garage19
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 02:03 PM |
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Mini diggers?
I have this crazy idea of starting up my own small groundworks company!
Just a one man band kinda thing leveling gardens and digging extension foundations. I'm not out to make millions, just be my own boss and get
out of the office environment.
My question is do I require any type of license to drive a small 360 digger; is there any weight/size restrictions where a license becomes needed?
Thanks,
Doug.
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nick205
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 02:23 PM |
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Don't know about legal requirements, but I do know that digger drivin' is ace fun!
Good luck in your ventures!
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woodster
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 02:28 PM |
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i've been hiring and driving diggers up to 13 ton for about 25 years and never had a license or been asked for one by the hire company ........
try phoning hewden hire part of there company is C.A.T they should know
cheers woodster
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James
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 02:50 PM |
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When my Sister was at primary school my Father was part of the PTA DIY group. One weekend they were in digging a pond and had a small digger.
My Dad stayed later than everyone else to finish off the digging (I suspect coz he was enjoying using the digger too much). Everyone was really
pleased he'd stayed late to do the pond...
.... it was just a pity that in his enthusiasm he swiped the back of the digger into the wall of one of the classrooms...
.... and pushed the wall in! 
James
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mangogrooveworkshop
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 02:53 PM |
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Its not the diggin bit thats a problem Its what you dig up thats the expensive bit.
We get stuff dug up all the time and they charge the damage to the company who did the damage. A fibre optic link 80 fibres cost 1800 thousand to
repair ductwork and fibre + loss of service and road closure temp works orders.
Insurance picks up the cost for these so better make sure your company has one.
On the subject of digging get a cat and genny....and learn how to use it...it could save ya loads. As is getting the local PUDs from power GAS and
telcos + water.
They arnt 100% but they tell you mostly whats there before you dig......
CITB is the ticket you require if you want to work for some one and New Roads and streetworks Act for work in the public highway. They also teach ya
about the cat and genny as well as ID of services to what you have on public utility drawings.
Other than that good luck
My job gets the calls to the cables dug up and ducts crunched all the time. Particulary in the spring when builders do the groundbreaks on empty plots
and verges.......think of the overtime...
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Peteff
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 03:00 PM |
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My brother in law runs a groundwork firm and has a couple of JCBs. He has to employ trained drivers and the course they go on costs £2000 and lasts
around a fortnight. They have to undergo training to drive dumper trucks as well as most of the sites he works on will only allow certified drivers
for insurance reasons. He has a small Kubota digger and I think it's the most dangerous machine he has, but that's because he drives it up
a soil heap to put it in the back of a pickup for transport .
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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millenniumtree
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 03:29 PM |
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I could have sworn this topic was about converting a morris mini into a digger...
That would be a pretty cool project. How to get the treads on the mini? How to purposely get the front wheels to spin at different
speeds/directions??
A fun engineering exersize/nightmare for sure...
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Alan B
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 03:42 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by millenniumtree
I could have sworn this topic was about converting a morris mini into a digger...
That would be a pretty cool project. How to get the treads on the mini? How to purposely get the front wheels to spin at different
speeds/directions??
A fun engineering exersize/nightmare for sure...
I think you've watched too much "Monster Garage"......LOL.....
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hortimech
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 04:01 PM |
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for what you are thinking of doing Garage19, you would probably be better off with a mini tractor fitted with backhoe and loader. with backhoe removed
you can fit a tiller, harrow etc, in fact anything a big tractor can do but smaller. This would give you more versatility and hence the chance of more
work.
just make sure you know what you are doing, get training if required and above all else get insurance.
Why does everything happen to me
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 04:08 PM |
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and no one made a joke about Doug with a digger....
atb
steve
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r3nuf
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 07:25 PM |
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Doug,
I run a demolition company in the Ipswich area and regularly employ guys to drive 360 deg excavators, JCB 180's etc.
You need a ticket for everything these days. It does depend on who your clients are tho.
Otley college are probably the best bet for you. They run regular courses to obtain your CITB / CSCS cards. (It is generally a 9 day course for a
newbie, i think)
Insurance is an important bit too. There are too many contractors out there with little or no insurance, especially in the demolition and groundworks
games.
Good Luck
Gary
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Dave Ashurst
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| posted on 21/7/04 at 08:02 PM |
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quote:
Its not the diggin bit thats a problem Its what you dig up thats the expensive bit.
