Dirt Moving BX25 How Much Dirt can you move and labor rates?

[RomeK2]

I really appreciate all of the responses I have gotten. It has been very helpful. Since I do not do this for a living, I have learned a lot from all of your input. Here is where I am at:

1. The quantity of soil required based on some design elevation changes is 7 truck load (12-13 yards ea. Truck).

2. My client will transport my tractor to his house and back since I do not have a truck and trailer for it.

3. I have seen posts for some fast times and slow times. I have experienced about 85 hours on my BX and about 100 on my old tractor (see avatar).

4. I informed him it will take about 20-30 hours @ $40/hours. Remember, I am on furlough from my architectural firm and need to make up for loss income. Perhaps I am eating some overhead, I do not know. This is a onetime shot, I get to play and gain some more experience.

5. I will not do it if I have to rent a different machine. He can hire someone else to do it. That is fine with me. I have other jobs to make up the loss income. It really mutual favors. He gives me income and I give him work from someone he know (and trusts). I told him about the skid steer option I read about.

6. My client wants me to do it on the BX.

7. The pathway (see pictures at top of thread) is actually 4 feet sidewalk and 6’ gravel with shrubs sticking out along the wall. I believe they can be trimmed to allow the tractor to stay on the gravel for the most part. From the front drive way (where the black truck is on the picture) through a 6’ double steel doors and down the side of the house to the back is a straight shot. 2wd vs 4wd I didn’t even consider until brought up byCHD and Coreshot (Thanks).

8. In addition, I will inform my client, this is the time to bring in the topsoil he will need for the final landscaping. He will concur and I will make additional income for the additional time, perhaps another 2 day.

9. If I can’t play on my BX then I will choose not to do it.

Thanks!

 

[KubieTwo]

Good logic.

The only thing I would change is not hire a skid steer operator. Rent the skid steer yourself.

It was my intent that he include whatever his hourly rate would be for the time required rather than the rate of a skid steer operator. I guess it could have been interpreted either way and your clarification was very much in order based on my wording.

 

[rjkobbeman]

It was my intent that he include whatever his hourly rate would be for the time required rather than the rate of a skid steer operator. I guess it could have been interpreted either way and your clarification was very much in order based on my wording.

Ahh, I see. Sometimes I read too fast...

So, one question I gotta ask is... is the customer getting a deal here? 24 to 30 hours @ $40 per hour versus 8 hours for a skid steer @ what $85 per hour?

I wholeheartedly understand the reasoning for the OP to take the job, and I wish him well. However this appears to be a case of paying more because the wrong equipment is being used.

No offense meant, hopefully none taken.

Rob

 

[RomeK2]

Ahh, I see. Sometimes I read too fast...

So, one question I gotta ask is... is the customer getting a deal here? 24 to 30 hours @ $40 per hour versus 8 hours for a skid steer @ what $85 per hour?

I wholeheartedly understand the reasoning for the OP to take the job, and I wish him well. However this appears to be a case of paying more because the wrong equipment is being used.

No offense meant, hopefully none taken.

Rob

Based on my reading of the posts above, I am thinking the skidsteer will tear up that sidewalk, whereas the BX will be nice and gentle thus probably leave no marking it ever was there. Is it really the 'wrong' equipment? and what is the meaning of paying more? Is it solely quantitative? I have given my client the choices above, he chose me and the BX.

 

[Tractor Factor]

whereas the BX will be nice and gentle thus probably leave no marking it ever was there.

If you can stay entirely off the sidewalk it would probably be better for you, as I can't imagine you won't get some oil or grease stains on the concrete somewhere along the way.

And remember to leave time once a day to grease your machine. :thumbsup:

 

[rjkobbeman]

Based on my reading of the posts above, I am thinking the skidsteer will tear up that sidewalk, whereas the BX will be nice and gentle thus probably leave no marking it ever was there. Is it really the 'wrong' equipment? and what is the meaning of paying more? Is it solely quantitative? I have given my client the choices above, he chose me and the BX.

