Best single machine for land clearing/grading/compacting a gravel driveway

[ztrain727]

I'm curious to get some opinions on the best single piece of equipment for cutting in a driveway. The steps involved would be:

1. Clearing sagebrush and top soil
2. Grading and compacting the sub soil
3. Installing a single 18"x20ft culvert
4. Spreading the pit run / DOT Type 1 / Slag (still need to choose a base)
5. Compacting gravel
6. Clear a building pad

I am deciding between a full size backhoe and a compact track loader (tracked skid steer). Both cost about the same daily. I will be renting a mini-ex later but didn't figure this was the place for it. Ideally I would get a dozer, but at $700/day plus $1200 delivery/pickup for a 90hp dozer (vs. 250/day + 200 delivery for the backhoes/CTL) I might as well hire it out.

I was leaning towards the track loader because I figured it would be a little easier to maneuver (I've operated a skid steer but never a backhoe) and the tracks would be less likely to leave ruts / compact more uniformly. On the flip side, the backhoe is a bigger, more powerful and more versatile machine and would save some hand digging for the culvert. This is mostly high desert clay soil with gravel mixed in. Opinions?

Cheers,
Zane

 

[Cord]

I agree with you on the tracked skid steer. Just make sure you are getting a big one because parts of your project are pushing it's capabilities. I have over the tire Grouser tracks on mine and they provide a traction improvement that probably bests even the tracked machines. Another advantage to using the skid steer is how maneuverable it is and they can support different attachments.

 

[Rustyiron]

Zane, welcome to TBN.
What's your equipment use backround? I don't mean that as an insult, it's just that I've seen people that just "take to it" naturally and other's that just are not (like me & computers:laughing so equipped. CTL's & SS can do a lot of your list but require a little experience to make them work. Holding a grade on any short track/wheelbase for your building site in a learned skill, grubbing out your brush and piling the topsoil not as much, in fact it will be good practice. Like Cord said, get a big machine, over 70hp. The CTL will not provide any real compaction (vs. a SS) and a SS can be poor in very sandy and dry loose soils. Depending on how (depth) much fill your compacting, lift's may be required and a big walk behind plate compactor working in conjunction with a SS/CTL placing 4''-6'' lift's. (soil dependent) I too prefer a SS with metal tracks over the tires but that's likely not a rental option.

Get it with a tooth bucket.
You'll need an excavator for the culvert.....
and at some point for the building fill compaction, a plate compactor.
Backhoe's are so 1980's, like a swiss army knife, clumsy but it can fudge it way through nearly any task, slowly!

 

[RNeumann]

The hoe is the better of the two. You get all the function of the loader plus you can dig the culvert and it will be far easier to do rough cutting with the hoe.

 

[ztrain727]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I like the community here - lots of straightforward information and no bickering.

Sounds like opinions are mixed. I definitely hear the backhoe argument for the culvert, but am curious about the two machines rough cutting and grading abilities since that is the bulk of the job.

Definitely limited experience operating equipment. I've run a skid steer primarily with an auger putting in pilings and cleared a site / put in a 500ft dirt road at a different property with a kubota tractor and box grader. I definitely hear you on the short wheelbase. Unless you're starting with a smooth base, it takes a delicate touch to keep the bucket at the right height going over all those little bumps.

Happy to take a hint now if this is no job for an amateur. Then again, playing with machines for a week, even if it's not blazing efficient, sounds like a lot more fun and a whole lot cheaper than hiring it out.

Cheers,
Zane

 

[mikester]

I'm curious to get some opinions on the best single piece of equipment for cutting in a driveway. The steps involved would be:

1. Clearing sagebrush and top soil
2. Grading and compacting the sub soil
3. Installing a single 18"x20ft culvert
4. Spreading the pit run / DOT Type 1 / Slag (still need to choose a base)
5. Compacting gravel
6. Clear a building pad

I am deciding between a full size backhoe and a compact track loader (tracked skid steer). Both cost about the same daily. I will be renting a mini-ex later but didn't figure this was the place for it. Ideally I would get a dozer, but at $700/day plus $1200 delivery/pickup for a 90hp dozer (vs. 250/day + 200 delivery for the backhoes/CTL) I might as well hire it out.

I was leaning towards the track loader because I figured it would be a little easier to maneuver (I've operated a skid steer but never a backhoe) and the tracks would be less likely to leave ruts / compact more uniformly. On the flip side, the backhoe is a bigger, more powerful and more versatile machine and would save some hand digging for the culvert. This is mostly high desert clay soil with gravel mixed in. Opinions?

Cheers,
Zane

15 Ton Crawler Loader

 

[ThirdMan]

15 Ton Crawler Loader

That is what a professional is using to dig my house foundation and put it my driveway right now. It can get a lot done, and I am glad he knows how to run it.

 

[Rustyiron]

That is a great option, they are as close as you can get to being (and operating) a giant SS or CTL. They are very "regional" in their use and availability. I asked the rental place here in Maine if they had a 953 or a 963 for rent. They never heard of one. Last one I rented (down South) was equivalently priced with an equal wt. excavator. ($1500 or more) a week. You can almost see the cutting edge where you can see the whole edge on a ss/ctl. They certainly would negate the need of a compactor

 

[EddieWalker]

Full sized loader backhoe is what I bought for my land and would do the same thing again. I've rented skid steers for jobs and would never want to own one. They suck!!! Mini excavator with a blade will do some things better then a backhoe, but it can't carry material and it's horrible at compaction. With a full load of dirt in the front bucket, the front wheels of a backhoe are great for compaction!!!

 

[mikester]

That is what a professional is using to dig my house foundation and put it my driveway right now. It can get a lot done, and I am glad he knows how to run it. View attachment 557222

Fantastic machine. Excellent at ripping out trees. I sometimes wish I kept mine.

If I had spare cash I'd get a 20-30 ton excavator with hydraulic thumb and a 10 ton dozer.