ᐅ Buying a Mini Excavator and Doing the Work Yourself vs. Hiring a Landscaping Contractor
Created on: 28 Nov 2022 07:16
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DaveG74Hello everyone!
We are currently building in Upper Franconia (the basement ceiling will be installed tomorrow) and the house is scheduled to be completed by summer 2023.
We started the project during challenging times (from initial planning to the start of construction, everything got about 25% more expensive), so the budget and contingency for landscaping has significantly shrunk. I still have a mid five-figure amount planned, but on one hand, additional costs will definitely arise, and on the other hand, that amount will hardly cover the nearly 2,500m² (27,000 sq ft) plot. Priorities need to be set, and these are the garage driveway (just under 90m² (970 sq ft)) and the path to the front door, where the funds will already be tight. However, this work should still be done by a professional.
For everything else (paths around the house, terrace, leveling the plot, redistributing the topsoil—which has been piled up in an 8m (26 ft) high mound, etc.), some DIY work will probably be necessary. I’m considering buying a mini excavator for this. It costs just under 10,000€ (about USD) which is much less than hiring a landscaping contractor, and it could be resold after one to one and a half years. It would be useful for all the earthworks and could also lift heavy L-shaped blocks or concrete curbstones, dig, and so on.
What do you think? Is this a reasonable approach?
Thanks for any feedback on this topic.
We are currently building in Upper Franconia (the basement ceiling will be installed tomorrow) and the house is scheduled to be completed by summer 2023.
We started the project during challenging times (from initial planning to the start of construction, everything got about 25% more expensive), so the budget and contingency for landscaping has significantly shrunk. I still have a mid five-figure amount planned, but on one hand, additional costs will definitely arise, and on the other hand, that amount will hardly cover the nearly 2,500m² (27,000 sq ft) plot. Priorities need to be set, and these are the garage driveway (just under 90m² (970 sq ft)) and the path to the front door, where the funds will already be tight. However, this work should still be done by a professional.
For everything else (paths around the house, terrace, leveling the plot, redistributing the topsoil—which has been piled up in an 8m (26 ft) high mound, etc.), some DIY work will probably be necessary. I’m considering buying a mini excavator for this. It costs just under 10,000€ (about USD) which is much less than hiring a landscaping contractor, and it could be resold after one to one and a half years. It would be useful for all the earthworks and could also lift heavy L-shaped blocks or concrete curbstones, dig, and so on.
What do you think? Is this a reasonable approach?
Thanks for any feedback on this topic.
Hello,
A few years ago, I did it this way, but it’s not as easy as you described.
For around 10,000 euros, you currently only get machines that have significant maintenance backlogs or are close to the end of their service life—in short, just junk. Reselling them afterward won’t be easy either. From about 20,000 euros, it gets better; you get machines you can spend more time working with than fixing. But that’s still not the whole story—you’ll also need a plate compactor and other equipment.
Your machine must not be too small either, or it won’t be able to lift L-shaped concrete blocks. Also, the question is whether, as an amateur, you really want to take on an 8m (26 ft) high pile with a toy-like machine.
So, in short, from my experience and point of view, you’ll spend at least 25,000 euros and still have a machine that’s too small, no wheel loader yet, but at least it will be fun if you have the time.
If you can operate machinery, occasionally rent something appropriate, for example, an 8-ton (8.8 US ton) machine for the heavy jobs and later a 2-ton (2.2 US ton) one for the finer details, depending on your needs.
If you’re not really skilled with such equipment, have the machine work done by professionals—rent an excavator with an operator. Then you can bring a second person to do the manual and labor-intensive tasks like setting curbstones, and so on.
Now, the bargain hunters here will probably say they got all this for 5,000 euros, but I think those days are long gone.
Also, with such machines, you should always keep a little buffer because when something breaks, the costs usually add up in thousands.
Good luck!
PS: Once you have machines like these, you quickly make new friends you didn’t have before ;-)
A few years ago, I did it this way, but it’s not as easy as you described.
