Seeking advice as someone new to the field. I am a 50/50 partner in 20 acres of land that I plan on sub dividing into five acre parcels. It was previously clear cut about 10 years prior and is extensively overgrown with 10' high scotch broom, acres of sticker bushes and stumps, and 10' tall fir trees. Our plan is to clear the land, install approximately 1,500 feet of roads, extensive trenching for utilities, as well as preparing home sites. We had initially planned on hiring all this out. It looks like the cost will be pretty substantial. I've been toying with the idea of buying a midi Excavator and doing a lot of the work myself. I'm wondering if a 12,000lb excavator is a good tool for accomplishing the tasks at hand? The roads will require reshaping some steep hillsides (cut and fill). I've visited a few dealers and they assure me a compact excavator (10-15k lb range) is ideally suited for the job. But they are in sales so I was hoping to get some advice from people who have experience in the field. The plan is to possibly buy something like a New Holand E57C for 95k, use it for 2-4 years, and then hopefully sell it for 70k or so. I'm not sure if that's wishful thinking. I rented a mini and took 2 solid days just to clear 1.5 acres of brush and stumps. So renting or hiring out the job will get expensive fast. It looks like the used market is extremely tight at the moment and prices are high, so I've been considering buying new. SANY's had a much cheaper sticker price but financing rates were sky high and service intervals seemed much more frequent. New Hollands, Kubotas, and Deere all looked like decent options. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
How are your mechanical skills? Do you have any working capital at hand? I'd be looking for a mid/late 90's 120 size machine were I you. Hitachi/Deere (my bias), komatsu, cat, kobelco/case, are all good. If I have the room/access, and ground impact is no concern, i'll take my 120 over my mini to do most anything any day. Plus you get so much more machine for the money. Best part is no one ever asks to borrow it either, because they dont want to foot the trucking bill
thanks for the feedback. Funny enough the property next door to ours has a Hitachi 120 sitting on it and it looks like a sweet machine. Mechanical skills: I operate machinery for a living (airline flying) but don't have much experience turning a wrench. So I would probably need to find a local mechanic when things need fixing. My hesitation buying used was because I was worried about picking up something that would need expensive repairs. But it sounds like machines with service records under 3k hours or so are generally pretty safe bets? Would a maintenance budget of 10k sound reasonable? Looks like the market for new equipment has really escalated. The New Holland E57C is priced at 106k with tax (0% financing), Kubota KX057-5 is 87k but 107k fully financed, SANY 60 is 69k and comes out to 83k fully financed. Thanks again for the help!
Matt, you can get a decent used bigger machine in good working order for ~60K. The key is paying for a proper pre-purchase inspection. There are a few inspectors around and it is money well spent. You can toy around with a Sany 60 for 69K, or you can get something much more capable. here is an example: https://www.machinerytrader.com/listing/for-sale/214124133/2007-deere-120c-crawler-excavators That one does not look too bad. Once again a good inspection is worth every penny. Sprockets are looking pretty worn on this one: https://www.machinerytrader.com/listing/for-sale/215645463/2000-deere-200-lc-crawler-excavators You can call Pape equipment and get a price on new tracks for that. I put new ITR track assemblies, sprockets, and a handful of rollers on our 120 last year for $6300 At the end of a working day, bigger wins by leaps and bounds when clearing. There is simply no comparison to what a 200 class will do compared to a toy like a 60. There is also no reason to worry about a bigger machine requiring more skill. It is the exact opposite. I can get some amazing things out of our 35 mini due to having experience, but the 120 will do those things nonchalantly.
My opinion, fwiw, as I've only operated one Sany 26 for about 15 minutes...Don't even consider it. I hear the full size ones are all right, but you'll never get the same resale value as a Japanese branded machine. Yes on inspections! I currently have 3 different machines ranging from 1987-1997 that may have some leaks and quirks but all are money makers that I would work all day all week. The key is knowing what to look for and what you're looking at, which can only be gained through experience. As skyking said, a 200 (or even bigger) would be a fine choice as well. You may have noticed used machines somewhat tend to get cheaper as they get bigger, mainly because they are harder to move. Sounds like your machine may never leave your property for the time you own it. Either way, another piece of advice I can give is to get friendly with a dump truck owner...lol Even if he only helps with one machine move, you are going to need material sooner than later. They will often be willing to work deals with you and are knowledgeable with what types of material for a given application are available locally at the best price.
