Equipment to start out...

[LaLaMan]

If you were starting a demo business what equipment would you want to start out with. Being reasonable of course...

I would want...

Cat 320 (or equivelent size) machine w/ grapple, hammer, ect
Mack RD Roll Off, with pintle hitch to pull the cat
Cat skidsteer at least 2500lbs size machine w/ many work tools


Would anyone like to share any info on starting out in the demo business? How did you start out? How did you get work? Ect...

 

[Dozerboy]

That would be a good setup, but if your old school a 977 with a 4n1 will do it all.

 

[neyc]

La La
Starting out I would create some strong relations with rental places/dealers that rent equipment. Find more than one so you have some flexibility.
The time you save from hauling/maintaining/ and stressing about payments, you can spend finding work.

 

[Demoguy324]

I'd specialze in light industrial/ heavy commercial/technical and complex structures. All i'd want to start a demo company would be:

a Liebherr R934C. With:
-complete guarding package: (1/4" thick body panels, 8" channel bumpers all around, Full FOPS/window guard, Pipe and hose guarding)
-2 piece mechanically adjustable boom
-Liebherr Quick coupler system
-elevating/tilt cab
-Labounty HDR series grapple
-Labounty UP-30 w/ shear, cracking and processing jaws
-Labounty MSD 3000R SL shear
-Rammer Hammer
-Generator set and a magnet
-double grouser tracks and Variable gauge undercarriage
-auto lube

Volvo L90E Loader With:
-Complete guarding package (cab, lights, underbody, lines, radiator guard)
-Stemco Solid tires
-Pemberton demolition bucket (modified with teeth on the top jaw as well)
-forks, GP bucket, Rock bucket, and lifting arm.
-Auto lube

A Cat Skid steer loader, with biter bucket, GP bucket, and forks

that'd be enough for me,

no need for trucks as there are enough hungry truck drivers out there.

Eric

 

[Wolf]

dozerboy got it right. The good ol' 977 can do it all.
curnch away.






:usa

 

[petersfamilytru]

Nice Wish List

Wow, that list from DemoGuy would come with a staggering monthly payment. I would hate to start a business and have $10,000 per month going out in payments.

I have done a lot of commercial demolition with a John Deere 490E equipped with a Shamrock 38" Hydraulic grapple, a John Deere 644B loader, and a 1984 Kenworth W900 with a 45' spread-axle flatbed with alluminum sideboards.

I have other equipment, but the demolition stuff hasn't required any of it! I can tell you, there are better ways to do it and a guy should strive for the newer, bigger equipment when his workload and tax problems have outgrown the bare necessities.

Just my thoughts... For what it's worth.

 

[Demoguy324]

Well, bid the right industrial jobs, and that Liebherr and volvo would more than pay for themselves in the first 6 months producing a mere 1400 tons a month! especially now, with the way prepared iron is trading!

Eric

 

[petersfamilytru]

Competition

Producing a "mere 1400 tons per month" is great if there isn't any competition out there with longevity and a lot less fixed expenses. I have salesman tell me all the time that I could generate this incredible amount of revenue if only I purchased "x" machine. What they ALWAYS fail to calculate is the downtime.

Most employee's think the boss should be buying all this new equipment, but fail to recognize all the pitfalls that come with a heavy debt load.

My advise is to start out with the lowest expense possible and grow into the new stuff. If you're successful, the time will come to upgrade!

 

[CascadeScaper]

It takes money to make money.

 

[LaLaMan]

Demolition is one of the avenues id like to look into as far as a business goes.


In North Jersey it seems like there are so many BIG GUYS out there (NACIREMA, BED ROC, MAZZOCHI, ect).

I always like to read up on how people started in smilar conditions I am in and how they started out on their own. If for nothing else its always intresting to read. Many of the opinions and knowledge can transfere to ANY business idea anyways.

Thank for the replys.

