JWK1
Member
I've got some acreage in central Maine and I want to start building next year, and I want to do as much as I can myself. I'm debating whether to build on cement piers or go with an insulated slab. Both have pros and cons for building.
What this post is all about is whether one of the one ton machines are capable. For the piers, I would need to go down somewhere between 4 and 5 feet. I figure at least a foot of dirt is going to be scraped away first, so the mini would only have to go 4 feet down at the most. One of my neighbors up there actually spent all summer a few years ago digging the holes by hand himself. I'm almost 70. I don't want to do that and I don't want to spend that much time. I hope to have the place at least dried in by snow time, so like a year from now.
Now the slab is something I know a lot less about. I would need to do more research to see what I would need to do. I know the basics for the ground prep.
Oh, and then there is the septic. That hole for the tank might be a bit much for a one ton? I see the leech field as no problem.
There is no question that the machine would come in incredibly handy after the house building ground work is done. The land is undeveloped and had some cedar logging done about 20 years ago, so there is a lot of clean up to do for putting in gardens, fruit trees, just having nice areas, etc. However, for the sake of this post, my ultimate concern is strictly cost effectiveness. I can get a machine from someone in Ellsworth, Maine who is advertising upgrades on a "1.2T", whatever that really means. The important bits are upgraded lower chassis (longer and wider), hydraulic thumb, ripper, rake, and counter weight. Just under $8K for a new machine. I'm using it as a reference point for what is out there.
There is also no question in my mind that it will pay for itself compared to hiring out. Plus, I will do it the way I want it done, not the way the excavator thought it should be done. That's already happened with the driveway I had put in. Don't want to do that again.
Do you think this is realistic, or will I be under gunned? Thanks for any info and/or advice.
What this post is all about is whether one of the one ton machines are capable. For the piers, I would need to go down somewhere between 4 and 5 feet. I figure at least a foot of dirt is going to be scraped away first, so the mini would only have to go 4 feet down at the most. One of my neighbors up there actually spent all summer a few years ago digging the holes by hand himself. I'm almost 70. I don't want to do that and I don't want to spend that much time. I hope to have the place at least dried in by snow time, so like a year from now.
Now the slab is something I know a lot less about. I would need to do more research to see what I would need to do. I know the basics for the ground prep.
Oh, and then there is the septic. That hole for the tank might be a bit much for a one ton? I see the leech field as no problem.
There is no question that the machine would come in incredibly handy after the house building ground work is done. The land is undeveloped and had some cedar logging done about 20 years ago, so there is a lot of clean up to do for putting in gardens, fruit trees, just having nice areas, etc. However, for the sake of this post, my ultimate concern is strictly cost effectiveness. I can get a machine from someone in Ellsworth, Maine who is advertising upgrades on a "1.2T", whatever that really means. The important bits are upgraded lower chassis (longer and wider), hydraulic thumb, ripper, rake, and counter weight. Just under $8K for a new machine. I'm using it as a reference point for what is out there.
There is also no question in my mind that it will pay for itself compared to hiring out. Plus, I will do it the way I want it done, not the way the excavator thought it should be done. That's already happened with the driveway I had put in. Don't want to do that again.
Do you think this is realistic, or will I be under gunned? Thanks for any info and/or advice.
