How hard is it to learn to use a rental mini-excavator?

[kenhar]

Only 1 way to learn how to operate any equipment. Get in an open area and play with it. You can read instructions, talk to old hands, get advice, but until your butt has sweated in the seat you won't know s--t! The main thing to have with you all the time is common sense. Don't get on the machine without it.

 

[boatmoter]

I've been a member of this forum for a long time and appreciate the advice offered hear. I'm the proud owner of two Steiner 240's. I have two properties and they serve me very well for mowing, dirt moving and snow blowing. Last summer the machine in the picture moved 1000 yards of fill and gravel and it was maybe the best summer of my life!!! I personally think that the flexibility, power and durability make Steiner/Ventracs a very good long-term value for a mechanically inclined homeowner like me.

My place in Maine has tree stumps that are out of range for a 22 HP machine. I can push 24" and smaller stumps around once they are loose, but I can't get them dislodged.

I'm considering renting a mini-excavator to dig about 10 stumps in the 12 to 24" range. My question is, how steep is the learning curve for a mini-excavator for someone who has lots of hydraulic tractor experience? Can I reasonably expect to dig 10 stumps in a day starting with no mini-excavator experience?

it's easy and quick to learn. the track Hoe is about the same as operating a back hoe but I believe is a faster and better machine then the back Hoe

 

[aircommuter]

You have multiple questions. First how long does it take to learn to operate the excavator. Answer: That depends on you and your adaption of hydraulic controls, hand-eye coordination. Second is the amount of time to remove the stumps. That’s loaded with variables and how well you have learned to operate and now you must focus on the stump and its roots. Sometimes on larger roots you need to use the teeth or tooth to split and tear the root away in pieces or have a big enough machine to do in one pass. You get the most power from pointing the tip of the tooth and cutting edge in the direction of travel.
But before you get to those stages you must consider the whole purpose of what you are doing. If you just want to clean up the land or are you planning on building something there or planting where the stumps were. In the world of professional building when you have a soils engineer who sets standards for your building you need to remove the stump several feet down and the roots to satisfy the specifications. A stump grinder will just make it harder and accomplish nothing. Like some said you need to remove the stump with the roots attached.
If you plan on planting, a stump grinder might work but often new growth doesn’t work well in those areas. Once you consider what you want to accomplish then go from there. You may find a bigger excavator is cheaper because it works faster against the task you have.

 

[charlessenf]

I'm considering renting a mini-excavator to dig about 10 stumps in the 12 to 24" range. My question is, how steep is the learning curve for a mini-excavator for someone who has lots of hydraulic tractor experience? Can I reasonably expect to dig 10 stumps in a day starting with no mini-excavator experience?

I suspect that some of the most knowledgeable folks might be found at the rental vendor. After all, they've been delivering their machines to amateur and old hands and likely have a few horror stories if they've been in business a while. As well, they might prove helpful in relating the experiences of other customers.

Here, if you rent it for Saturday, you don't have to return it 'till Monday for the 1-day fee.

They might also be willing to put you in the seat, fire it up and let you get the feel of the thing before you commit.

Remember, if you don't ask, they can't say "Sure, we can do that."

 

[charlessenf]

I rented a kx033 for some ditching and Landscape work around the house. I have a 5-year-old who loves all things machine related and all things dinosaur. After I had finished using it I parked the machine up in the woods idled it put the back fill blade down and showed him how the controls worked one time. I then stood back and watched him for about 10 minutes while he proceeded to dig a hole approximately 10 ft deep trying to get down to "dino level" to find dinosaur bones. They're pretty intuitive and you won't have any problem.

They say farming is one of the most dangerous places for children. And the picture of this child (unable to sit as intended) without so much as a seat belt much less a safety helmet speaks volumes on the topic.

https://marshfieldresearch.org › Media › Default › NFMC › PDFs › ChildAgInjuryFactsheet2020.pdf

Childhood Agricultural Injuries (U.S.) 2020 Fact Sheet 60%​

All Youth. Every day about 33 children are injured in agriculture-related incidents.**. In 2014, an estimated 7,469 household† youth were injured on a farm and 60% of them were not working when the injury occurred.7. An estimated 738 hired youth were injured on farms in 2014.7. Approximately 3,735

 

[cmjohn]

I've been a member of this forum for a long time and appreciate the advice offered hear. I'm the proud owner of two Steiner 240's. I have two properties and they serve me very well for mowing, dirt moving and snow blowing. Last summer the machine in the picture moved 1000 yards of fill and gravel and it was maybe the best summer of my life!!! I personally think that the flexibility, power and durability make Steiner/Ventracs a very good long-term value for a mechanically inclined homeowner like me.

My place in Maine has tree stumps that are out of range for a 22 HP machine. I can push 24" and smaller stumps around once they are loose, but I can't get them dislodged.

I'm considering renting a mini-excavator to dig about 10 stumps in the 12 to 24" range. My question is, how steep is the learning curve for a mini-excavator for someone who has lots of hydraulic tractor experience? Can I reasonably expect to dig 10 stumps in a day starting with no mini-excavator experience?

I have done both, highly recommend grinding the stumps. Saves a lot of work. Unless you’re a professional with a 12,000 pound machine it will take you three days to dig them out.

 

[charlessenf]

Pretty easy to operate. I rented one for a weekend expecting it to take much longer than it did. Dug out 112' length x 4' deep trenches for a barn foundation in a few hours (all sand), then yanked out some small trees, and returned it for only a 4 hour rental.

"

I rented one for a weekend

"
One what? From what I've seen at the rental place here, there are at least three different sizes and, from what I've seen at various job sites, there are more and larger units, too.

It would help if we all tried to add important details 'cause one of the little excavators I can tow home with my Tacoma base isn't going to dig out a four foot trench around a 112' perimeter in four hours - it takes 30 minutes to drive the thing from the Home Depot and as many minutes for the return trip, parking, unloading, loading lots of little minute eaters.

 

[vagem55]

I've also rented on weekends. Most machines have hour meters. Over eight hours (with a little leeway) is charged either proportionally or in full days around here, depending on outfit.

 

[eKretz]

Best way to get stumps out in my experience using my Ford 555D backhoe is to not cut the tree down at all. Dig a hole on the side of the trunk away from where you want the tree to fall, break or cut the roots on that side, then reach up high and push it over with the bucket. Leverage and weight at the top of the tree helps a *lot* here. 99% of the time I've tried this, the whole root ball pops right out.

And I would not put a 5 year old kid in a machine of this type of capability without being in there with him. Not a good idea. Only takes one wrong move for him or someone else to get hurt, or massive property damage to occur. Kids freeze up when something goes wrong. Can drive right over someone or a car or a house that way, or roll down a hill, etc. If, as the owner of that machine, I saw that someone I rented it to did that, they'd never rent one of my machines again.

 

[TimberFarm]

All boils down to coordination and wiring your brain to the actions of your hands.
After a few hours, you start to get the hang of it. After a few days it will start to become second nature.

Turn the machine back in and rent again in a couple years and you will have re wire your brain/hands again.