Using a mini-digger

johnb25

I have a bit of work finishing off outside a new house...ground to level off and mill-waste or chips to spread. I am thinking of hiring a mini-digger and doing it myself. More time than money!
How difficult are they to operate for a novice?
How do I know what size machine would I need?
Anything else I need to considir?

Thanks.

ART6

johnb25 wrote: »

I have a bit of work finishing off outside a new house...ground to level off and mill-waste or chips to spread. I am thinking of hiring a mini-digger and doing it myself. More time than money!
How difficult are they to operate for a novice?
How do I know what size machine would I need?
Anything else I need to considir?

Thanks.

Levelling anything with them needs a fair bit of skill and if you've never handled one before I'd say you have little chance of getting any acceptable levels. They aren't particularly difficult to handle, but that's not the same as being able to do so fluently. There are four degrees of movement in the arm, a bucket that can be crowded through about 180 degrees, the ability to swing the whole machine through 360 degrees on its carriage, and tracks that can individually go backwards or forwards using foot pedals. Add to that a throttle that is hand operated and you might find that you need to do more things at once than you can cope with. I'd recommend hiring a professional witha JCB for a day. It will give you a better result and save you money.

pixbyjohn

I would agree with ART6. Keep a lookout for a guy doing a job local to you with a JCB, he might do your work as a nixer in the evening if you offer him a few bob and a nice dinner.

Lars-irl

I hired one of these a couple of years ago to dig a drive way out.Complete Novice! ( approx 17mtr squared)...It does take a little bit of time to get used to it.The guy who left it gave me a 5 min demostration. My best advice would be to mess around in it for a good 30 mins to a hour in the center of your garden before doing what u need to do. My father had a go thinking it was going to easy and nearly pulled down one of walls,though thats because he thought he would be up to speed in 5 mins . He soon stepped out and left it to me. It's not Rocket science,just be a little patient..Pedals on the floor which move the cabin 360 degrees. 2 handles in front with move tracks...Push 1 to move left and right. 2 at the same time to go straight. If your not in a confined space and can practice in it for 30 mins, I would say give it a go. It's a lot easier than driving a manual car for the first time:) I paid about 200Euro for the weekend...I got a midi size digger. I did find it harder to level the ground out than dig,but mainly because I was working in a tight space with surrounding walls, so I was worried about leveling so close to the walls.. Not sure how much it would cost to get a guy in a jcb

Martron

jcb not ideal for levelling garden. i would recommend getting someone else to do it.

its not hard to operate. there are a few variants. as nother poster said its not rocket science.
i would recommend a small machine. possibly 2.5 t . will be able to manage any job. depends on the size of garden. you can get a tiny 1 tonne but that might not be strong enough so 2.5 is capable machine.

not sure of price. but if you are doing it yourself play around with it for a while until you are used to it. one wrong move could cause an accident.

buT as for the levelling job itself. it is a skilled job at may be worth paying someone to get it done right.

i would recommed top 2 in this link http://www.macrental.net/plant_hire/excavators_and_loaders

good luck

sunnysoutheast

Hi - TBH this is a job for someone who knows what they're doing - like plastering it looks way easier than it actually is to do well. A friend of mine hired one for the weekend to do some landscaping/ponds in a 1/2 acre garden - after a full day on saturday he ended up with the digger at the bottom of a big pit and he'd basically barricaded himself in!

If you do go for it a) check your insurance and b) make sure the oil and fluid levels in the digger are checked when it's dropped off and on handing it back.

SSE

johnb25

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will play safe and get someone in. Thanks again.

LoopyBum

Easy as P

Like a poster said, give yourself a bit of open space and half hour or so to get the swing of things, pardon the pun.

I borrowed one to fill in my test holes - oh what fun!! It had a radio and lights... Plant is the way to go!
Be careful when digging not to 'overdig' as you can cause the minis to turn over trying to raise an overfilled bucket... or you can cave in on a hole if you are too close... line up sideways and put out the bit at the front to stabilise yourself... or get in a guy and watch him... then next time hire out one.

In the mean time... I want one of these . . . . http://www.mucktruck.ie

Diesel-D

just moved here to mayo from the states and use to operate heavy equipment (diggers, etc.) and i heard that you need a license is this true and if so how do i get one?

Martron

its called a "ticket " over here and there is loads of places that do training courses. with your experience in the states i am sure you can just go and do the test. couple of hundred euro though

ART6

Diesel-D wrote: »

just moved here to mayo from the states and use to operate heavy equipment (diggers, etc.) and i heard that you need a license is this true and if so how do i get one?

I have hired them for my own use on my own property and no-one has ever asked me if I have a licence (I do as it happens). I assume you don't need one if it's on your own property, but the hire company would advise you on that.

Diesel-D

Martron wrote: »

its called a "ticket " over here and there is loads of places that do training courses. with your experience in the states i am sure you can just go and do the test. couple of hundred euro though

after doing some research it seems to be more than i expected.. in the states they pretty much let anyone operate one.. i did have to get certified though which i still have the card/ "ticket". where would i go to get this new "ticket"

reilig

LoopyBum wrote: »

Easy as P


In the mean time... I want one of these . . . . http://www.mucktruck.ie

A wheelbarrow with an engine