I will be buying a mini excavator within the next 6 weeks primarily for '****$ and giggles' on my property because I can. The Yanmar sales 'bloke' (Aussie for 'guy') is being super helpful. Komatsu sent a quote and followed up CAT rep has sent a quote but no follow up Volvo has not even returned my email or calls (they're the closest dealer) Kobelco hasn't returned contact Hitachi auto replied acknowledgement for the email but no follow up Kubota hasn't returned contact Bobcat hasn't returned contact Tak' hasn't returned contact Have I missed anyone! LOL I have not seen any electrical contractors with this equipment so they must get the builder or civil contractor to dig then the sparky connects. Are there any sparky's in the forum who have an excavator? Would there be a niche for an electrician with his own mini ex to carry out excavation, laying of pipe, running and termination of cable? (30-50000 homes to be constructed in the surrounding areas where I live over the next 10-15 years and possibly an international airport according to the Government) Cheers,
Sparkies are usually too busy bending conduit and pulling wire. Around here the general or one of the subs does the dirt and grade work, including utility trenches. Never seen an electrician with an excavator - except for me (marine). :drinkup
Yes, sometimes it's amazing at how poorly sales people are at handling prospects.
Yair . . . Scuba2612 . I think (generally speaking) the advantage of being a lecky is that is a protected trade and you can start a business with the piece of paper that says you are 'Qualified', a beltfull of tools, a couple of test meters and a ute . . . why complicate things if you can work for a hundred bucks an hour with just the basics? Cheers.
I am a owner/operator. And electrical contractor. Not sure of the facts stated on this subject. Anybody that has attempted to run a legit business knows it's more than paper and tools to get started and workers comp, gen liability uncle with his hand out to keep others funded.... Keeps us pretty busy. Do I use it.? Yes. Is there a sweet spot for it in general? I'd say for most sparkys. No. They usually hire it done and finding a typical sparky that can pull levers as an operator is slim most of the time. It really comes down to your area, who you know, your ability and desire to keep it rolling and your competition along with the marketing or word of mouth. I also compounded my fleet with a Ramex vib roller, jumping jack, and a flail mower. I was able to pay for my equip, not boasting that I made money as I keep buying and adding to the fleet to broaden the abilities when other avenues dry up. Best of luck. Apologize for it not being a yes you can do great with an Ex.
If you are union check with the halls you our halls still require a card carrying operator to run anything for electricians. Carpenters on the other hand is a whole different story but I would rather not get into that on here Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
I used to pick up the primary, secondary, telco and the sight lighting trenching from the electrician for the reasons that have been stated. However the last several jobs I have worked on sparky has had his own mini-ex and/or trencher and done it themselves. The job I am finishing up sparky had their own mini-ex, trencher, scissor lift and digger derrick to install the light pole bases. Ran many a LF of primary, pull boxes and secondary lines. I like doing it as there is no grade to maintain just a minimum depth but that seems to be changing in my area.
Thanks for the info. I was trying to keep the question as simple as possible. As I said initially it is primarily for my property. As far as running it as a business I've got all that sorted from previous lifetimes and I've just kept it ticking over in the background. I do not need to do it to feed the bride and tribe. More of doing a little bit on the side and creating/filling a niche. Sparkies in Oz are pretty much licensed to do it all. All depends on your knowledge and experience with a few tickets thrown in. I'm over simplifying it but not a point of concern for the thread. 'CM' you're right that we don't necessarily need grade just depth and correct layering of backfill. Cable and conduit are pretty flexible we just don't like bends! 'Lectro' I really like your response. Word of mouth is my preferred method as I can start off slowly and see how it goes. No point in putting out a blitz ad campaign to promise the world and not deliver. Word of mouth will kill any chance of any success quicker if I get it wrong. I have a great job that pays well but I always like to try new things and learn more. Circumstance has presented an opportunity to look in a different direction. The limited responses suggests that I need to do more thinking and research. It's all good though. I'll still get my digger and have fun and enjoy reading the forum. One of my life rules and I've seen it posted in here somewhere is find out what you love doing then work out how to get paid for it. I'm seeing if this rule applies here or not. Thank you and Cheers
I say Go ahead and buy a mini ex! buy something used at a fair price that you don't have to invest alot of money into, then use it on your own property and get a feel for running it. Then slowly work it into your routine on the job as an added service for your clients. The nice thing about having the machine in your quiver of tools, is that you will never have down time waiting for a trench to be dug....get something that will fit on smaller properties and tow easy behind a truck...maybe a 1.5 -3.0 ton machine. As a small business owner myself, I like having all the equipment to do my jobs with out relying on someone else's schedule or excuses. Plus having a mini excavator is always a fun conversation topic at parties! hahaha
Yair . . . in rural areas a lecky with a digger would be a Godsend. It is a pain in the butt to be able to co-ordinate the trenching and the electrical work. Twice in the past couple of years we have run into trouble with open trench waiting for the electrician . . . sandy country and it falls in with a bit of rain. What may have seemed a smart ass reply in my number #4 post is basically the response I got from the two local electrical contractors when I suggested it would be a good idea if they had a trencher . . . they are flat out anyway at hundred bucks an hour with just a toolbelt and their knowledge. If things tighten up, as surely they will I can see it would an advantage to any electrical contracting business to be a one stop shop. Cheers.
You've already narrowed the field down. I would throw Tak, Bobcat, Kubota, Hitachi and Kobelco out the door if they haven't returned contact - if their not interested in trying to make a sale, how they be after the sale?:cool2 That narrows it down to Yanmar, Cat, Komatsu and Volvo. The only reason I wouldn't dismiss Volvo straight out of the gate is because it's your closest dealer. All the manufacturers make a good mini-ex, all vary in features and spec's somewhat but all in all I wouldn't say there is a "bad" one in the bunch. Parts and support are just as important factors as brand and price. For instance, ring up or go by the parts counter at a couple of the 4 that made the short list above and price out say a seat or front door glass in order to get an idea of what replacement parts cost and the attitude at the parts counter. I mainly deal with Bobcat and Cat. The Bobcat parts are severely, ridiculously expensive for what they are but they have 1 good parts guy behind the counter - if I call in and Dan is not there, I'll call back later. The Cat branch I go to has 2 parts guys, one is very knowledgeable. Both parts counters go out of their way to help when you have a machine down. Both dealers are close to our shop and our working area. My point is there are more factors to consider than color and price.