In addition to the excavator, you'll need an excavation contractor and a bloke with a big ute who does nothing but cart dirt.
Earthmoving rates vary depending on the a whole range of site and access factors.
$100 to $120 per hour for a bobcat or small two-tonne excavator.
$130 per hour for a 6-tonne excavator.
$120 to $150 hour for the combined excavation services of an excavator and tip truck.
In addition to the excavator, you'll need an excavation contractor and a bloke with a big ute who does nothing but land clearing.
You can hire any size of an excavator (from 1 tonne through to 50-tonne machines) and Bobcats and mini-diggers. The average excavator cost for Bobcats is around $100 per hour. You will expect to pay Mini diggers about $120 per hour, whilst larger machines such as 25/30 tonnes or bigger ( 5 metre bucket) will generally run between $200 to $300 per hour depending on the type of machine required for your job.Draining higher in-ground pools and lakes.
Digging a house foundation.
Breaking up footings of agricultural land and rock using diamond drills.
Digging holes for residential and commercial properties like towers, poles and house foundations.
Removing old buildings or sheds.
Removing tree stumps and roots (power excavation companies like to do this with equipment designed specifically to deal with tree roots).
Clearing areas of junk or heavy vegetation.
If you have an excavation project of "x" size and you are still asking yourself how much does it cost, you need to do the following:
Find out how many hours the job will take using an excavation cost calculator. Get an accurate estimate by noting how many septic systems are available in the excavation site, specialised machinery needed, tree density, soil type, the square metre of swimming pool excavation and excavating basements.
Estimate the number of operators and machines needed for the job. You need to know the cost of excavation to come up with an accurate estimate. Factors like the excavation job site, heavy equipment needed (track mounted mini dumpers) tip trucks and specialised techniques such as vacuum excavation.Estimate the number of trips the tip will cover to the construction site along with the grading costs, daily rental costs, earthmoving services and construction project.
These figures are then multiplied based on excavation costs range per hour, machine and trip to the tip, average excavation costs, and whether it is a flat surface or sloped.
The most common are the wheeled track and hydraulic excavator. Other equipment includes skid steers, backhoes, mini-excavators and rubber-tired loaders/backhoes, which can be used to finish a dig or do minor excavation work. Larger earth moving equipment is also used for excavating land and in-ground pool excavation, but this equipment is generally too large for residential purposes.
A backhoe uses a loader bucket to dig in relatively shallow spaces; those with a hydraulic hammer attachment damage old sidewalks and driveways. A bucket is also attached to the backhoe, used as a scoop or water source to blast away rocks and other impediments.
Most people use skid steers for short-term excavating because they're smaller and easier to maneuver than traditional excavators. They can be handy in excavation projects that take less than 15 minutes. This type of equipment should not be used for extended periods because it tends to overheat quickly due to its compact design. Another downside is that they cannot carry loads more than 1 yard or meter at a time. Backhoes are used to finish digging or do light excavation tasks.
They're also suitable for small trenches under a driveway because the bucket is smaller than an excavator's. They can dig down into the earth, but their size limits how deep they can go before having problems. Hydraulic excavators with wheels are used in most cases where there is no time limit on cost data and time taken to finish. These machines usually come with many different attachments to perform multiple duties at once, whereas skid steers and backhoes have minimal capabilities for multi-tasking.
The only problem with wheeled excavators is that they are pretty large and challenging to drive. Larger excavators are used for heavy-duty tasks such as digging holes for swimming pools or tearing up old parking lots. They come with different attachments to perform multiple duties, but their size makes them difficult to transport and use in tighter areas. They are often used together with other techniques, such as Hydro Excavation.A bobcat is a small, mobile machine with a front loader and rear bucket designed for light digging tasks such as excavation, landscaping and lifting. They're beneficial in places where space is limited. A significant drawback of this type of equipment is that they cannot carry heavy loads, so it's usually not economical to dig large holes.
During site preparation, several factors like grading land costs will determine the specialised equipment used before construction begins. This ensures that the finished foundation will sit level on solid ground. It also enables access to larger equipment that might otherwise have difficulty maneuvering through loose soil or rubble from previous projects. When unwanted materials are removed from one area or 'cut' lower than another, the site is graded to match the two regions, and the project remains level. If the grades are not matched, water drainage will become a problem during heavy rain, and foundation cracks can occur due to uneven settling.
An excavator is more versatile, but it's also more challenging to operate than a bobcat. A bobcat has four wheels and only requires the operator to drive forward or backward, whereas an excavator has tracks which mean you must always maintain speed in both directions for optimum control. They're not as easy to drive as skid steers and backhoes because they need more room for arm extensions and bucket positioning. Their sheer weight means they need to be on flat, solid ground to avoid sinking into the soil. Of course, they can dig holes far more efficiently than any other piece of machinery.