buying a digger

R

*rose

Registered User
Messages
46
happy new year all!

just after getting planning permission granted so we are over the moon! we have to move a lot of ditch and for that and digging foundations we are thinking about buying a digger and letting himself at it as he has worked with them before instead of spending a fortune on hiring a man and a digger.

anybody after buying a digger recently?? how much should we spend??

also, has anyone put in a wood chip burner as well as a back boiler? something else we are thinking about doing ....

Thanks!
 
Re: buying a digger???

Would advise some simple sums in advance, get your quantity surveyor/engineer/architect/adviser to estimate the amount of work for which you will require a digger. Then, price what it costs to rent one to do the work plus the operator.
Remember that you will have to garage/house the digger when the house is finished, there is service and maintentance to factor in and that unless you know what to look for mechanically then buying one second hand can be a fraught experience. Don't forget to consider the issue of insurance also.
 
Re: buying a digger???

I work in construction - you are wasting your time and money buying a digger. Expense aside, it is a skilled job to excavate foundations. And you have to factor into the learning curve to use.

Make enquiries - a digger and good driver will have the site cleared and excavated in no time - a week or two max, depending on the site and amount of material that has to be removed.
 
Re: buying a digger???


If your fella is experienced at this kind of work why not just hire a digger for the work from a plant hire company - it's hard to see how you could justify the cost of buying a digger for just the one job.
 
Re: buying a digger???

thanks for the posts,

In relation to foundations, i have a bit of experience with site clearance so that would be no prob and i also have a very experienced driver lined up to do the dig - a saturday job.

The main reason for getting a digger would be that we have about 600 feet of road ditch to be moved in a few feet for sight lines, for trunking, blinding, levelling the inevitable mounds of clay that end up around the site etc.

In relation to housing it afterwards, it will be sold as soon as its served its purpose and my brother is a mechanic which will hopefully solve some problems.
We have thought about it for a while and talked it through with some people i know in the building trade and most seem to be pro the idea.
Any more info or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. B
 
Re: buying a digger???

Ok, I overlooked in the OP that your other half can drive them.

Why would you buy one and lose money in depreciation? Renting might still be the safer bet - you can get it when you need it, and no hassles with maintenance, break downs, finding a buyer etc. Up to yourself really, but if you have contacts who you can off load it on without losing a packet, then go for it.
 
Re: buying a digger???

I paid €7k for a 1990 JCB digger about 3 years ago, I still have people ringing me to see when it will be for sale. I expect to get about €6k(sorry its not for sale yet) so dont worry about depreciation. Just make sure you buy a clean machine. If you are buying a track machine have an experienced person look at the undercarriage. Do yourself a favour and dont buy if there is glass missing from the cab. I think a digger is a great idea for a self build
 
Re: buying a digger???

thanks for all the info! it's great to get so much advice.

waying up pros and cons i'd say we'll end up buying a digger. we reckon it will work out cheaper / easier than renting.
didn't think it was possible to rent a digger - thought you had to rent the driver with the digger???

thanks again, barry & rose
 
Re: buying a digger???

I am not sure if u can say autotrader but it is a good book for what you want.

noah
 
Re: buying a digger???

You could also looking into buying a K9 www.k9.ie

You can attach any number of attachments to them, so it doesn't have to be "just digging"

Regards

Fintan
 
Re: buying a digger???

Thanks for all the replies.

Any good suggestions of where to get a second hand digger around the cork/waterford area. we've been ringing around but finding it hard to find anything suitable. Looking for something around the early 90's with average hours and in fairly good nick.

Any and all help appreciated!!!!!
 
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