When I say paying more, I used this:

24 - 30 hours @ $40 per hour = $960 to $1200 (BX)
8 hours @ $85 per hour (this includes operator) = $680 (skid steer)

I'm not being judgemental... and I hope your not taking it that way. I was just posing the question.

If your BX can stay on the sidewalk, you are probably right... it wont get tore up. But if you have to get on the gravel, it is going to look tore up after 24 hours of back and forth.

 

[RomeK2]

If you can stay entirely off the sidewalk it would probably be better for you, as I can't imagine you won't get some oil or grease stains on the concrete somewhere along the way.

And remember to leave time once a day to grease your machine. :thumbsup:[/QUOTE

Hmm. TF where would the oil stains come from?

 

[RomeK2]

When I say paying more, I used this:

24 - 30 hours @ $40 per hour = $960 to $1200 (BX)
8 hours @ $85 per hour (this includes operator) = $680 (skid steer)

I'm not being judgemental... and I hope your not taking it that way. I was just posing the question.

If your BX can stay on the sidewalk, you are probably right... it wont get tore up. But if you have to get on the gravel, it is going to look tore up after 24 hours of back and forth.

RJ- Understood. A little fluffing with a rake will fix the gravel. I was more concerned with the concrerte.

 

[ultrarunner]

RJ- Understood. A little fluffing with a rake will fix the gravel. I was more concerned with the concrerte.

I've put down plywood and not had any damaged walks when moving gravel with my BX

 

[Tractor Factor]

Hmm. TF where would the oil stains come from?

Just a precaution really, since a few drops, or even one, on that white concrete, will really stand out. Working your BX25 hard for so long in that hot climate I would expect the grease to get a bit thin and that's certainly possible to drip. Also, you never know when a hydraulic line might drip after heavy use. I just had two backhoe hose connections that dripped a bit after hours of stump digging...a quarter turn snug up for each and all was fine, but there are oil stains now on my plywood floor.

Thirty years of custom home remodeling have taught me that the best way to keep good relations with a homeowner is to anticipate and avoid as many problems like this as you can.

Ultrarunner has a good solution above...done that many times, too.

 

[RomeK2]

I've put down plywood and not had any damaged walks when moving gravel with my BX

Ultrarunner- Plywood it is, what size? 3/4" any grade?

 

[rjkobbeman]

Ultrarunner- Plywood it is, what size? 3/4" any grade?

If the plywood is going to be on a solid base and is not going to support anything, I would think you could use the thinnest, cheapest stuff you can find.

 

[ultrarunner]

Ultrarunner- Plywood it is, what size? 3/4" any grade?

I picked-up almost 50 Half sheets from a contractor going out of business... he used them to cover narrow trenches and temporary cover panels he was installing. It's all 1/2"... CDX.

I would think thinner would work too, depending on how solid the surface under it is.

At work, I keep a dozen Masonite boards on hand... really protects the floors from damage... even when doing work with a small lift truck in the lobby.

 

[RomeK2]

I picked-up almost 50 Half sheets from a contractor going out of business... he used them to cover narrow trenches and temporary cover panels he was installing. It's all 1/2"... CDX.

I would think thinner would work too, depending on how solid the surface under it is.

At work, I keep a dozen Masonite boards on hand... really protects the floors from damage... even when doing work with a small lift truck in the lobby.

I'd pick up stuff like that if I had a place to store it. Perhaps when I build my pole barn in a year or 2. For now 1/2" it is, I will pick up a few. 3/8 would seem too flimsy.

 

[radioman]

Just had a thought, since you looking to maximize the carrying loads, instead of a trailer like i suggested before, perhaps you could get a rear scoop?this way you can carry more in front and rear, no need to get a counterballast as the rear scoop would be your counterballast. This would keep you within the 4 ft wide range.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Had a project moving around 33 yards of pea gravel about 1/4 mile. Ended up using the RTV and loaded it with BX, made 37 trips, glad I did not have to do it a bucket at a time. Anybody around there rent out RTV or other Utv with hydro dump? A good work crew could almost beat the BX with 4 or 5 wheelbarrows.

David Kb7uns

 

[jim_wilson]

I have moved probably at least a couple hundred yards of dirt with my BX23.

