Debating what size and or combo of excavators to go, all input welcome

[iceberg210]

Finally in a place job wise and finance wise where I'd like to pick up an excavator at some point here in the near future... Looking at a variety of options but figured I'd ask some advice as while I've got some experience with excavators (mainly trenching for well lines) I haven't done the sort of jobs that I'm about to embark on with one enough to really understand the advantages disadvantages of the various sizes and options. (my experience runs much more in the logging industry, dozers, loaders, forklifts). So first the jobs I'll be handling over the next few years.

1. Putting six inches of concrete at our business, tearing up old asphalt digging grade digging water drainage system etc... Probably around 100 yards of concrete by the end of the day (we'll be finishing it ourselves)

2. Pole barn building (dig foundation etc) we'll have plenty of forklifts to set trusses and such so no need to improvise with an excavator.

3. Demolish a 1300 sq ft garage on slab, rip up slab at my house,

4. Build two houses on a 1/4 acre lot so things are a little crowded but not too bad, both will have full basements/ one of them I'm planning on running some partially underground parking on it, still need to figure out the grade for the ramp... Both houses would be about 1500 sq ft basements.

5. Dig out and then cut out egress windows from my house (albeit I can do that with a shovel I'm not too worried about that...)

All jobs are on pretty much completely flat ground, so not really worried about that...

Here's the options as I see it kind of,

Could buy a cheap big excavator ~40k lbs (seen some 690D's etc for 7500 to $10k) and a cheap mini 5-10k lbs (seen some decent ones for that same price range.)

Also could look at a variety of mid size 15k-20k lbs (seen some Liink Belt LS1600, or Hitachi EX75 around for 12-15k) just worried that I've heard a lot of folks say that this size is kind of an excavator without a home sort of thing, not big enough, not small enough sort of thing...

What are your thoughts? Really would love to hear some opinions on how you would do it, or what you'd look at? Got lots of projects for machines, and just know from experience that using the wrong tool for the job can be almost more frustrating than not having a machine at all...

Thanks for the input really appreciate it!

 

[iceberg210]

Oh and just so you know other equipment if that helps, is a 1yard loader, and forklifts, of various sorts (happens when you're in distribution,) and perhaps a HD4 Allis dozer with backhoe, customer is trying to get us to buy it lol.

 

[wilko]

Some things to keep in mind.
The bigger the machine, the easier it is to operate. (more or less)
Too big and it's hard to move from job to job.
There's a reason you see so many 120s around.

 

[iceberg210]

Makes a lot of sense, I've run a 60k lb American which honestly was almost too big, about 20mt is about as big as I'd like to get... Mainly cause of transport but also cause you get that big and it's just unwieldy and yes I know that's more to do with the fact it's an old American than the size...

Also run a ton of minis, Yanmar 35, Takeuchi TB125 (spent tons of time on that thing), etc which are shocking in how much work they can do, but still very limited one you get out of trenching ditching etc...

Thanks for the thoughts, what do you run?

 

[iceberg210]

Other question is , the 15k-20k size machine more jack or all trades or more master of none? And what do folks think about their offset boom design? Handy or maintenance nightmare?

 

[stumpjumper83]

To me you should be looking from 6-15 ton. From what your telling me you want to spend there going to be older units, so knockdown blades aren't there, and I couldn't live without mine, its just plain handy. Your going to want a hydraulic thumb and need a manual. Boom wise, my preferred boom is the fr boom on the takeuchi, second pick is a standard mini pivot boom, next regular excavator, and last is the offsetting boom. Offsets have too many pivots for my liking. Models I'd look at, the deere 490e, the case 9010's, cat 311 / 312, the takeuchi 153/180 are awesome but might be out of the buget.

Whats your transport plan?

 

[iceberg210]

I'm willing to spend more just saying the different machines available in the area... Yeah that FR boom looks incredible, I've been shying away from the offset booms just cause too many movie parts, too many chances to wear stuff out and break things.

Good thinking on those options, I was thinking 490/9010 too,

Depends on the weight, if it's 16k or under can tow behind the one ton, however if it's a big one I'm not too worried about transportation as we've got a great customer and friend here I can hire to lowboy it around... It wouldn't move except maybe once a year if that, so I'm not too worried about that. But always something to consider.

Thanks for the help! The main thing I'm wondering if I'm better off going more money one mid size machine or less money per machine and get a big and small one, just don't want to end up with a machine that I'm constantly wishing was both smaller and bigger, (albeit that will always happen to some extent)

 

[stumpjumper83]

I have a 53, and yes, they are an incredible boom. I do very similar work to what you are saying, its a little small for a steady diet of basements but it can dig them. It can load triaxle dumps, and its really handy clearing trees. I'd advise to stick to something that you can haul.

