I hate to be that guy...

[Booth789]

Hey guys, I'm a noob when it comes to heavy equipment. Not when it comes to business, however.

I've already talked to my tax director and he's informed me of all the titles and licenses that are necessary to own an excavator. He also provided exceptional information regarding the financing options and everything in between, but NOT who/what/when/how to go about getting the excavator, and then contracting that out to individuals.

If there's already information regarding this on the site, I apologize. I'm based in Melbourne, Australia and would love assistance or guidance on how to go about actually getting the first excavator and in the hands of people that can put it to work.

Thanks for any and all assistance!

Cheers,
Cameron

 

[AzIron]

What kind of excavator what kind of work where are you finding an operator do you know if they are any good obviously your admitting that you are not the best judge of skill

Are you doing main line underground and if you are how many guys you going to run

Are you digging footings or plumbing maybe some residential pads

Are your jobs going to be a few hours days or months if they are small how are you moving the machine from job to job what will that cost

Are you wanting to hire out by the hour or bid if its bid who is biding the work (dont be the guy with no real machine experience and bid a job)

Depending on size of machine this all varies but can you afford to not make any money on your first job or first 6 months because your learning this work can break you before you finish your first job

Not trying to be overwhelming

 

[John C.]

The description sound like a rental operation and not necessarily a construction company.

 

[Booth789]

The description sound like a rental operation and not necessarily a construction company.

You're not wrong. I believe that's honestly the route I'd like to take. I apologize if I worded things oddly and it sounded like I was going to be the actual construction company. Rather, I'd like to offer the excavator to construction companies at an hourly rate. The only issue there I suppose would amount to picking an operator who wouldn't break or damage the machine.

Would you have any experience with this?

 

[Booth789]

What kind of excavator what kind of work where are you finding an operator do you know if they are any good obviously your admitting that you are not the best judge of skill

Are you doing main line underground and if you are how many guys you going to run

Are you digging footings or plumbing maybe some residential pads

Are your jobs going to be a few hours days or months if they are small how are you moving the machine from job to job what will that cost

Are you wanting to hire out by the hour or bid if its bid who is biding the work (dont be the guy with no real machine experience and bid a job)

Depending on size of machine this all varies but can you afford to not make any money on your first job or first 6 months because your learning this work can break you before you finish your first job

Not trying to be overwhelming

Not overwhelming by any means, just information that's necessary for me to consider.

Let's assume I have a 20-25 ton excavator. What would you see that I do? I know this is a vague question and there are a lot of variables at play, so I guess I should ask what would YOU do?

 

[AzIron]

Are you wanting to rent it out or are you wanting to be in the excavating business

 

[Karaya]

I'm not clear whether you need help choosing an excavator, choosing an operator or getting cleared to rent the excavator out. If you need help choosing an excavator, there's some information about that on Plantman's site: http://www.plantman.com.au/guide-how-to-choose-your-next-excavator/

Once you know what specs you're looking for, Construction Equipment Guide offers charts that tell the specs of all the different makes and models of excavators: https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/charts/excavators This site finds new and used equipment in Australia: https://www.constructionsales.com.au/

I am not sure how to hire an operator in Australia, but many manufacturers offer training programs for their machinery. I would suggest that, when you buy the excavator, you speak to the dealership about how to find a qualified operator.

 

[Queenslander]

Mate, I think you’re dreaming if you think you can get a start in the earthmoving game by buying a bit of gear and paying someone else to run it, especially if you don’t have any experience yourself.
Most blokes starting off run the gear themselves, often for long hours and still struggle to make ends meet.
If you have the money, a quicker option may be to buy an existing business.
As for renting it out, you would have to compete with no end of large companies like Coates, Onsite, Porters etc. etc.