You’ve heard all the clichés.

“Don’t tell me what you can do, show me!”

“Put your money where your mouth is!” And so on.

In this particular battle, it’s a simple test of brute strength out in the open for all to see.  Out in the middle of an arena.  Power lift.  Raise the heavy concrete block up to the bar or back off.  ‘Nuff said.

Five compact track loaders – Bobcat, Cat, New Holland and Case – took on John Deere in this uplifting contest.

You can see what happens.  Surprised?  What would YOUR CTL do with a pair of forks and a big, bad block like this?

Tell us!

One of the only things these days that might be tighter than the credit market is a crowded jobsite.

Materials, buildings, forms, co-workers, other pieces of equipment…it can be a maze that you have to negotiate every day.

That’s why we’ve included a visibility challenge as part of the “Prove It!” Tour. We put real contractors in the operator’s stations of different skid steer brands to see if their visibility could match John Deere’s.

Look behind you!

No, seriously…

Check out this challenge – and your skid steer’s visibility. How close would YOU be able to get to the line?

In this head-to-head grudge match, a Deere 313 takes on Bobcat and New Holland – with contractors like YOU in the seat!

No plants, no Deere employees wearing some other brand’s hat, just real contractors from the crowd. And they got to pick which skid steers they wanted to run. That’s the nature of the “Prove It Tour.”

But the operators didn’t get to pick the harrowing conditions for the hill climb event…two three-foot berms followed by a fearsome five-foot berm. After negotiating those, the contractors had to fill the bucket and return to the starting line by going over the exact same hills.

It’s all an effort to re-create some of the conditions you’d see on a jobsite. We all know jobsites aren’t always flat. The real world is full of obstacles and your skid steer shouldn’t be one of ‘em.

The hill climb’s a titanic test of stability and weight distribution. Don’t let those wheels leave the ground!

Tell us what YOU think.

Why is The Ultimate Skid Steer Smackdown’s Season 2 called The Prove It Tour?

Didn’t we already show that John Deere skid steers are the best in the land?

Because we read words like “staged” and remarks such as “Of course they’re winning, all the operators are from Deere.”

So in Season 2 we’re taking the battles – and the action – to YOU.  You might even be able to get in the seat when the tour rolls into a Deere dealership, a tradeshow or your own jobsite.

No matter where Smackdown brings down the thunder, you’ll see it all in the Episodes section and be able to blog about it right here with other skid steer fans… and judge for yourself.

Comments?  Bring ‘em on!

Share your thoughts on the Smackdown experience. What did you like or dislike? Let us hear your opinions.