Can a mini do the ground work to build home - slab or piers?

[Carl_NH]

JWK - I have dug foundations, dug up septic lines with my B21 and the slab on grade pad for my barn with 18x24" trench all around and poured as one with rebar.

We have ledge and glacial till here on the coast - rocks 2' to 3'. I bought a "2 ton" diesel mini excavator which weights in at 3500LB - which are decent little machines. it's my rock loader to the tractor bucket. You can get them on ebay for $9-11K - 1.8 Ton Mini Excavator KUBOTA D902 Diesel Engine 16 hp for sale online | eBay

The Mini will do the job but you need a tractor and loader to move dirt and stone piles as the mini is too slow travel wise.

 

[3Ts]

I have a backhoe for my tractor (frame mount) and used it to dig my septic system. The hole for the tank is 8 feet deep and 9' wide, and the leach lines are 3' wide. My bucket is 18" wide and the hoe will reach 8'. My soil is gravelly loam with an occasional rock, so nothing like what you have. The key is to plan your dig so you don't dig yourself into a corner or leave an area you can't get to. It is common to dig ponds with a trackhoe so width of bucket is not a determining factor. It will take a lot of movements of the backhoe to dig a wide hole and would be easier with a trackhoe for the positioning.

 

[newbury]

That said if you want a machine for occasional digging and trenching tasks the mini is handy to have about. The Chinese minis are light duty, cheaply built and have virtually no resale value. They are also incredibly slow to move around.

Where can I find find these "Chinese minis are light duty, cheaply built and have virtually no resale value" used?
All the ones I see on FB are more than retail.

 

[sd455dan]

A one-ton mini ex in the rocks and boulders of central maine? Don't do it. You need a minimum 3 ton mini ex or ideally 5+. You'll want something that can pull an 18" or 24" wide bucket with power.

I can't imagine a 2.5 ton anything really being effective in that kind of soil.

We have simple silt/clay and trenching 3 feet deep for wiring was work for the Old Ford backhoe, a root I hit would have stopped a 2 ton machine.

Doing some jobs takes a good reach on the stick as well. Put me in the group that thinks mass is your friend when digging. Vintage is less important than weight.

Where can I find find these "Chinese minis are light duty, cheaply built and have virtually no resale value" used?
All the ones I see on FB are more than retail.

Same here, that is why old American TLB's are some of the better bargains out there. Heck some of the bigger TLBs you could chain a mini to the front bucket then pick up the whole 2 1/2 ton miniX and move it.

Not against a 8k lb + mini X It is just that every time/ the whole time I looked , they were priced out of range locally.

 

[1Mech]

I am quite fortunate here in the north central Arkansas ozarks, my dirt guy dug out my basement with a skid steer, no large rocks! He said anywhere else in the area, he would have been hammering with his excavator.

 

[MattB4]

Where can I find find these "Chinese minis are light duty, cheaply built and have virtually no resale value" used?
All the ones I see on FB are more than retail.

FB market is an unlikely source for used equipment. Big issue for people that bought a mini a year or so back is retail prices have dropped considerably below what they paid. It will take sometime for the realization of realistic used price. Most people hate taking a loss so they will avoid selling. Buyers on the other hand want a bargain and as you note the retail prices keep dropping on these.

 

[Carl_NH]

Matt - very true - on FBM I see the 1.8T Kubota Diesel new locally here for $14-15K. I got my Typhon 1.8T kubota 722 engine with rock bucket and quick attach for $11K in May 2024 now they are under $10K and less at auction.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Have you considered renting one large enough to do the jobs you have in mind. I had looked at renting a 30T with a thumb to take out some 20-30" trees and make a small parking lot for our pick your own. It's been a little bit but the price about 3-4 yrs ago was $4 k for a week including delivery. I had a few guys quote doing it with their own smaller ex's and it was similar in price to rent but if I rented one I could do other "stuff" with it while I had it.

I did rent about a 4T once to dig out an area of my pond for irrigation point. We also have some pretty large heavy rocks in areas.