NLC: Anyone bought a mini digger?

colintinto · Post by **colintinto** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:43 pm

Hi All,

Thinking about buying a 2nd hand mini digger. We've got a bit of woodland (maybe 1/3rd of an acre) that was previously a Rhodedendron jungle that has been partially cleared by chainsaw, but many huge roots remain. Various other fairly large one-off jobs in the garden that could be done much quicker with a digger. Also the in-laws have a 25m long wall that has fallen down and the foundations need dug up before it gets replaced with a fence.

Yes, doing it all by hand would be much better for me, and the environment, but it would be nice to get the garden sorted sometime this century...

Considered hiring, but that looks expensive to do, especially when I'll probably spend a few days learning how to drive the thing. I'd also like the convenience of having it handy if I just happen to have a spare weekend/evening to get some stuff done.

So the plan is to buy a decent 2nd hand one, use it for 6 months to a year, then sell it on. Hopefully without losing too much money on it.

Looked at a Kubota U10-3 this morning at a local plant sale place. 2005 model, 1500 hours, £7k + VAT. Just wondering if it's maybe a bit small - it's 1 a ton machine with no cab, just a roll bar. Advantage would be that I could fit it in the garage I guess, although my neighbour on the farm next door has plenty of sheds I could store a bigger one in.

I'd originally been thinking a 1.5 ton model with a cab would be about right (Plant sale place has one, but it's a 2010 and is £11,500 + VAT).

I guess I should really just be thinking about what the value might drop by in a year rather than the outright buying price, as I don't plan on keeping it forever...

Bit wary of eBay as these things are easy to steal so you never know what you might be getting...

Trying to find the balance between one that will be powerful enough to do what we want, but isn't too huge that it will rip the garden to bits (and that I can tow behind the Volvo). My Neighbour has a 7.5 tonner but it would take longer to repair the garden after it than to do the digging jobs by hand!

Any tips?

Colin

Titanium S1 111S (gla) · Post by **Titanium S1 111S (gla)** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:48 pm

I know nothing about them but there are lots of liquidation sales on just now at which you might pick something up at a good price.

philthy · Post by **philthy** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:51 pm

Good friend of mine was selling his, will get you some details if he hasnt sold it already.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:52 pm

I've driven a 1 tonner a few times and it was fine at ripping up medium stumps and could handle a meter wide shallow bucket.

It's great fun too, you will find everything gets tested for diggability...

David · Post by **David** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:04 pm

I've hired one in the past to do some clearing and landscaping. Great fun, but bigger tools just make bigger messes until you gain skill to use them properly

The small buckets can be useless in heavy soils as they just clog up - personally for a 1/3 acre I'd hire and see how it goes before shelling out to buy one.

duggiesmith · Post by **duggiesmith** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:48 pm

I've driven a few Kubota mini tractors over the years. Pretty sturdy machines that can punch well above their weight.
We used to get them from Henderson's many years ago. IIRC they used to sell 2nd hand stuff. I think they moved out to Haddington.

ikarl · Post by **ikarl** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:12 am

a good friend has a jcb cabbed mini digger (1 ton) and whilst it's great for digging trenches, holes etc, it's not ideal for stump pulling.... we tried to pull a stump of a medium tree (say 40yr old) and it wasn't having any of it, it just didn't have the weight behind it to pull the stump.

Another friend turned up in a 7 ton JCB 3CX (?) and pulled it out as if wasn't planted at all

colintinto · Post by **colintinto** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:53 am

The stumps aren't quite as substantial as that...

Spotted a couple of cabbed 1 to 1.5 tonnes in Drymen to go look at too now.

Also going to phone around to get a handle on hiring costs.

thinfourth · Post by **thinfourth** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:50 pm

I bought a 3.5 ton model and too be honest unless you are going to be taking it anywhere i'd go big as the bigger it is the more power it has. If you can borrow a 7.5 ton go for that.

Once i get the engine sorted after it shat itself i'll be considering selling it and buying somethng twice the size. But its a bit too big for your needs

Also they are useless at move stuff from A to B a wheel barrow is as quick at moving bulk as the 3.5 ton digger so if you have alot to move then consider a dumper truck too.

List everything you need to do and get a man with a wheeled digger as you'd be surprised how quickly you can get stuff done with a big machine. 1/3 of an acre could be cleared in an afternoon. As by the time you have worked out how to drive a hire machine you will of spent as much as you would on getting man and a digger.

kevham · Post by **kevham** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:07 pm

Colin,
You'd be much better hiring a man and a JCB. Last I heard the rates we were getting were around £45 per hour. As Thinfourth said, the work could probably be done in half a day. Wheeled JCB type machines are much more flexible than tracked mini-diggers which are really only good for digging shallow trenches and playing with. Of course, if it's really something to play with then carry on.....

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:53 am

I was about £650-£700 for 2 weeks to hire a 1.5 ton digger and a 3 ton dumper from nixon hire. I hired them when I installed the ground loop for my ground source heat pump. I should of got a bigger digger, I was digging a 1/4 mile trench just over a metre deep, when I hit any hard ground it just wanted to tip over. I also had to clear some tree stumps, roots and a bit of hedge and the 1.5 ton wasn't really big enough, I got there in the end, but it was hard work not trying to tip the thing over. In the world of diggers, bigger is better!!

After the heat pump was installed the front of my house was a complete mess, so instead of hiring another digger, I hired my father in laws mate so has a couple of 21ton diggers. It took him 4-5 hrs to dig a massive hole to bury the tree stumps and to level the front garden and also where I fitted my ground loop. At £25 an hr plus £60 charge to transport the digger it was the best £185 I spent. I wished I'd hired him when I dug my trenchs, but I must admit, it was great fun doing it myself!

colintinto · Post by **colintinto** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:42 pm

So after all the sagely advice on here, I'd decided just to hire a digger when I needed it.

And then I bought one on eBay

JCB 8015, 1.5 ton machine with 1400 hours on it, 2002 model. Very close to my original 5k budget, including trailer.

Had a play with it yesterday, and it's great.

Haven't tipped it over yet...

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:44 pm

Honda conversion?

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:49 pm

Will make an interesting what tyres thread.

tut · Post by **tut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:15 pm

Rich H wrote:Honda conversion?

9,000 posts Rich, another 1,000 and you get your silver medal.

tut

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