Jim,
I agree with your advise for Bob. Unless things are different in his area, it seems there are plenty of folks willing to take on "small" jobs such as his. I'd be taking them on but can't swing the truck and trailer needed to transport.
A couple of things come to mind that I don't recall being addressed:
I would think the nice neighbor should be granting a "right-of-way" for that line, not just word of mouth. Things get sticky when property changes hands and there's no record of permission in the Town Clerk's Office. Believe me, I have almost all "New" neighbors and I'm the only one who knows where all the property lines really are and all the right-of-ways. I've had to deal with two major line and right-of-way issues just this year.
Does the pipe need to be laid in stone, or sand? Asking as I'm not sure and it could well make a difference in the equipment best suited for the job (maybe excavator or backhoe AND dozer or at least the bucket loader). In either event, I would think an excavator would be faster at the job.
Bob,...are you planning on transporting the tractor (and maybe that new BH /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif), or do you already have means of transport. The BH will require more trailer than just the tractor and FEL.
Now, if I just had that truck and trailer.... Oh well, guess I'll go dig some more stumps and move some more rocks around this place.
Tom