Ever used a small excavator?
 

I was thinking of renting a small kubota excavator to do my own landscaping. Is the operation of one of these puppies difficult to sort out? I just need to move a lot of dirt around. Are they stable? I need to work on a hillside that is a bit steep in some areas. Really trying to avoid being on the evening news......

You will be better off getting a mini backhoe with the bucket up front. You can move alot more material with it. I've used both.The Kubota has a dozer blade on it which is really only good for grading.
But both are real easy to use. Just stay away from anything you dont want damaged till you get the hang of it.:D

I rented a Dingo when I did my patio. It's basically a scaled down, walk behind bobcat. It was very easy to use, was light enough to tow with a small truck and was much cheaper than a Bobcat.

Might be worth a lookhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1183514779.jpg

the kabota is really unstable unless on flat ground. i worked at a rental yard years ago and they quit renting them because of the continued episodes of renters (see beginner) rolling them over on their sides.

what are you looking to do? dig trenches, what an excavator/backhoe is best for, or move some dirt and do some grading? if the latter you really want a skiploader with a bucket in the front and a gannon box in the rear. you will need to get it deliverd, and it will prolly be a CASE unit as they are the easiest to learn quickly as desired by rental yards.

an excavator or backhoe are great for digging trenches, but have their limitations when it comes to grading. tracked equipment is best for hilly terrian. have fun with it, ive operated some equipment, familiar with a lot from past and current employ, what you'll find is about the time you get good you're done.

and good luck staying off the news cast...

T$

Perfect!!!! Thanks Chris.

Be sure to post the YouTube URL :)

You tube. Now that's funny

Just finished hauling and spreading 97 yards of top soil.
This is after busting up concrete surround from swimming pool and filling the whole mess in. with hydraulic jack hammer on the front of track bob cat. Then switched to bucket and finally a big 6 ft. wide rake to even everything out.

Got pretty good at it.

If you decide to use a mini-trackhoe on a slope, there's an easy way to prevent getting it tipped over. Have the tracks perpendicular to the slope, with the blade on the downhill side. Push the blade down. Then try to drive up the hill, and the leading edge of the tracks wil dig in, thus levelling the machine. Works great. Good luck with the project- hope it works out!

Paul.

For a short term rental, the cost of a bobcat or small backhoe at a typical rental yard in my area isn't much different than what I pay dirt contractors per hour to do the work for me. You get a real machine, an operator and a lot of experience.

You can guess how often I rent the small stuff....


JR