Best way to move a mini digger about

[Kuts]

I once got stung with a sthil saw from a hire company an have never hired since, if i need anything (that i will use again) i just buy it.

It takes 5mins to load a machine up and i cant remember the last time i had to do any work on any of them, just a service which i do myself.

isn't it 82% or something you can claim off your tax bill anyway.

[Tony McC]

Because I'm not actively contracting and sold off all my diggers and vans and big kit years ago (to keep my family fed when I first got injured and the so-called health insurance turned out to be worthless), I'm not sure what the current arrangement is for capital costs. It *used to be* 25% per annum, but it probably has changed since my day.

So don't take tax advice from me - ask a professional bean counter!

[Dave_L]

As for using a digger to place concrete for kerbs and placing sand - my god what a faff - quicker and easier using shovel and barrow. This country is breeding a bunch of wimps who would trail a digger to a job to move a couple of ton of sand, rather than use a shovel !

Seriously Nige??? Diggers can be replaced, we can't!

We use ours for placing concrete, kerbs, stone and surfacing materials, doing it by barrow and shovel is unnecessary hard graft!

[Dave_L]

Turning up to jobs with all your own clean signwritten plant & machinery DOES get noticed by the customer, they often remark how clean and tidy ours are. Hiring DOES have its advantages, but it is handy to have your own kit to hand. Imagine waiting for plant to arrive on-site from a hire company when you have men waiting on site to start work.......thats costly.

[mickg]

Nigel I thought you posted a while back that you owned a micro digger ?

[dig dug dan]

I cannot imagine being without a micro digger now. having your own machine saves so much time and money, and you can add attachments the hire companies do not have, ripper, grab etc.
lease it and its 100% tax deductable.
When doing a big landscape job, its handy to leave it on the site knowing you are not paying for it when its not in use, so if you need to fire it up for half hours work,its to hand

[Nigel Walker]

Mick - You are right, I used to have a micro digger. It was a typing error on my post. It was supposed to say I don't own a digger anymore. I didn't check my post before sending it !!

All the points I have been making are referring to driveway jobs that I undertake - not site jobs.
If most of my work was on a site and I used or needed a digger for most of that work, then yes I would probably buy one instead of hiring. But for driveway digging jobs, it is easier and more cost effective for me to hire in for 1 day.

The point I was making regarding using a digger for placing sand etc - This is based on using a digger on a driveway job. It would be silly for me to transport a digger from my yard to a job 20 miles away just to move 2-3 ton of sand or concrete. Hence my comment on using shovels and barrows.
However, If my work was on sites or on a long job, then yes I would probably use a digger for these types of jobs.

I dispute the reasoning that having your own digger makes a better impression on the client. The hire company that I use have new diggers, clean and well maintained. They deliver the machines on time and collect before the end of the day, leaving no mess.
Being punctual, polite, tidy, respectful, quiet and helpful - these are the things that impress clients - not shiny new diggers with your company name all over

I do own a lot of plant and tools - eg Wacker, Masonry Saw, Mixer, Ped Roller, Hydraulic Jackhammer, etc etc. I only hire when I need large expensive items that only get used sporadically.

[lutonlagerlout]

a certain very large groundwork contractor from luton,started out around 25 years ago
he hired machines in and stuck his own stickers on the back actor of each and every bit of kit he hired
he has over 150 men now so it worked for him

the big groundworks firms seem to come and go but there is one recurring feature

a first or second generation irishman who blags his way on to major work and just chances it

a fella i know now was driving his uncle's grab lorry, was offered a tender for GW for 400 houses
he grabbed the chance and turned over 20mill last year

but for every one like him there are another 10 who have gone bust or drank or gambled the lot away

lets see what the money does for him

good luck to him

LLL

[rab1]

The big boys only own in most cases a telehandler and tower cranes, long term assets on a site the rest as the Boss said is hired. If you do not use it everyday hire it and if its on site for the duration and will be used again buy... simple.

[rxbren]

laing orouke hire most of there kit through select plant hire but laings own select plant hire
there was rumours that they also owned a ford garage for supplying there vans and cars

[rab1]

LoR own Select, its a tax thing

[Forestboy1978]

What's to stop you driving a digger into the back of a van if it has a payload sufficient for the digger?

[michaelthegardener]

my first thought it the height but what do I know :p

[KLS]

I often used to hire diggers for a few weeks at a time and move them about on the back of the van.
As in theory you would have at the biggest a 1.5t hight should be fine. (Correct me if I'm wrong) But as long as the overall height is below 16ft your all good.

Just make sure you have some ramps that are up to the job and the bottle to do it. Seems a long way up when your on a transit bed!

[Forestboy1978]

I often used to hire diggers for a few weeks at a time and move them about on the back of the van.
As in theory you would have at the biggest a 1.5t hight should be fine. (Correct me if I'm wrong) But as long as the overall height is below 16ft your all good.

Just make sure you have some ramps that are up to the job and the bottle to do it. Seems a long way up when your on a transit bed!

I'm talking about an actual panel van though.