What to get for major earthmoving

[NHDave]

Hi all.

I've got a new, 32 acre lot in southern New Hampshire that I want to put a driveway and a house on. The main problem is that the only suitable entrance is a steep (20-25 percent) hill. I had a survey done that will get me a 12% driveway cut through that hill, but it requires moving about 13,000 yards of that hill, cutting it down by 25 feet at the crown. I got a couple estimates from contractors who say they can do it for about $120k, which I don't happen to have lying about.

I'd like opinions of the suitability of buying a machine in the $30-$45k range to do the majority of the earthmoving, and have the contractor come in for the finish grading and paving. This being New Hampshire, the ground is boulders with dust in between. It's forested, mainly with 12-36" pines, so I have to think about pulling stumps, too.

Other things I'd like to use a machine for would be digging the foundation, trenching for underground utilities (about 2500'), moving 3000# pallets of pavers, landscaping, and eventually snowblowing the 1/2 mile driveway.

Is there a magic machine that can do all that? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My experience at the moment is fairly limited; I've rented a Kubota KX121 excavator a few times to put in a walkway, dig a 1000' drainage trench, and pull boulders. I do have a friend as well as an uncle who have experience with big toys and would be willing to help with the instruction. Part of my evil plan included having my wife give the rental a try, and now she's interested in running the machine on the new land if it will save money. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

At the moment, I'm looking at a Kubota L39 or L48, JD 110, Bobcat B250, B300 or even an A300. What I can't figure is whether those machines are too small for such a task, or too big (not likely). Is a TLB suitable for the earthmoving, or do I really need to look at a dozer, and give up the other things I'd like to do in the future? I need about 6,000 yards of fill for the driveway; the rest can be spread about the property, or piled for sale. Having a loader would be good if I choose the sale option.

We have time to do this; we can't really afford to build the house for a few years, so rather than sit on our hands, we'd like to do as much site prep as possible. So we don't need to have a monster machine that can do all the work in a couple weeks or a month; slow and steady would be just fine, as long as the machine doesn't burn out in the process from being overworked.

Oh yeah, the wife wants to put in for a cab with A/C... That's a feature that would be a good tiebreaker, not a dealbreaker.

Thanks for the advice.

-Dave

 

[johnday]

Dave; Welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm by no means an operating engineer, but I do have seat time on 580 Cases and 555 Fords. Those would be the minmum size in my nonpro opinion. Even with those machines it'll take a while to move that much dirt. By the time you'd be done you'd be pretty good at operating, and thats a plus! I really think something on the lines of a track would be better, add a 6 way bucket and you'd most likely have better luck.

There are a couple guys on here that maybe could help you more than I, EddieWalker and I think maybe WroughtonHarv are two of them.

You'll get more replies than you can shake a hoe boom at. There's lots of good info on this site. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BigAl]

Hi Dave ,
I would say you should be looking at a Cat D5 or D6 crawler at least , at the minimum . You might do it with a Cat 931TLB but the D5 or D6 would be faster .Have you factored in the cost for repairs if and when that tractor breaks down ? Cat parts and mechanic labor is not cheap and you can spend $10,000 on one repair without even blinking an eye . I am sorry to say there is no such machine that will do all the projects you listed . A D6 is a little big for landscaping . You would tear the heart out of a JD110 or equal tractor on a project that size .
That will be a pretty steep driveway ! Any way you can sidehill your driveway and add a few switchbacks keeping your cost down ? You are looking at a major and I mean major undertaking . I think I would be looking at every option I had ,before spending that kind of money . Any way you can relocate the driveway to another area ? Even if you had to pay for another easement Right of Way it might be much cheaper .
Will the 32 ac of land you have be able to withstand the cost of a $120 k driveway ? Meaning ,if you had to sale the property after the driveway was installed could you recover your cost incurred ? I am not trying to rain on your parade and I hope it all works out .
Allen

 

[NHDave]

Allen,

Thanks for the insights. Don't worry about being discouraging; I've been at this for a couple of years already, and have plenty of discouragement as it is. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Believe it or not, the 20% hill is the flat way in. We had the surveyor go over every conceivable option before settling on the 12% (with switchbacks) driveway. There's been a lot of red tape with state permits, too, that mean I've got to do it here, or not do it at all. 32 acres of non-subdivideable, undeveloped land in southern NH is getting to be a rarity these days; the reason it's still intact is the slope, unfortunately. The cost of the driveway will definitely price the property at the top of the market, if not over. That's another reason why I'd really like to figure out how to do some of the work myself to cut the cost.