 

[Turbo21835]

Well guys, while the scrap market is high right now, I dont see it lasting. I thought last summer when iron was $200 a ton for short iron, from joe schmoe on street. With the big guys getting over 300 a ton. Now its 250 a ton for short iron for the street guy. I dont see that lasting.

LaLaMan, as for getting started, do you have equipment now? Personally, what i would be looking at to start with. I would be looking for a 20 ton excavator. I would equip it with a labounty hdr grapple, and a bucket. I would also make sure its plumed for two way oil to the stick. That way, if you pick up something where you need a hammer, or a shear, you can rent one. I would also be looking for a skid steer. Since your going to be starting out, and i would figure most of your work will be residential. That would swing me towards something on tracks. I would set it up with a grapple bucket, maybe a sweeper, to look good to the neighbors, and maybe a rake so you can make sure the site is good looking when your done.

You can use roll offs for most of your demo debris. Personally, i would have a little dump trailer i can use for any metals i would pull out of a house. That stuffs worth so much cash i would make sure to take it home at night. Being a small company you should be after the stuff the big guys dont want, or going after some little technical work.

 

[Demoguy324]

I'm not trying to start a fight here, but in Demo, I've seen what properly equipped, nice equipment can do, especially when well maintained. my figures allowed for half a day downtime per week, and an easily accomplished ferrous scrap tonnage. and still have plenty left over for payroll, trucking and other costs.

as far as the available work goes, it's out there, you just need to know where to look, and not be afraid to travel.

 

[tonka]

First off what kind of demo are you going to be doing? Houses, Commercial, Industrial...

When i was in the demo bussiness, we used a Cat 330 with a thumb, a Cat 973 track loader, a water truck, and a monster end dump. we mostly did houses tho...

 

[Sparffo]

Demolition derby

Hi!

I have a demolition company, and i would say that if you don't have any demo experience -> first try to get a jobb at some demolition company. It helps you a lot when you know what you are doing! Demolition work is not always so easy as it looks!

but the machinery depens a lot on what you are going to demolish? we have everything from handheld tools (diamond cutters etc.), demolition robots BROKK to big excavators.
a good starter would be a 28-32 tons excavator with nessesary equipment, smaller machines than that are slow and inefficient when doing building demolition!
this is a video from our latest demolition job! enjoy :drinkup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLJ6rszO6CY

 

[Wolf]

Demolition is one of the avenues id like to look into as far as a business goes.


In North Jersey it seems like there are so many BIG GUYS out there (NACIREMA, BED ROC, MAZZOCHI, ect).

I always like to read up on how people started in smilar conditions I am in and how they started out on their own. If for nothing else its always intresting to read. Many of the opinions and knowledge can transfere to ANY business idea anyways.

Thank for the replys.

There are a lot of big guys out there, but they aren't interested in doing the houses, so if you rent machines and do houses, you can make a ton of money. Huge margins in doing that, bro, even in Jersey with the big guys focusing on the large industrial jobs, you can make it with residential, tearing down frame houses in a day or so for six or ten grand.

 

[mikef87]

I'm not trying to start a fight here, but in Demo, I've seen what properly equipped, nice equipment can do, especially when well maintained. my figures allowed for half a day downtime per week, and an easily accomplished ferrous scrap tonnage. and still have plenty left over for payroll, trucking and other costs.

as far as the available work goes, it's out there, you just need to know where to look, and not be afraid to travel.

It is true if you have the right machine for a job you can clean up. I took down a few buildings an old factory, had 4 foot think floors with rebar. I did it in a month, some small guy bidded it for a little more money than me, but he told the developer it would take 3 months minimum. He had a Cat 330 a Kobleco 220 with a hammer and a Hitachi EX160. I did it with a Komatsu PC600 PC400 PC300 and a Cat 345. Had one shear, 2 concrete munchers, 3 grapples, 3 hammers. Quick couplers on everything but the 600. I made great money with very little to no down time. The 600 was pulling big slabs to the 400 with the muncher, the WA450 loader was loader the broken concrete into trailers. If you plan a job right, with the right men and equipment you can blow a job out in no time.