 

[iceberg210]

How frustrating do you find digging full depth basements with the 53? I'd think it'd get old quick, but then again I've only run mini's up to a Vio27 Yanmar, so that's still quite a bit smaller, just would think anything much under 15k lbs would take a long time and be difficult to do basements but as I said I don't have the experience with it. I'm sure there are some tricks to the trade to pull it off though....

 

[stumpjumper83]

Well 95% of our basements daylight here, very few are a 4 sided 9' hole. Most of the time I use my dozer as much as I use the excavator. Volume wise w/ a 36" digging bucket is nice digging dirt I can consistently move 250 cu yards daily with my takeuchi. I'd have to check but I think the machine will dig 12' deep max.

Again if basements were 90% of my work, I'd have the biggest thing I could move without a permit. Thing is a lot of my work is exposing foundations for French drains, cleaning up trees for my friend and his tree service, playing with boulders, garage pads, and other stuff

 

[pp13bnos]

I'd go at least 1 size bigger than you really need. I love my 120, but there has been more than once when a 160 or a even a 200. But like Stumpjumper says, something you can haul will save alot of headaches in the long run.

 

[norite]

I went for a 20 tonne, here is my reasoning for doing so. Depends on what you want to do with it. I only plan to own one excavator and if I need a mini x, I just rent one. Same goes if I need a larger one, but haven't needed one so far.

A 20 tonne is about the smallest you usually see doing road and water/sewer work, big enough to load trucks, small enough to move fairly easily and about the smallest you'd want to demo 2 story buildings. Seems to be just on the divide between big x's and the small machines. Lots of buckets available and big enough to run a decent size hammer.

There is an axiom I read in an old engineering text book which said the cost of moving dirt is minimized by using the largest machine possible as long as it is not so big that it cannot work efficiently due to the size of the job or is restricted by a small site.

So go as big as you can to suit the work you are doing.

 

[iceberg210]

Finally figured out I need to be in the 5 to 7 ton range, with the kind of stuff I'm doing is it better to go a little bigger PC60 E70B EX60 type or will the added abilities of a Deere 50 or something like that be worth going a little smaller in order to get a swing boom and what not? What are your experiences? Whenever I used my grandfather's old TB25 Takeuchi I never seemed to use the offset boom but don't know if that was just cause that thing was so small anyway.. What are folks' experiences with the normal versus swing boom? Thanks for the help here's hoping I finally have an excavator soon

 

[cdm123]

I have an 8 ton with swing boom and though I rarely use it, it can be handy.

 

[StumpyWally]

I have a 2005 New Holland EH80cs (really a Kobelco sk80cs), with straight blade & 24"-wide steel tracks, & a hydraulic pad mounted thumb. I love it, & I find the center swing to be very useful for digging next to things, like walls. I think the size is great...it is big enough to do some serious work, yet small enough to fit in tight places. I use a KLAC close quick coupler, which maintains the original tip radius & breakout force.

If I were you, I'd look at a Kobelco 85cs, a Kubota KX080, a Tak TB290, & a Cat 308. You might want to check out my thread: https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?49290-80-Class-Excavator-Comparison

 

[Shimmy1]

Center-swing. Offsets are clumsy, it's so much nicer to just swing it where you want it.

 

[iceberg210]

Well narrowed it down to the 5 ton size (with swing boom ie Deere 50 TB145 etc) or the 6 ton size PC60 SK60 EX60 etc. Anybody been in the same quandary? I've got two foundations to dig, some concrete work to work on and a garage to tear down, I know the swing boom machine will be more useful in some ways in that it'll be more versatile, but would a 6 ton machine with the tradition straight boom be so much more efficient in digging the basements that I'd be better off to use a shovel where I need to? Thanks for the help!

 

[Twisted]

I guess my suggestion of a 200 class rig won't be of any help now.

Buy the biggest machine that you can that will do the jobs. Tearing up asphalt and concrete takes a big hoe.

Don't just think about bucket size and lifting capacity but reach. I could get by with many of my jobs by taking more scoops but the reach is the major limiting factor. my $0.02

 

[iceberg210]

I guess my suggestion of a 200 class rig won't be of any help now.

Buy the biggest machine that you can that will do the jobs. Tearing up asphalt and concrete takes a big hoe.

Don't just think about bucket size and lifting capacity but reach. I could get by with many of my jobs by taking more scoops but the reach is the major limiting factor. my $0.02

Thanks for the advice I'll definitely be checking the stick lengths

I'd love to have that big of machine but the biggest I can realistically haul is 5-6 ton machine (and some of the 6 ton ones are pushing it) so I figured I'd go as big as I can haul.