excavators what do contractors use

[kylawyer]

I am in negatiations to build a small office building. i am doing a lot of the contracting myself and have a question about excavting contractors. What do excavators use? On guy bid the job with a large skidsteer. Someone I know in homebuilding says that any excavator woth his salt would only use a high lift, or crawler loader. He said it takes too long with the skidsteer and even though the skidsteer guy is chea[er he said it will cost more because it will take twice as long.

So my questions is should I only be looking at a guy who uses a crawler loader, or is a guy with the skidsteer adequate. The excavation would be equivilant to a 40 by 30 walkout type basment.

 

[MrJimi]

With a good operator on each machine, the skidsteer is quicker with a smaller capacity? Good question, take a look at other construction sites
Jim

 

[Botabill]

There are so many variables one needs to consider that it's difficult to answer your question without more info. You may have extra dirt to take away or you may be able to use it around the site to build up the grade. If the site is close quarters perhaps a mini excavator would be best. If it's a fairly shallow hole you are digging a skid may do it. The best thing for a person who doesn't know what the best equipment is for the job is to ask for a quote to do the job. If you hire someone and pay by the hour it could prove very expensive if they don't have the right equipment to do the job efficiently.

 

[rdln]

I was kinda bored so i calculated a hole actually 40x50x8 to alllow room for masons work, cut in half (walkout) and came up with about 300 yds to excavate, I'd say a guy digging basements would have a 1.5 to 2 yard bucket on his excavator and the last price i heard for digging basements was $5/bucket lets say $6 for inflation that puts us to about $900.

I am puzzled when somebody says an excavator worth his salt would have a high lift or a crawler loader. No one i Michigan uses either of those, always an excavator.

If these were loose piles of dirt a bobcat would be sufficient, but this dirt is virgin, packed earth. lots of wheel spinning I'd say.

 

[kylawyer]

Thanks for the replies. Some more information, both seem to be estimating about the same amount of time. The guy with the high lift is charging more per hour, but he seems to think he can do it in less time.

The site's soil is principally clay. The specs call for about half to be trucked out. There may be some rock underneath. I have one guy yet to talk to and he uses a TLB.

Here on walkouts most don't use tracked hoes.