Show us your Arb Diggers please.

[Matthew Storrs]

4 hours ago, LeeGray said:

I fancy a trailer like that and something like your 6 tonner.  Perfect set up for me but don’t think I could charge enough to cover the cost above a 3ton.  Beats an old grain trailer that’s for sure.

It’s a hard situation for sure. I’m in a similar boat and go round in circles over the best machines to have. 1.8t is too small for most of my work- yet I have one anyway just to cover all bases small jobs and narrow access work, then my 3 tonner is the bread and butter machine- doing probably 70% of my workload, but then I cringe a bit at some of the jobs I’ve done with it where it would be comfortable 5-6 ton or wheel digger territory, anyway decided to just bite the bullet and get the 5 tonner but find myself in a slightly ridiculous situation and a one man band/operator with 3 diggers, just so I always have the right machine for the job yet the other two sit idle- Im rather under the opinion that it’s better for me to have 3 reasonably tidy machines which have done most of their depreciating vs just having one lovely new one that will have limits either side of the size spectrum...

[LeeGray]

20 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

It’s a hard situation for sure. I’m in a similar boat and go round in circles over the best machines to have. 1.8t is too small for most of my work- yet I have one anyway just to cover all bases small jobs and narrow access work, then my 3 tonner is the bread and butter machine- doing probably 70% of my workload, but then I cringe a bit at some of the jobs I’ve done with it where it would be comfortable 5-6 ton or wheel digger territory, anyway decided to just bite the bullet and get the 5 tonner but find myself in a slightly ridiculous situation and a one man band/operator with 3 diggers, just so I always have the right machine for the job yet the other two sit idle- Im rather under the opinion that it’s better for me to have 3 reasonably tidy machines which have done most of their depreciating vs just having one lovely new one that will have limits either side of the size spectrum...

Definitely prefer having lots of machines to employing labour or one new machine..idle digger sat in yard doesn’t cost much. Maclean’s have got a lovely 8t tak with an engcon on if your same would pull it, think you could put 1000 hrs on it and not loose much. 

[Matthew Storrs]

4 minutes ago, LeeGray said:

Definitely prefer having lots of machines to employing labour or one new machine..idle digger sat in yard doesn’t cost much. Maclean’s have got a lovely 8t tak with an engcon on if your same would pull it, think you could put 1000 hrs on it and not loose much. 

Yes, I saw that. All their Taks they have came from a drainage/landscape company who specialise in golf course and sports pitches. It’s actually that TB250 on steels that I have my eye on, I think 5 ton will be better as can fit it in my trailer, 8 ton becomes haulage job for me- last time I had a 8.5t Kubota behind the Same it was all up weight of 12ton and felt a bit like the tail waging the dog!

[Matthew Storrs]

@doobin. https://www.bobwild.co.uk/equipment/mini-excavators.html

 

These chaps seem to have a tidy selection of machine- that hitachi looks tidy- thinking paint job looking at undercarriage but never less looks pretty straight and together- It’s a great machine the zx27 

[dig-dug-dan]

8 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

Yes, I saw that. All their Taks they have came from a drainage/landscape company who specialise in golf course and sports pitches. It’s actually that TB250 on steels that I have my eye on, I think 5 ton will be better as can fit it in my trailer, 8 ton becomes haulage job for me- last time I had a 8.5t Kubota behind the Same it was all up weight of 12ton and felt a bit like the tail waging the dog!

How does one get away with the above?  I was told by vosa, 5 miles limit from your base, agricultural only, and your own land. Anything else requires o licence and white diesel? I looked into this sort of setup for the future, but not if its more trouble than its worth

[doobin]

1 hour ago, Matthew Storrs said:

@doobin. https://www.bobwild.co.uk/equipment/mini-excavators.html

 

These chaps seem to have a tidy selection of machine- that hitachi looks tidy- thinking paint job looking at undercarriage but never less looks pretty straight and together- It’s a great machine the zx27 

Still 2500 hours and only 7-8k less than new. 

 

[Matthew Storrs]

1 hour ago, dig-dug-dan said:

How does one get away with the above?  I was told by vosa, 5 miles limit from your base, agricultural only, and your own land. Anything else requires o licence and white diesel? I looked into this sort of setup for the future, but not if its more trouble than its worth

I don’t profess to be squeaky clean, who is when running a tractor in any form on the road?. But that setup above was a one off. Borrowed trailer, hired digger and just used to get the machine a mile off site every evening as vandalism would have been a problem. However, my usual setup with tractor and multi purpose dump trailer I’m not sure where it stands really- VOSA pulled identical setup over (another local contractor) and he had to prove that the tractor and trailer was to be used on site (dump trailer)and that it was for agriculture, (how do the agricultural contractors get away with it otherwise). What I do know is that if you turned up to a building site with that kind of rig, or was pulled on the way to it you’d be absolutely roasted with no chance of reasoning. Personally I’m on agri land much of the time anyway- and I have my tractor gone over every year- brakes etc by local dealer to maintain road worthiness and keep all records of doing so, low loader transport is largely a non starter round here.

Edited June 8, 2019 by Matthew Storrs

[doobin]

I wish certain people around here would get pulled for taking the piss with tractors. 

[dig-dug-dan]

11 hours ago, Matthew Storrs said:

I don’t profess to be squeaky clean, who is when running a tractor in any form on the road?. But that setup above was a one off. Borrowed trailer, hired digger and just used to get the machine a mile off site every evening as vandalism would have been a problem. However, my usual setup with tractor and multi purpose dump trailer I’m not sure where it stands really- VOSA pulled identical setup over (another local contractor) and he had to prove that the tractor and trailer was to be used on site (dump trailer)and that it was for agriculture, (how do the agricultural contractors get away with it otherwise). What I do know is that if you turned up to a building site with that kind of rig, or was pulled on the way to it you’d be absolutely roasted with no chance of reasoning. Personally I’m on agri land much of the time anyway- and I have my tractor gone over every year- brakes etc by local dealer to maintain road worthiness and keep all records of doing so, low loader transport is largely a non starter round here.

The point about agriculturual contractors is interesting, they are being paid by another landowner  to carry out work, they are therefore not allowed to run on red diesel!

[Stephen Blair]

Arb digger thread, not fuel duty thread.