Mini excavator

[VroomVroom]

Was wondering if anyone had experience using one of these. I dug the side of my garage out, but not sure if I know the rate I could dig a hole. I'm talking about a mini with rubber tracks, but still in the 7000lb range like the 302.7 cat, or the E26 bobcat or 26 G john deere and equivalents. I want to dig a hole 30 x 40 feet for example, 8 feet deep using one of these and a dump trailer. how long would it take to do this? The reason I ask is because they charge so much for ground work, I don't know if it wouldn't be just as well buy a unit of these size, 50000$ Canadian dollars and do it myself. I am not home at the moment, but will likely get a quote when I get back home just to see the price. But I know I got stone laid on a driveway, maybe 3 inch blast rock and it cost me 9000$ for about 200 to 250 feet driveway. So I can only imagine if I wanted them to dig a foundation hole 6 to 8 feet deep.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I would really consider buying a $15,000-$20,000 used machine, do the dig and sell the machine for +$2,000 when your done.

Buy it right, use it light, give it a "detail for retail" used car dealer level cleaning and kick it out the door for at least what you paid. Heck, sell it for a grand or 2 more. People will over pay for shiny things.

 

[LouNY]

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?

 

[sea2summit]

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?

This^

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

 

[plowhog]

I had a pile of dirt left over from cutting in my driveway. I thought: no problem, I have a front end loader and a dump trailer. Gawd that took an incredible number of trips. It was very deceiving ... and the dirt removal was waaaaay more effort and number of trips than I expected.

 

[finn1]

I bought a Deere 26G late last summer to do some work around the property. I really couldn’t cost justify it, but consider it another toy, like my boat, side x side, dumtruck, and fifth wheel.

My work scope involved a lot of trenching and drainage projects, so I selected the mid sized bucket. It’s something like 16”, I think.

All of my property is sand, so it performs well.

For digging what sounds like a large basement as you describe, you really need a larger bucket. You have to consider the geology of your site, too. With difficult geology, I think the 26g sized machine would struggle with a larger bucket.

My option was a 35G machine with extended reach, 24” bucket, a heated and air conditioned cab, and power swivel blade, all for an additional $15k. It would have had better resale, but I choked on the extra cash outlay.

In the end, the open station 26G with the smaller bucket is a better fit for my use, but the larger 35G would be better for moving large volumes of fill or difficult geology.

Most small contractors here prefer the 35G or even the 50G or 60G sized machines, although one local guy has both a 17G and 60G and is amazed at what the little 17G can do.

 

[4570Man]

I’d be looking more towards a 50 series machine. If you had a second driver for the dump trailer you could move dirt pretty fast assuming it’s not going very far.

 

[Big Barn]

I’d be looking more towards a 50 series machine. If you had a second driver for the dump trailer you could move dirt pretty fast assuming it’s not going very far.

THIS^^^.

 

[finn1]

Agreed, the 50 or 60 series will make quick work of such a project, but if cost is part of the equation, he’s better off hiring the work out.

A 26Gopen station is in the neighborhood of $30k, a loaded 35 is in the low $40k ballpark, and I suspect the 50 is in the $50k range, although I didn’t price them because I felt it was too heavy for my soft and wet lakefront property.

The salesman, however, told me that he had just sold another retiree both a 60G and a CTL for personal use on his recreation property, so sometimes money is not part of the equation.

 

[Tomtint]

Was wondering if anyone had experience using one of these. I dug the side of my garage out, but not sure if I know the rate I could dig a hole. I'm talking about a mini with rubber tracks, but still in the 7000lb range like the 302.7 cat, or the E26 bobcat or 26 G john deere and equivalents. I want to dig a hole 30 x 40 feet for example, 8 feet deep using one of these and a dump trailer. how long would it take to do this? The reason I ask is because they charge so much for ground work, I don't know if it wouldn't be just as well buy a unit of these size, 50000$ Canadian dollars and do it myself. I am not home at the moment, but will likely get a quote when I get back home just to see the price. But I know I got stone laid on a driveway, maybe 3 inch blast rock and it cost me 9000$ for about 200 to 250 feet driveway. So I can only imagine if I wanted them to dig a foundation hole 6 to 8 feet deep.

Forgive me if I wrong.. but I think you may only need to go down below the frost line to pour the foundation...not the entire size of the slab... if this is the case... it should not take even a whole day and the spoils would be minimal.. and probably pretty easy to loose onsite.

 

[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.