished surface when they turn.
- Compact track loaders spread their weight across the tracks, so they stay on top of soft ground, work earlier in the spring and later in the fall, and climb slopes a wheeled machine slides down.
Most contractors who own both reach for the track loader more often and keep the skid steer for hard-surface work and for the running cost.
Looking for a 325G, 317G or 331G
Those are G-Series machines, the generation before this one. John Deere moved its construction equipment to the P-Tier naming convention, and the current lineup is the eleven models above. If you are cross-shopping a used G-Series machine against a new one, the P-Tier model with the same number is the closest match on size, and our naming guide explains how Deere's tiers work.
We also have head to head reviews of the G-Series machines people still ask about most: the 325G against the Cat 289D and the 331G against the Bobcat T770. On the current line, we have compared the 325 P-Tier with the Kubota SVL75, and Deere's own announcement of the five newest P-Tier loaders covers what changed.
For the excavator side of the compact line, see our John Deere P-Tier excavator lineup.
Frequently asked questions
Five current models: the 318, 320, 324, 330 and 334 P-Tier. Rated operating capacity runs from 1,945 lb to 4,000 lb.
Five: the 317, 325, 331, 333 and 335 P-Tier, from 2,125 lb to 4,025 lb rated operating capacity.
The 334 P-Tier, at 4,000 lb rated operating capacity, 114.7 hp and 10,264 lb operating weight. The biggest compact track loader is the 335 P-Tier at 4,025 lb.
The 318 P-Tier, at 1,945 lb rated operating capacity, 61 hp and 6,542 lb operating weight.
Operating weight runs from 6,542 lb on the 318 P-Tier to 10,264 lb on the 334 P-Tier. Track loaders are heavier at the same capacity, from 8,423 lb on the 317 P-Tier to 12,300 lb on the 335 P-Tier.
Neither is better in general. A track loader works on soft, wet or sloped ground where a skid steer cannot, and a skid steer costs less to buy and less to run on hard surfaces. Ground conditions decide it.
The P-Tier line replaced the G-Series across Deere's construction lineup. The 325 P-Tier compact track loader is the current machine at that model number.
Call us at 405-945-8503 or stop by any C.L. Boyd location to put hands on one.