For around 10,000 euros, you currently only get machines that have significant maintenance backlogs or are close to the end of their service life—in short, just junk. Reselling them afterward won’t be easy either. From about 20,000 euros, it gets better; you get machines you can spend more time working with than fixing. But that’s still not the whole story—you’ll also need a plate compactor and other equipment.
Your machine must not be too small either, or it won’t be able to lift L-shaped concrete blocks. Also, the question is whether, as an amateur, you really want to take on an 8m (26 ft) high pile with a toy-like machine.
So, in short, from my experience and point of view, you’ll spend at least 25,000 euros and still have a machine that’s too small, no wheel loader yet, but at least it will be fun if you have the time.
If you can operate machinery, occasionally rent something appropriate, for example, an 8-ton (8.8 US ton) machine for the heavy jobs and later a 2-ton (2.2 US ton) one for the finer details, depending on your needs.
If you’re not really skilled with such equipment, have the machine work done by professionals—rent an excavator with an operator. Then you can bring a second person to do the manual and labor-intensive tasks like setting curbstones, and so on.
Now, the bargain hunters here will probably say they got all this for 5,000 euros, but I think those days are long gone.
Also, with such machines, you should always keep a little buffer because when something breaks, the costs usually add up in thousands.
Good luck!
PS: Once you have machines like these, you quickly make new friends you didn’t have before ;-)
Hmm, I should probably respond in a politically correct way, but that goes against my nature.
This is even smaller than what I had imagined with toy-sized equipment. We call it a "motorized shovel."
Look, it lifts "118 kg" (260 lbs) with its arm fully extended. The figure is without the bucket or anything else, so with a quick coupler it lifts less than 100 kg (220 lbs).
For comparison, a 40 cm (16 inches) high curb weighs 77 kg (170 lbs). I don’t know which L-shaped blocks you had in mind, but if they are really that "small," you can place them faster by hand.
So if you want to work on your rather large property with this machine, it will take quite a while. You can’t move gravel and soil masses with it.
To give you an idea of the price range: a vibratory plate compactor weighing 200 kg (440 lbs) with accessories like mats costs around 5,500. A jumping jack costs about 2,500, and a trench rammer about 1,500.
For your project, anything that makes sense starts at an operating weight of about 6 tons. At 8 to 10 tons, it becomes even effective (from a company’s perspective).
Besides that... the linked machine doesn’t have Euro control (without it hardly anyone wants to buy nowadays), it is a proprietary design by Jansen (what about repairs and spare parts?), and it’s so light that a layperson could quickly tip it over on uneven ground...
This is even smaller than what I had imagined with toy-sized equipment. We call it a "motorized shovel."
Look, it lifts "118 kg" (260 lbs) with its arm fully extended. The figure is without the bucket or anything else, so with a quick coupler it lifts less than 100 kg (220 lbs).
For comparison, a 40 cm (16 inches) high curb weighs 77 kg (170 lbs). I don’t know which L-shaped blocks you had in mind, but if they are really that "small," you can place them faster by hand.
So if you want to work on your rather large property with this machine, it will take quite a while. You can’t move gravel and soil masses with it.
To give you an idea of the price range: a vibratory plate compactor weighing 200 kg (440 lbs) with accessories like mats costs around 5,500. A jumping jack costs about 2,500, and a trench rammer about 1,500.
For your project, anything that makes sense starts at an operating weight of about 6 tons. At 8 to 10 tons, it becomes even effective (from a company’s perspective).
Besides that... the linked machine doesn’t have Euro control (without it hardly anyone wants to buy nowadays), it is a proprietary design by Jansen (what about repairs and spare parts?), and it’s so light that a layperson could quickly tip it over on uneven ground...
Alex124 schrieb:
Hmm, I probably should respond in a politically correct way, but that’s not really my style.
This is even smaller than what I had in mind when I thought of a toy. We call that a "motorized spade."
Look, it lifts 118kg (260 lbs) with its arm fully extended. That figure is without the bucket or anything else; with a quick coupler, it lifts just under 100kg (220 lbs).
