Mini excavator

[EddieWalker]

A lot of the contractors in my area just rent the machines for the job and pass on that expense to their clients. No wasted time maintaining them or fixing them. If you want to save money, then rent one yourself. For a one time job, it's gonna be the best bang for your money. Buying used means taking a risk on being able to finish before it breaks down. The less you pay for a machine, the more likely it is to break down. The more you pay for it, the harder it is to sell when you are done with it. Buying only makes sense if you plan on using it on multiple projects over a long period of time. I own a dozer, a backhoe, and dump truck and a riding trencher. I rent stuff all the time!!!

 

[4570Man]

A lot of the contractors in my area just rent the machines for the job and pass on that expense to their clients. No wasted time maintaining them or fixing them. If you want to save money, then rent one yourself. For a one time job, it's gonna be the best bang for your money. Buying used means taking a risk on being able to finish before it breaks down. The less you pay for a machine, the more likely it is to break down. The more you pay for it, the harder it is to sell when you are done with it. Buying only makes sense if you plan on using it on multiple projects over a long period of time. I own a dozer, a backhoe, and dump truck and a riding trencher. I rent stuff all the time!!!

All the contractors I see do that are working for the government... Anyone else owns their equipment. Something that sees rare use is a different story.

 

[CADplans]

I had a LOT of dirt moved this summer,,,
after thinking about doing it myself,, I hired a guy,,
he moved the dirt with this,

The Kobelco did the digging,,,

The results were spectacular,, about two days to completely upgrade over 1/8 of a mile of my driveway,,

No fuel costs, no grease, no broken parts,,, just a finished product,,,

I am WAY money ahead as compared to doing it myself,,,,

We have had a record high amount of rain this year, after the upgrade,,
hardly any gravel has moved, as compared to before the driveway upgrade,

The operator was highly skilled, and left me with the results I had expected,,
no way I could have done that good of a job,,,

The bumper sticker on his truck is accurate,,,

 

[3Lfarms]

This^

More about the spoil then the actual digging in this scenario.

I think the limiting factor will be the battery on the dump trailer. Most of those dump trailer batteries are only good to raise it 5 or 6 times in a day before needing an overnight recharge.

 

[VroomVroom]

well I was thinking of the regular tandem dump trailer 6 x 12 with 2 foot was but that comes out to be 5.3 cubic yards. If I was to remove enough dirt it would be 60 to 70 loads . I guess that is quite a lot. I would have hauled it only 100 feet, or that's what I was thinking. dumping it in a pile on the corner of the lot. All that said, it would probably take a mini that size quite a long time with the size of the buckets to remove that much. Don't know. All I know is ground work is a fortune. Not only that, but I would have to dig a septic too. Its closer to winter now, so nothing would get done until next year, so I could start digging now if I had a rig of my own. But it might be cheaper, albeit expensive, to get someone in with a big machine. Don't know. Its depressing.

 

[MidTn Mark]

good dirt guys are artists and worth every penny they charge. In your considerations you need to also think about the size of the dirt pile. Way bigger than 30x40x8.

However, never let it be said we are depriving you of a manly tool. If you really just want it tell your wife you asked and we all told you how smart buying one is.

 

[LouNY]

If you go ahead and do it yourself just a couple of points;
dirt depending on moisture and amount of stone will run 2000 to almost 3000 pounds per cubic yard.
When digging a hole and loading into a truck or trailer it is usually easier to do smaller lifts instead of trying to go full depth in one shot.
Such as taking a 2 foot cut for the entire spot, then cut a ramp down into it and take another two ft cut and if your truck or trailer is parked in your cut its even easier.
That was the old way of doing it with the lower powered dozers and loaders and hoes.
You will take quite a bit of time but get the satisfaction of doing it yourself,
One other concern could be your weather, rain or snow does your ground drain good or could it be a pond once you got started.
Good Luck and enjoy, an excavator is always nice to have.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

You definitely need to get more gravel prices, wow.

When i built, excavator bill was very reasonable, took 2 days with a crawler. Cost under $2k.

 

[4570Man]

How much can you haul in your dump trailer?
A 30x40x8 is 9600 cu ft or over 350 cubic yards.
How many loads, how far are you going to haul, going to level?

I dug out a pond once. Using the guesstimate of 80 feet diameter and 2 feet average depth that comes to a similar volume as the 30x40x8 hole. We did it in a weekend with a 50 series mini, 2 tractors and my dump truck. Since you probably wouldn’t be getting both machines stuck on your job I’d say a similar time frame is practical. I don’t think about the battery limitations on the dump trailer. My dump truck is pto powered. You’ll probably need a heavy gauge cord off the tow vehicle as a charger. Even then you’ll have to watch the duty cycle on the motor.

 

[Citydude]

I'd hire a good tracked dozer operator.. Pile would be in one spot and not splattered all around the excavation site.