Hello everyone. I am going to be leaving my current position in sales at some point in the next year and plan on getting into doing cracked foundation repairs and small job concrete repairs. I plan on working alone. There are lots of guys out there doing new foundations and concrete work but I don't see anyone offering specialty repair work so I want to fill that niche. I have been looking at a U17 for the digging along foundations. I know it is kind of a smaller machine but I plan on operating low key and without a lot of equipment so I don't have to find a commercial lot for a bunch of equipment. I have a good sized back yard and can park things there if I stay small. Is the U17 up to the kind of task I'll asking of it? It's been about 5 years since I last ran an excavator.
Iv'e rented the JD 17G a couple of times for work. The first one had several hundred hours on it, the second one I put the first hours on it. it behaved like a real excavator, you could do a couple of things at the same time, etc. I have run a few small machines that did not behave that way. It narrowed up to 38" for gate crawling. What was noteable was how closely it operated similarly to the 35G that is my regular ride. JD did a good job with that. I have no clue on the Kubota.
I've looked at a few of those as well.
so we'll tell you what we suggest everyone does, every time. RENT! Don't get a machine and then look for a purpose for it. Get a job lined up. Rent Machine A and do it. Get another job. Rent Machine B. Repeat. This is the cheapest most obective education you can get. If the job does not easily absorb the rental fee as a direct cost, then you have no business doing the work.
I very comfortable with estimating. I have no worries about not making enough on a job. Only issue is Bobcat seems to be only brand at rental yards here.
If the dealer wants to sell one, they will arrange a demo somehow. If they can't, perhaps that is an indication of the support you will get.
Yes I am sure that is an option. I see there is a 17G with 1,500 hours pretty clean on facebook for about $25k
BTW, I see that as a good niche. Digging down and around for new foundation drains and waterproofing, maybe get into pin piling, things like that. People get crazy high quotes and I think a good guy could come in and make money by word of mouth.