Skid steer certainly helps. A good wet saw is a necessity as well. Mine is a 14" diamond blade. Great for paver bricks. Not big enough for the large blocks. Not dropping $4-5000 on one big enough for the blocks. I cut them, flip them over, and cut the rest of the way.
Here are the basics for a single level patio. Excavate the soil. Decide where you want the final height to be. Subtract the height of the bricks, up to 1" sand, and 4-6" base stone. This is the level you excavate down. Once cleared, you bring in a base stone layer. I use 4-11's. Put down 2" and compact with a plate compactor. You compact every 2" of stone you put down. You need to rake them fairly level before compacting. Once you have an adequate base (I went 6" of base) you use the sand for final level. You don't want over an inch. I used an inch in most places but some areas might have only seen 1/4". Lay out 1" PVC or rip down 2x4 to 1" thick and place it on the stone. Put the sand in and use another board to screed the sand much like in concrete work. Now you can begin placing the pavers on the screeded sand. I cut plywood chunks large enough to kneel on which disperses the weight of your body and prevents foot/knee prints in the sand. I also put a 1x1" chunk of wood on top of the plywood so I can grab them and pick them up to move them easier. Place the pavers in desired pattern. When you get to the outside edges you use the wet saw to cut the bricks as needed to make a clean line. Next you use more sand to broom it into the cracks. There is also a polymuric sand you can use which seals them tighter. It acts almost like a mortar when set up. It is also recommended to seal the pavers at a later date to prevent the color from fading and to protect the concrete in them.
This is a basic explanation. When you get into walls, and different levels, there are a host of other details i won't go into unless someone requests it. Hope you enjoyed. The last picture shows a decent idea of what it looks like with the compacted base, sand, and pavers being placed.
