Re: SB: Question about excavations

["Kirk Haines" <khaines@enigo.com>]

> From personal experience the Bobcat 331 is a good digging machine,
> especially in
> close quarters or tight access. It'll dig in moderate rocky conditions.
> Having a full 360 degree swivel "house" is an advantage for digging and
> placing spoil behind you (septic tank hole etc.). What it isn't very
> good at is transporting spoil. The little backfilling blade will work
> in a pinch for pushing dirt around but it isn't very fast. If you have
> to move very much material or move it very far consider renting a skid
> steer loader such as the Bobcat 753, 763, 773 or the new, sweet,
> tracked version the T190. You can transport this machine with the same
> vehicle you use for the 331 (seperate trip of course) saving on the
> delivery charge of a backhoe. Depending on the project and so on, you
> could use the 331 one day and the 7XX the next day.

I replied to another post on this topic, but forgot to get it sent to the
list.  So, for John Ditti, you've already read some of this.  :)

Our site's soil is predominantly sand, with small rounded rocks akin to what
one finds on river and stream beds.  The stone, where it exists, is
sandstone or mudstone.  Access is relatively easy; it's just remote.

I've thought about the issue of where to put the soil that is removed.  My
truck has sufficient max GVW to handle about 4500 lbs.of stuff in the bed,
but it's not a dump bed.  That translates into about 20 minutes of work to
push everything out of the bed after it is loaded up.  And yes, that
backfill blade does look like it would take a while to push any significant
amount of soil.

> BTW, in my area the local Bobcat dealer does rentals. Since they are
> closed on weekends, a unit rented on Friday morning isn't due until
> Monday morning and just counts for one day rental (up to 8 hours
> machine running time, minimal charge for overtime). This can be an
> advantage if your job has lots of engine off time between digging
> sessions. Also the machines are better maintained than the average
> rental yard and there are a  lot more  attachments available. You might
> find a skid steer with a backhoe attachment would be a good match for
> your job.

Hmmm.  Not sure if we have a bobcat dealer in Cheyenne.  The place that has
the 331 charges based strictly on the rental period, and not the running
time, so if I were to get it early and put in a long day, I could get more
than 8 hours machine time for my day's rental.

Refuelling question -- how many hours of runtime will one get out of a full
tank of fuel?  The nearest source of diesel is a 1/2 hour trip in my truck.


Thanks much,

Kirk Haines




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