Best size digger for 5 acres

graecole · Mar 5, 2014

I have a property in BC Canada which is 5 acres and heavily wooded. There is a cabin and I am in the process of building a shop (for toy storage). So, the clearing has been done by a contractor to open up space for the shop but I want to get my own excavator for general work around the property. I want to open up trails in the heavily wooded part, move fallen trees, make pathways, drain some boggy ground, collect logs for firewood, - that sort of thing. I also want to build a roadway across a swampy area by culvert and gravel road. I have two massive burn piles of stumps from the original clearing that I need to shake down (full of mud) and transfer to a new location for burning. Essentially a recreational pastime as I transition into retirement.

I am looking at excavators and am trying to get a handle on what would be the best size. I have seena 5.5T Bobcat (thumb, rubber tracks) but wondering whether I should go the next size up to, say, 8ton (maybe steel tracks) for greater reach and lifting capacity. I have used a rental excavator before but am no expert. I think the 5.5 would be good for getting in amongst the trees and bushes but maybe the bigger machine would be more capable.

I do not need to trailer it and my ground is undeveloped woodland which is quite wet in places.

Any suggestions on digger size much appreciated.

farmer2009 · Mar 5, 2014

I would suggest the 8 you talk about. I am a bigger fan of steel tracks over rubber ones. And as you said it has more reach and lift. This all comes in handy moving stumps. I just recommend one with a thumb and as big as you can afford. I also like the idea of a zero tail swing unit for tight quarters. All I have experience with are large ones (50k) though. Just my .02.

graecole · Mar 6, 2014

Thanks Farmer - I must admit I was tending in that direction (definitely with thumb) although I am lined up with a good deal on a low hours Bobcat E55. It is very hard to "imagine" what you need without real experience. Appreciated.

graecole · Mar 6, 2014

Anybody got any experience with a Bobcat 442?

paulharvey · Mar 6, 2014

The JD-85 can be had with rubber pads on steel linkage tracks. It's probably bigger than most home owners need, but the JD-35/50 sizes will probably do what ever you need short of clearing. Similar Cats (302.5/305/307) and Komatsu would all be good. Kobelco seems to have mixed reviews; lot of guys complain the small series are jerky, but the gray imports can be had cheap. Bobcat mini hoes are fine in my experience.

Biggest thing with any mini hoe, expecially if you are getting one plumbed for auxiliary hydraulics, is try to see if it's been running a hammer. If so, I would try to avoid it, hammer is rough on the whole hoe; and the vibrations can cause a lot of premature stresses that you probably won't see till its too late. A sloppy bucket, worn pins and bushings can be signs of a hammer; as well as a field made Plexiglas front window.

Leaky cylinders can be fixed fairly cheap, a worn turn table pretty much means scrap yard time. I would look for leaky drives as well. In my experience rubber tracks are fine, and I really don't see the need for steel tracks unless your working with a lot of sharp rocks, rip rap, scrap metal, or demo.

oosik · Mar 6, 2014

Graecole,
Welcome to TBN. Sounds like a nice piece of property to retire on. I spent my "time" in Anchorage too - '62-'82. Anchorage became too much a big town and so we retired to property here in WA state. Sounds like you are beginning a great adventure also - good luck.

graecole · Mar 6, 2014

Thanks Oosik,

I have had the property since 2006 but could rarely get there until I moved to Anchorage for an oil project. It's a long way from the UK and even further from Singapore which is where I was when I bought it. I now have to balance my desire to buy toys with the fact that the more toys I buy the longer I have to keep working to pay for them!! I think the trick is to know when to quit and still be young and active enough to enjoy retirement.
On my way down to the property this afternoon so very excited. Planning to see the excavator on Friday.

Graham

graecole · Mar 6, 2014

Appreciate the advice Paul. I have heard that hammers are bad news but did not really know what to look for. How would you test for sloppy bushes and pins? Maybe make jerky movements with the controls to see how much the bucket and boom rattles around?

paulharvey · Mar 6, 2014

If you can push the bucket side to side, or if it "wobbles" or is loose feeling, or if you look at the lowest bushings and they look egg shaped instead of round. On a used hoe a small amount of looseness is to be expected, but if it's real loose it could be signs of abuse.

graecole · Mar 8, 2014

Eeek! It is 'p1ss or or get off the pot" time. I am down here in BC and I was all set to go and buy the E55 but, at the last minute, decided to visit the local Kubota dealer. It turns out he has a rental KX-080 with 1100 hours on the clock (thumb, 2 buckets and a bunch of rental dents). It is narrower than the bobcat 442, has steel tracks but no hydraulic quick connect like the E55 bobcat. I am very tempted as I think it will be that much more powerful when needed. It would sit with Farmer 2009 recommendation and be better (I think) than a Bobcat 442. The E55 Bobcat is a thing of beauty - new (almost) and with bells and whistles and a very nice owner but I keep coming back to the power issue. I walked my property this morning and realize I have more stumps (around 24" diameter) than I realized.

Either way I'll post pictures of what I get