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    Pricing questions, excavating, compaction, fine grade

    There really isn't a set CY price you could use as there's too many variables from job to job. The only way I know how to arrive at a CY price is to estimate what machines you need to do the job, how long you need them, how much it's going to cost you to run those machines and add in any...
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    pricing

    Start by taking what the machine is going to cost you to own per month (payments, insurance, licensing, depreciation, etc) Then add what the machine is going to cost you to operate per month (fuel, oil, operators wages, teeth, cutting edges, tracks, etc) Then divide by hour many hours you...
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    Job bid I lost

    Maybe I missed that too. I also shouldn't get ahead of myself and make assumptions on a percentage of profit without knowing what was actually billed. That's what happens when you're drinking and posting on equipment websites. hahaha
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    Job bid I lost

    I think you might have misunderstood me. When I said " if you made $1200 after all the bills are paid" I meant ALL of them, including what you described. The only way we'll know for sure is how much was billed for the work. With the description of the time and labor it took to complete this...
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    Job bid I lost

    If you mean you pocketed $1200 (or $300/day) after paying rent on all your equipment, mobilization, dump fees, labor, etc., I'd say you did pretty well. Just a rough estimate, I'd guess you made in the neighborhood of 20%. $1200 (after all the bills are paid) for 4 days of work doesn't SOUND...
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    duck walking, what are the causes an what ways do you deal with it?

    My opinion on what starts duckwalking: when dumping is when one of the rear tires raises on the dumped material before the other and if the speed of the machine is constant, it puts the machine in a perpetual state of "wave" because of the weight of the machine that doesnt go away until both...
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    water line ditch

    Cool pictures! In the photos where the ditch is open for 200' or so with no pipe in it, what is the procedure for getting the pipe in the ditch and put together? I've only seen ditches like that when you have to weld the pipe on top and sling the whole thing in at once. It looks like the...
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    Need some advice

    In the state that I work you don't need a certification from any school to run heavy equipment with the exception of cranes I think. If the school is that expensive, I wouldn't go.
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    Need some advice

    I'll try to answer your questions in order: Yes it is feast and famine depending on your geographical location. Where i work it is very much a seasonal occupation unless you are in management. We have seasonal employees that work all summer and draw unemployment in the winter. I don't know...
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    Project delivery discussion - hard bid and negotiated.

    I completely agree buckfever. I work for a medium sized company (50-100 employees depending on the season) and sometimes I think it would be so much simpler to be a 1-2 man operation and do similar work to what you describe. Yeah you carry more risk, but you also control more of your own...
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    Project delivery discussion - hard bid and negotiated.

    Buckfever, I can see how that could be easier to secure work but my initial reaction is that if a GC is offering that kind of contract to subcontractors there must be an awful lot of competition for it in your market. IE, a lot of guys that do the same thing you do. I know that where I work...
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    Jobs on bid question.

    If there was any way I could rate this post it would be at the top. 5 star, top notch, whatever you want to call it. You can make or lose more money with a pencil in your hand or how you handle yourself with owners and owners reps if you understand how a contract works and what is extra and...
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    Jobs on bid question.

    I would have to say no because it ALL depends on what contractor you are talking to and if you trust him. The same guy that would undercut a hard bid might tell you exactly what you want to hear if you present a project to him this way as well. He might say "yeah, of course I can do that"...
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    Where to check fluids on JD 555?--D Sipka

    I did a google search and found that there is a dipstick under the seat for the transmission. Couldn't find anything on the hydraulic fluid though. I'm guessing that it's probably under the seat too. Good luck!
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    how to make a living starting small

    Yes it does, but being able to quote work the same way a general contractor has to is extremely important to the estimator for the GC looking for quotes from subcontractors going into a hard bid. For example, a paving contractor is bidding a large paving job that has some dirt work on it...
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    High speed reverse.

    HAHA Oxbow, I know exactly what you mean. I was told "never put a dozer in 3rd gear unless it's an emergency." and I too have done it on occasion depending on the circumstances. ( for the same reasons you describe. When finishing topsoil, etc.) The same thought goes through my head...
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    The lost art of slot dozing!

    I don't think you've ever truly slot dozed dozerman. Or perhaps you have, but just aren't sure how to explain it. It will become very clear once it has been done right that slot dozing will move way more dirt faster than any other way because it traps the dirt in front of your blade, material...
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    opinions needed

    I would also recommend Volvo. However, my experience with these machines comes from running a spread of them and I wasn't responsible for ordering parts or buying them so can't help you there, but I can tell you there was very little maintenance that had to be done on the Volvo's. We had 6...
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    Another trench collapse

    Look at the photo's. There are so many things wrong here. The second picture has two excavators that arent even running and are pretty dang close to the edge. WHY not park them futher back. The first photo with the machine close to the edge looks to me dumping the bedding. Why have all those men...
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    Grade Setting/Grade checking Tips and Tricks

    Great thread durtmvr. I think all of the things you mentioned are important to a grade checker. You certainly will be ready for whatever comes your way with that list of tools. :) I don't do much of the kind of grade checking you are gearing up for anymore, and I certainly miss it. It's...
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