It is so nice to just reach over and get that tree, rather than position yourself *just right* and cut some roots and give it maximum effort. Not walking your tracks off trying to pile up brush, just toss a big gob of it ahead and clear and toss, clear and toss as you grub off a 30' wide swath just walking in a line. You did not mention the model of mini you rented. Most <15000 pound machines have a simple thumb too. Until you run a fully articulating thumb doing clearing, you won't know the difference. It is huge. They work over the full range of the machine, not just in the sweet spot.
I'm with Sky, I would be much more interested in a 120 sized machine. I just bought a 1996 Hitachi EX120 in good condition with 4600 hrs for $32,000. I have been running a 13k unit for every job I have been on for 2 years. Not only would the machine be cheaper to buy upfront than a new mini, but I think there is a degree of safety gained when clearing trees with a larger machine. I have taken out some big stuff with my 13k unit but the 120 does it exponentially faster. And with cutting in house pads and home sites for a subdivision the 120 would be so much better suited. With the 120 you could also dig a larger joint trench for dry utilities rather than running multiple smaller ditch lines with a mini. Also with an old unit you won't have to worry about new emissions garbage on these new plastic machines. Your mileage may vary.
MattW24. Whats involved for utilities? How deep will they be? What are the digging conditions? Silty clay...sandy...rocky? A larger machine whether new or used would speed up the completion date so you could sell your lots earlier. Whats the scope of this project. Has it been engineered and designed by a consultant? Lots of things to consider. Do you have a take off sheet with the pipe sizes, depth. bedding material?
Or being able to sit in one spot and dig/flat bottom about 15 ft of trench, lay utilities, and backfill! x2 on the articulating thumb... clearing or most anything where a thumb is used. Most full size machines come with them. A little over a year ago I was quoted about 5k just for that upgrade from stock on my mini... don't want to know what it costs now... On the same token, be on the lookout for a good 6-8' chunk of 1' or so I-beam, known as a grade beam. It will take some practice, but eventually you will be able to finish grade and crown your roads with it.
Welcome to the Forums MW24! Couple of questions, some have already been asked - Equipment: What's your purchase budget? What's your fuel and maintenance budget? Project specific: What is the time frame for the project? Is the engineering, zoning and permitting process completed? Are there any storm water regulations requiring detention/retention? What type of utilities? Sewer, domestic water, gas, overhead or underground power? What kind of soil conditions? Do you have a commercial general liability policy? IMO a 12K mini ex is woefully undersized to install 1500 LF of road and associated utilities unless time is of no concern however it we could go through 2 more housing cycles before it was completed. As others have said used machines get cheaper per LB as they go up in weight due to mobilization costs. Sounds like this machine is going to be delivered and sold when the project is complete so go as big as possible. A 320/200 sized machine would be a good fit for what you describe. A QC on the stick and aux hydraulics would allow the use of a hammer if needed and other attachments for utility work. However just a hoe is not going to be enough. I would also suggest a large frame CTL to go along with it. We pair our 325 and 321 with 279D's all the time and they are a good combo for commercial and utility work. A large frame CTL is your support and clean up machine for backfilling, carrying pipe, filling a bedding box, grading, etc.
I also would recommend going as big as possible. I have an older 1996 John Deere excavator 490E that has worked great for clearing about 4 or 5 acres of my property as well as a bunch of other work. I have had mechanics inspect machines before the purchase and had problems anyways. Go into this expecting that the machine will have issues.
An old timer told me, “you can do a small job with a big excavator but can’t do a big job with a small excavator”. For your project, you have the room for a larger machine, I to would recommend a 150 to 200 class machine. Enough power, great reach, and reasonable on fuel. Much bigger without an advanced skill level may not be cost effective. As always, availability to parts and service weighs into my brand selection. Pin grabber with a couple of different size buckets and hydraulic thumb is a must. Binge u tube for tips and tricks and go for it, with in you comfort zone of course.