Excavator Size and Trucking

[Glen1978]

What is your tandem axle peterbilt going to be? A dump truck? if it is build a pintle plate for the back of it and get a 20 ton tag trailer. You can put a 12-14 ton machine on it legally and move it around. This way you only have to buy the trailer as your truck will be getting used for other stuff in your business and not just sitting around waiting for you to need to move a machine. The only way i would personally add a tractor is if you plan on using it for dump trailer work or for something that will make it make you money when it's not being used to move around your equipment.

As for my mini i use it for a lot of stuff. Really small clearing jobs, trenching for utilities (i do a lot of this), septic work, installing drainage or doing driveway pipes. Just a lot of stuff honestly. I have a hammer for mine too. A lot of times it's nicer having a smaller machine. It's no slouch.

The Petes initial plan was to put a belly dump behind it. There is a pretty good bit of money to be made hauling bulk rock in and selling it bulk but mainly dumping it on the yard and selling it by the dump truck load. It can also pull a lowboy to move our stuff.

We do a fair amount of utility work too but we have a walk behind trencher that takes care of that. Allthough I HATE running that trencher.....especially in tree rooted areas. It will whip the dog crap out of you. I have thought about selling that thing and buying one for our skid steer but they are pricey and from what Ive been told are a pain to run because you cant see where you are going obviously.

 

[Glen1978]

My first lowboy was a 1968 3 axle fixed neck Hyster (96 inches wide) with a short beaver tail and short ramps. Moved a Cat 225 many times. Did it work?...... Yes. Was it fun?..... No. Eventually traded that in on a Whitzco 3 axle ground bearing detach. That was a big improvement but had a handful of issues with it being ground bearing. Now I have a non ground bearing Trailking that has been flawless.

If you end up with a bigger excavator a detach or folding gooseneck trailer would be my choice. Just my $.02

I understand that 100%. Budget is what it comes down too really. Rgn is out of the question for now. I was talking to one of my oldtime truckin/equipment buddies earlier and he said hell you can load at 30-40k pound machine up ramps. Just take your time.

 

[MG84]

If you get a mini excavator with a hydraulic thumb and quick change buckets you’ll wonder how you ever did without one. On small jobs my Kubota U35-4 does the clearing/grubbing, loads the saw logs on the truck, tends the burn pile and then does any necessary digging, whether it be footings, trenching, etc. It is usually accompanied by my Kubota SVL 65-2 ctl since I can carry them both together on the same trailer. On big jobs the mini ex is support equipment to the larger equipment: it digs and sets culverts, cleans ditches, dresses steep embankments, lifts things like plate compactors or engine drive welders on/off trucks, and so on...

 

[Glen1978]

If you get a mini excavator with a hydraulic thumb and quick change buckets you’ll wonder how you ever did without one. On small jobs my Kubota U35-4 does the clearing/grubbing, loads the saw logs on the truck, tends the burn pile and then does any necessary digging, whether it be footings, trenching, etc. It is usually accompanied by my Kubota SVL 65-2 ctl since I can carry them both together on the same trailer. On big jobs the mini ex is support equipment to the larger equipment: it digs and sets culverts, cleans ditches, dresses steep embankments, lifts things like plate compactors or engine drive welders on/off trucks, and so on...

Thats kinda what I thought about my Kubota svl75 skid. Ill never be without one.

 

[KSSS]

I will be honest, its amazing to me your able to stay busy with just a dozer and smaller CTL and not even having a mini ex. I couldn't do that here, not even close. Your ability to make a living off of what you have, tells me by adding some key pieces of equipment you could really launch your company. As I stated to start with, we will never have all the details needed to make a precise decision on what you should prioritize. Some additional thoughts, getting a dump truck and a tag trailer you could haul up to a 160. You can use the dump truck for things other than mobilization, so your ROI would be higher on dump truck than either a low boy truck or pulling a belly dump. You likely could use a mini and full size excavator. Where to start first. Its easy to rent a mini ex pretty cheap. Full size machine sometimes are more difficult to find to rent. If you have the larger work already lined up, I would likely go that way, and I would go with a 135/145. I think that would give you plenty of capacity for what your wanting to do. If you can mobilize yourself, you would use it on a lot jobs. Rent a mini, until your ready to buy one.

 

[MG84]

Thats kinda what I thought about my Kubota svl75 skid. Ill never be without one.

If you like your SVL75, try out a Kubota KX040 or KX057 for a mini ex, I can about guarantee you’ll love it. That plus a 130-160 class excavator and you’d be set. It’s up to you to decided which you need first. However, a mini ex could be purchased new within your budget and requires no additional infrastructure. I agree with KSSS, either way you go you’ll be money ahead. Ditto on the dump truck, mine moves my equipment, hauls dirt on site, hauls gravel, saw logs, etc. Far more useful than a semi tractor, provided the loads you are towing are appropriate.

 

[CM1995]

There is a pretty good bit of money to be made hauling bulk rock in and selling it bulk but mainly dumping it on the yard and selling it by the dump truck load. It can also pull a lowboy to move our stuff.

Large landscape supply yard here has a brand new shiny Pete tri-axle they use to haul bulk topsoil to their yard but will not deliver topsoil with it. They make way more money per CY delivering on their Hino single axle dumps.

 

[Glen1978]

Thanks guys! Minis are easy/cheap to rent. Only one bigger hoe local to us to rent. Im still keeping my eyes out for a dumptruck. Hopefully the right deal will present itself. Tag trailers for them all always readily available for cheap.

Where you guys are using your minis alot mayhe is where we use the trencher? Culverts get set with CTL, We also run a mulcher/brush cutter, land plane, grapple, forks off the CTL and we have a smaller Kubota tractor with shredder and power cultivator we keep some jobs with doing lot cleanup, shredding, etc. In the Spring, Summer, Fall we keep a residential/commercial mowing crew going as well. That is a pretty lucrative business but honestly its a pain the ass dealing with alot of customers that want to change schedules, complain about the 4 blades of grass you missed, try to blame you for tearing up something their kids tore up, etc. Id like to phase that out but no more equipment than it takes it pays pretty well.