4570man,
Left to R in your post, based on tooth count looks like 12", 12" 24" ( that has been playing with wet concrete ), and a 30" ( the Deere ). Not a fair comparison if your comparing the 30" to the shallow 24". I cant find struck volume for the 30" Deere but my guess is 6 cubic feet.
I run KX series quick attach buckets on the the M59. Pic of 24" (L) with struck volume 3.9 cubic feet and 30" struck of 5.9 cubic feet. The 24" below looks much deeper than the 5 tooth bucket in your reply.
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Well my advice is not to go that big. I do everything you mentioned here with my IHI 15 NX which is a 4000 lb machine. Plus I also dig swimming pools. Besides the 12 inch bucket that came with the machine a built a 36 inch bucket with no teeth, it is great for softer material for moving more dirt and also cutting swale ditches.. I get lots of work because my machine will fit into places that are smaller eg. Pools in yards that already have houses and fences. My hourly rate would not help you as I live in Panama but it is 25 a hour as a big full sized backhoe like a JD310 CAT 416 is 40 to 45 a hour. My machine burns about a dollar fifty a hour in fuel.. Mine too is a hobby since I moved here from Canada. Best of luck.. A good company name is Dirt WorksI have seen this question navigated through a few times. I'm re-asking it with some context specific to myself. I am potentially selling a business that has nothing to do with Tractors or equipment. Looking to re-invest my proceeds and start up a Small Scale (kinda side hustle) earth moving Company. I already have a skid loader, dump trailer, & a 14,000 lb equipment trailer that I acquired for some personal projects. My area is very rual. 1 in 5 farmers here already has a skid loader and the other 4 have access to one they can barrow. So good luck getting paid work with one of those. I have been thinking about investing in a backhoe or a larger mini ex as those machines are a little more scarce in these parts.
I’m leaning towards a bobcat E60 mini ex (12000lbs 13ft arm) or similar as it can fit on my trailer and can be easily towed with a 3/4 pickup. I believe the work I would find is septic install and repair, digging up water lines and sewer lines for plumbers, digging graves, and the occasional egress window or basement.
Got a few questions for the smaller scale excavators out there.
Am I targeting an appropriate machine that’s going to be marketable or do I need to look for something else bigger/smaller or completely different?
If I’m not asking a top secret trade secret question, what would someone charge hourly for a E60 and what area are you in?
Am I correct in thinking that a 12,000 pound mini ex is gonna be comparable to a backhoe just more towable and without the front bucket?
Part of my thinking in this business idea is based on the lack of rental options around. I have too higher a contractor to dig a trench at my day job once in a while and the equipment / contractors are coming from 3 hours out sometimes. The guys In The area with hoes are to booked up of just not interested In The one off work I have for them
Saw a video on YouTube years ago with a tractor hoe VS a crawler hoe of equal size. The tractor hoe did not stand a chance. Too many things you need to do to move up a few feet as compared to a crawler.There is no way you are going to be able to tow something that large with a 3/4 ton truck. Even a E42 will be pushing it once you have it loaded on the trailer.
As far as size vs a backhoe I think anything 3.5t and up will compete very well with a M59 size or Deere 110 but be much more efficient.
I would go look for a Bobcat E42 R2 machine....they are very strong for the size and you could get away with towing it on your setup.