Basement digging tips, 160 vs 200 ex

Been digging a few basements for a couple years now, running Deere 160 lc. I have some questions..... I think it's taking me to long to dig and finish. I consider myself above average operator, but after I dig a hole, my ego gets hurt( average hole 1250-1450 5' depth, 9 inside corners, 100' of garage footers, takes me 7hrs)Couple thoughts, running 48" bucket with 5 spade teeth on it(5-6" wide) , this leaves about 4-5" in between teeth. Most guys have spade teeth with about 1/2 in between. Would this speed of my finishing? Also I think I leave too much spoils in some of my corners, would soild spade teeth help with that also?
How much more productive would a 200 be with a 54" bucket?

Also I try to be within 1/4 in on grade, but usually ends up around 1"

IMHO, you're doing just fine. To give up the mobility of the 160 for a little more production doesn't seem worth it. I feel the same way when I dig a
foundation hole, it always feels better though when the concrete guys complement the digging job though. The last foundation hole I dug the concrete guy showed up and said "oh, this one's flat compared to the one we just came from that was 6 inches out of level".....

I used an OLD Allis Hd7G to dig my basement, spent two days digging out to depth then a third to clean up. Not ever would complain of getting one done in a day and within reason for footers. Rock is your friend at the bottom of the hole.

Yeah treemover , sounds like you are doing a fine job .

When rock is not an issue I like a 60 " bucket with no teeth .

Works great for nice square corners & no disturbance to the sidewalls from the teeth .
Also works great for the floor & digging around utilities .

Teeth have there place but a smooth sharp cutting edge is handy at times .

td25c what size excavator are you running? we have very little, if any rock here.

Yeah Treemover , if rock is not an issue I'd be looking around for a wide bucket with a cutting edge .

We use it all the time & my first choice bucket for dirt work .
My thought is it cuts better than a tooth bucket with it's sharp cutting edge .

A lot of advantages with a smooth bucket . Digging around utilities " no teeth to hook them " . Can graze rite over the top exposing them for the feller in the ditch .
Loading trucks " no teeth to rip the side boards off " . LOL !

To be honest I don't think the size of the machine matters .

We run the latest equipment available . Excavator is 20 ton with a tier something engine in it ? Got something to do with emissions .
http://www.heavytruckforums.com/showthread.php?263-Some-Holmes-750-action&p=2503&viewfull=1#post2503

We ripped out a causeway around the pond with it before diving in to bail out the muck .
Our southern members call it " chirt " . It was hard clay mixed with sand rock .
No problem peeling it out with the smooth bucket .
http://www.heavytruckforums.com/sho...ufacturing-Company&p=4046&viewfull=1#post4046

What we have for 'chert' in Mid-MO is flint, adds excitement to the jobs when operators find it as can be thick as a highway and solid as steel, sometimes have to bring in a hammer head to bust it up to get to the clay layer below it. One fella busted thru only to end up finding Karst geology below it, not a happy fella!

td25c said:

A lot of advantages with a smooth bucket . Digging around utilities " no teeth to hook them " . Can graze rite over the top exposing them for the feller in the ditch .

Click to expand...

Slip rite over the top like ya own it .

Saves allot of " hand diggin " . I don't like running a shovel unless it has a seat on it . LOL !

I do a fair bit of fine grade work largely ditching and drainage work these days but we do dig basements from time to time I use to be fairly steady at it and the company I worked for had 4 Cat 320 excavators. During the summer we used 66" wrist or tilt type buckets as it allowed us to slope our walls and even slope the floor to the center as many basements here are on pilings and have a crawl space under the basement floor. Ideally a tilt-rotator would work the best for these jobs but that's a whole different bag of worms. I generally prefer digging with a 160 or 180 size machine as the lots are getting so small. I did however dig one basement several years ago with a CX135 Case for a 1500sqft. home and because I did have lots of room for dirt I didn't have to rehandle much. I did find the thumb to be a pain in the butt as it made it more 'tippy' when stretched out. During the winter with those 320 Cats we used 48" buckets with 5 tiger type frost teeth and when it was really frozen we had rippers. If we had to rip frost that was cost plus and went by a slightly higher than normal hourly rate. The place I work for now we have a Hitachi 160 and we bill out by the hour so it works just fine for digging basements and has a reach longer than our Kobelco SK210. Both have 66" tilt buckets.

Yeah 245dlc , I remember one of your video's prepping for a sidewalk across a golf course using a mini with smooth bucket & tilt rotator .

Looked pretty handy .

Yeah that was a fun little job I wish it was something we could afford to have one on the machines we have now.

Treemover I like to pair a CTL with my hoe, I don't dig basements but I could see how a CTL would be quick to slick the bottom up and grade the slab. Of course this adds another machine to the mix, I guess you have to weigh your options.

I would stick with the 160, it's so much easier to move than a 200 size machine.

Our southern members call it " chirt " . It was hard clay mixed with sand rock .
No problem peeling it out with the smooth bucket .

Click to expand...

TD you won't cut our chert with a smooth bucket, sometimes it's hard to get 1/2 bucket load with teeth in it's natural form.

The last chert pit we were in went through three sets of trackhoe teeth and a set of loader teeth hauling out 2K or so yards.

Anything you can do with an excavator...should be done with an excavator.

Lowest cost of production...

I think you're doing just fine. I don't know what you charge for a basement...but you're doing one in a day. That should be a money maker.

xr4ticlone said:

Anything you can do with an excavator...should be done with an excavator.

Lowest cost of production...

Click to expand...

There is sure something to that xr4ticlone .

We often "tag team " an excavator with a dozer or skid loader depending on the job .

Fuel burn on an excavator is pretty low for what it's moving .

Hogged with ours today & tossed to the dozer to take it away .
http://www.heavytruckforums.com/sho...ufacturing-Company&p=4141&viewfull=1#post4141

Well i think your doing pretty good as it is with your 160. Personally i prefer the 140 or the 210 size. 160s are usually tippy and an unstable machine slows you down.

I think the gummy bucket comments are spot on. Only run teeth of you need them, cutting edges are cheaper than teeth.

One way to speed your project up is to plan it better. This means no double handeling dirt, minimal repositions, not having to do it 2x etc. Alot of this will come with time, watch others dig and pick up things from them.