The thing that is going to take time is just the repetive back and forth of going from the pile to the backyard. I can see moving 13 truckloads easily taking you a few days - long days - to get it done.

The farther you have to move it - the longer it is going to take.

It's a distance x volume problem. The more volume you carry on each trip - or the shorter the distance you have to go the shorter amount of time it will take. I can knock down a pile from a full-size 3 axle dump and have it spread *in place* in 15 minutes or so. Trying to move that same pile a couple of hundred feet is going to take hours.

After doing this a number of times ( I moved probably 10 full dump loads when I put in my driveway - using the BX23). - I came to the conclusion that the most efficient setup for a BX sized tractor to move dirt a distance would be to get a small dump trailer like the King Kutter (or the Pronovost equivalent - I think it's the 503 model) - and get the tractor setup so you could hook up and disconnect the trailer quickly - like with a pintle hook and ring setup on the 3pt so you can hookup and disconnect with leaving the seat - and then use the trailer to move the dirt.

This would cut down immensely on the driving time and save a lot of time. A little bit of refinement on the connect-disconnect procedure on the trailer - then using the tractor to load the trailer - reconnect to the trailer - haul it back - dump - go back - disconnect trailer - fill trailer - reconnect - haul - dump , etc. Would go pretty fast.

The downside is that you would need to get the trailer- and come up with a custom setup to hook it up quickly. It would take some experimentation to get the optimal setup.

Short of doing that - probably your best option is to get the bucket addon from BXexpander so you can carry more in each load.

 

[LBrown59]

I used my Dodge 50 with a load handler in the bed to move 2 large piles of dirt about 300 feet .
Loaded it with 3 BX23 FEL loads of dirt per trip.
Worked slick as a whistle and there was no constantly hooking and unhooking a trailer.

I have moved probably at least a couple hundred yards of dirt with my BX23.

The thing that is going to take time is just the repetive back and forth of going from the pile to the backyard. I can see moving 13 truckloads easily taking you a few days - long days - to get it done.

The farther you have to move it - the longer it is going to take.

It's a distance x volume problem. The more volume you carry on each trip - or the shorter the distance you have to go the shorter amount of time it will take. I can knock down a pile from a full-size 3 axle dump and have it spread *in place* in 15 minutes or so. Trying to move that same pile a couple of hundred feet is going to take hours.

After doing this a number of times ( I moved probably 10 full dump loads when I put in my driveway - using the BX23). - I came to the conclusion that the most efficient setup for a BX sized tractor to move dirt a distance would be to get a small dump trailer like the King Kutter (or the Pronovost equivalent - I think it's the 503 model) - and get the tractor setup so you could hook up and disconnect the trailer quickly - like with a pintle hook and ring setup on the 3pt so you can hookup and disconnect with leaving the seat - and then use the trailer to move the dirt.

This would cut down immensely on the driving time and save a lot of time. A little bit of refinement on the connect-disconnect procedure on the trailer - then using the tractor to load the trailer - reconnect to the trailer - haul it back - dump - go back - disconnect trailer - fill trailer - reconnect - haul - dump , etc. Would go pretty fast.

The downside is that you would need to get the trailer- and come up with a custom setup to hook it up quickly. It would take some experimentation to get the optimal setup.

Short of doing that - probably your best option is to get the bucket addon from BXexpander so you can carry more in each load.

 

[RonR]

I did something similar when I bought my BX2200. I needed to fill in a partial in-ground swimming pool that we removed from the backyard. Had to dump the sand and top soil in the driveway.

My son and his buddy, both BIG jocks, each used a large wheelbarrow. I loaded the wheelbarrows on the drive and they "trucked" them to the hole in back. With two, I had some wait time. If I'd had another guy or two, I could have loaded non-stop.

We did it in HOT July, so the rules were easy: Anyone could call a break. I had cold water and gatoraid in the cooler in the shade. For lunch, I ordered a ton of pizza. With each trip, I checked each guy for signs of heat exhaustion/stroke.

They moved 35 yard of sand/topsoil in a few hours. About every 10 trips, they'd have me take a load back in the bucket, and while there, push the dirt farther into the hole.

Ron