I've heard about Cat repair costs. I figured that would price me up where it's better to pay someone else, anyway. I was hoping that if I was a bit more kind to the machine, and took my time moving stuff, it might reward me with a longer time between repairs.

I'm probably going to rent a few of the machines I've got my eye on anyway. That'll give me some practical experience regarding just what they can handle in my situation. It won't necessarily give me an idea of how quickly the machines will break (unless I break the rentals), but I might be able to figure out a pace that would let me do the work with a small machine instead of a big Cat. The problem is that I'd want to do a month's rental to get some real time on the machine, and I can't afford to take a month off work. I guess I could do some three day weekends. Would three days be enough to make a judgement about a particular machine before going to the next one?

-Dave

 

[AntrimMan]

Sorry to say, forget a backhoe and forget a tractor. You need an excavator and a decent sized unit too. It will do everything you need including loading any material you hope to sell and can even break up ledge. My experience is that if you want to get rid of material you will have to load it or else they want it for nothing and are doing you a favor by taking it. You can rent the big units by the month and they can do a lot of work in a little time. Rent a Tri-axle too to move the spoils. Once you are finished get yourself a nice tractor to blow snow.
All the best,
Martin

 

[BigAl]

Yes , I believe you could get a handle on a larger machine in 3 days . In no way will you be able to call yourself a Heavy equipment operator but you should get the basic's down .Just go slow and know your limitations . Just like learning on any equipment ,speed will come with experience . If your working on boulders as you say, be very careful as you can lay any tractor on it's side real fast . Been there , done that !
I still think your looking at a crawler such as a Cat , JD or maybe a Case in the 850 range mimimun . I found the Case 850 to be a very comfortable machine to run and ran it on some extreme "God awful" slopes cutting a fire trail in.They are big machines and it will take some time before you can learn to make a decent cut with the blade and not end up with a bunch of humps and bumps . I think a Case 850 runs about $400 -$500 a day (unoperated) around here at the rental yards . For a Cat rental I would contact Cat directly for who might have the best deal . It has been quite a few years since I last climbed into one . If you get a 6 way blade, it will make it a more versatile machine for your needs as one poster stated .
Again Good Luck ,
Allen

 

[NHDave]

johnday,

Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking for about a month, reading lots of back stories on TBN.

Sounds like I'm going to be renting quite a few different machines to get a feel for what each is capable of doing.

-Dave

 

[LarryD]

Seems to me you've got lots of options and time is on your side, unless the permit for the drive has an expiration date. Around here, if you get a permit to do anything, you'd better finish it before they change their mind. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

There are several guys around here that work the gravel pits during the day and take on side jobs for extra money. As long as it's not something that has to be done on a tight schedule, they work way cheaper than going with a contractor putting a 40hrs. They own their own equipment and have friends with other equipment when needed, it's a good way to meet some of the local operators.

Another option is to get a good used track loader and sell it after the major earth moving is done. A clamshell bucket turns it into a dozer real quick, if you've got rocks much bigger than a coffee table you'll need something shove them around. It will load dumps although a bit slower than a wheeled loader.

Can you sell the big rocks? Lots of folks like to use natural materials for landscaping. I sold a couple dumptrucks full for $165 each. Beat the local pit by a few dollars.

Wish I could refer you a couple names for some work but they would probably balk at the commute. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[NHDave]

AntrimMan,

Renting a big excavator is certainly an option. I'm not going near something with rubber tracks, since the place where I rented the KX121 warned me in no uncertain terms that everytime someone in our area tried to turn on a rock or a stump, they ended up pulling the tracks off.

I believe from the geology (and core samples) of the area that there won't be ledge. However, famous last words and Murphy's Law means I'll hit a nice, solid, piece of granite about five feet down. If so, I've either got to hire an explosives company, or spend six months with a breaker. We had a Home Depot go in a few miles away, and they were forced to use the breaker after they miscalculated on the explosives, and contaminated a bunch of wells. It took months to break that ledge apart.

-Dave

 

[AntrimMan]

New Hampshire, no state income tax, no state sales tax, live free or die, aahyup. How do they do it?
I was just thinking that with your topography and a little tree clearing you might have a very nice view when you finish if you site the house high up. Sounds nice.
If you can't afford the time away from work that's one thing but if it is just a money issue think of yourself saving a good portion of the $120 thou while taking a 2 or 3 month leave of absence. That's somewhat more enticing than writing a check.
Keep us posted and pics are mandatory.
All the best,
Martin