Couldn't agree more. Do not dig until you know what's there. Get a detector at least and know who to call. Then if you uncover anything
get the right people out straight away.
Pierced watermains are relatively safe and the most dramatic to watch, but gas mains and high KV cables are surprisingly shallow too!
Personally I like the idea of being a demolition contractor. At least you can say "that's what I meant to happen" and most people
will believe you.
Also, the demolition contractors I know drive expensive cars.
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garage19
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| posted on 22/7/04 at 08:47 AM |
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Steve - Everyone I mention it to has raised the doug and digger joke!
Gary - Is it called something like CNC demolition with yellow vans? I worked with those boys when they pulled down Ballingdon bridge and I was on the
supervision team out there.
Insurance - was the first thing I got a quote for. I thought it was going to be extortionate but £470 for down to 3 metres and a million quid cover
seemed ok?
Utilities - I'm used to doing utilities searches for works that i order so that shouldn't be a problem. How much does a CAT cost?
Not going to be working on the highway so streetworks shouldn't apply to me and its unlikley i will work on any sites that require CSCS.
I thought if i kept the digger small enough (1.5-3) tons I would be able to get access easier to peoples gardens and not be competing with the big
boys.
Sort of work i was thinking was:
Extension/consevatory foundations
Self build foundations
Pond/pool digging
Landscaping and leveling
Driveways
Drainage work for farmers
+ setting out service for all above
Maybe get in with some small builders or conservatory companies for regular work.
What do you guys think would be a reasonable day rate?
All this feedback is really apprectiated. I'm aiming to be up and running and jack the old job in by may next year.
Thanks,
Doug - or with out a digger, Dougless!
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timf
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| posted on 22/7/04 at 09:01 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by garage19
How much does a CAT cost?
750
http://www.parkertools.co.uk/macros/Product.mac/Product?VisitorID=HHHHHHH88LJ&Status=guest&ProductNo=0569259&StockNo=0
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r3nuf
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| posted on 22/7/04 at 07:52 PM |
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Doug,
Yep, up until 4 months ago i was a director of CDC Demolition based out of Waldringfield.
Ballingdon bridge was one of my contracts that i was responsible for (Both the demolition of the old bridge and the temporary bridge!).
Andy Matthews was our supervisor, whom you can probably remember.
Do you work for SCC or Costains then?
I went through a period where i was seriously considering setting up on my own and doing a similar thing to you. The mortgage had to be paid and
mouths had to be fed, so i went a different route, and am now a manager of a demolition and asbestos removal division of a much smaller company.
The insurance quote seems very good. Watch out for any excess. At CDC we had 10 million cover with £20k excess and it cost about £120k per annum!
I think that you should have no problem getting work, once your name has been banded about a bit.
Who knows i might even have some work for you at some stage!
Cheers
Gary
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garage19
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| posted on 23/7/04 at 08:20 AM |
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Gary,
I had a great summer working on that bridge. We (SCC) were working in a partnership contract with costains. Their site engineer was a very fresh work
experience civils student just like me and between us we set the whole thing out which was a real achevment for us back then when you consider all the
added complications of that temp bridge!
They were a nice bunch from CDC. That remote controlled pecker was a smart bit of kit!
Thanks for the advice Gary, I'll drop you a business card when I'm up and running!
Still wondering what to charge for a day rate? What would you expect to pay?
Cheers,
Doug.
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hortimech
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| posted on 23/7/04 at 11:16 AM |
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its not what we would want to pay, its what any of your competitors are charging that counts.
make a list of them, make up some jobs, ring them up and ask how much to do job and while your talking to them just ask how much they charge an hour
etc. when you know how much they charge, you can set your charges accordingly
Why does everything happen to me
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r3nuf
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| posted on 23/7/04 at 09:54 PM |
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Doug,
With regard to rates that you should charge, you must bear in mind that you can hire a JCB 3CX with operator for £16-18 per hour around Ipswich.
So your rate would probably be around this or slightly cheaper.
I would have thought that you would be better off trying to do most of your work on a price. At least that way you give yourself an opportunity to
gain a financial advantage when you complete the job early. (Or it costs ya, if you can't get out of bed in the mornings!)
Re: Remote controlled demolition machine.
When you can drive an excavator you should hire it off CDC, it will only cost you about £450.00 a day! Mind you it did cost £55k when new.
Cheers
Gary
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