For comparison, a 40cm (16 inches) high curb stone already weighs 77kg (170 lbs). I don’t know what kind of L-shaped stones you were thinking of, but if they are really that "small," you could probably set them by hand more quickly.
If you want to work on your fairly large property with that machine, it will take a while. You won’t be able to move gravel or soil masses with it.
To give you an idea about the price range: a vibrating plate compactor weighing 200kg (440 lbs) with accessories like mats costs around $5,500. A jump ram costs about $2,500, and a concrete cutter around $1,500.
For your project, anything that makes sense starts at about 6 tons operating weight. At 8 to 10 tons, it even becomes efficient (from a company’s point of view). Well, as I said, I’m not (yet) familiar with this. A used brand-name product starts at around €20,000 and up. The advantage is certainly that you can usually resell it quite easily after one year.
Maybe there will be some bargains over the summer (I don’t need anything before then anyway), especially since construction activity is clearly slowing down right now.
DaveG74 schrieb:
Well, as I mentioned, I’m not (yet) familiar with this. A used branded machine starts at around 20,000€ (about $22,000) and up. The advantage is definitely that you can usually resell it quite well after a year.
Maybe some bargains will appear by summer (I don’t need anything before then), especially since construction activity is currently slowing down significantly. If you want to buy “cheap,” now is the time, because prices are higher in spring/summer. Look for a branded machine with not too many operating hours; price is secondary because it hardly loses value. You need to find a private seller who cannot show VAT and offers a well-maintained machine at a good price/condition ratio.
Don’t forget all the other accessories—you’re looking at about 2,500€ (around $2,700) for the vibratory plate compactor, 1,500€ (about $1,600) for the jumping jack compactor, and another 2,000€ (around $2,200) for small tools second-hand.
As I said, working on flat land with a long reach is easy. But if you have bigger mounds to move and preferably some slopes, such a small excavator can quickly tip over. If it happens, the cab and arm might get bent, and the engine could be ruined.
Rent a large excavator for three days—it will cost you about 1,000€ (about $1,100) plus the operator’s fee; let’s say around 1,800€ (about $1,900) total. Then rent a small one for 10 days at 120€/day (around $130/day) plus operator, so you’re at 2,500€ (about $2,700). Rent some small equipment for around 1,000€ (about $1,100) and you’re set. If you do the rest yourself, you’ll have plenty to do and won’t be bored until the following autumn.
W
WilderSueden28 Nov 2022 09:01Have you ever operated a mini excavator?
Originally, I also planned to spread the soil myself after construction. In September, I rented a mini excavator for the foundation of the garden shed, and now I can say: it’s not going to work. If you have no experience, everything takes a very long time. It probably gets better after 1-2 days, but it still takes time. A 1-ton excavator really had to work on our heavy clay soil; if I were to rent one again, I would choose something in the 3-ton class. With small excavators, you have small buckets, so you don’t move much soil at once. Plus, the limited reach and low travel speed… To transport soil, you need a wheel loader or a larger excavator. Especially with an 8m (26 feet) high pile.
As for the rest… do you really need L-shaped blocks? Concrete blocks without reinforcement can also be transported and built up easily without an excavator. Curbstones weigh 35-40kg (77-88 lbs); you can still move them manually as long as you don’t have to do it five days a week 😉
Originally, I also planned to spread the soil myself after construction. In September, I rented a mini excavator for the foundation of the garden shed, and now I can say: it’s not going to work. If you have no experience, everything takes a very long time. It probably gets better after 1-2 days, but it still takes time. A 1-ton excavator really had to work on our heavy clay soil; if I were to rent one again, I would choose something in the 3-ton class. With small excavators, you have small buckets, so you don’t move much soil at once. Plus, the limited reach and low travel speed… To transport soil, you need a wheel loader or a larger excavator. Especially with an 8m (26 feet) high pile.
As for the rest… do you really need L-shaped blocks? Concrete blocks without reinforcement can also be transported and built up easily without an excavator. Curbstones weigh 35-40kg (77-88 lbs); you can still move them manually as long as you don’t have to do it five days a week 😉
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