Using a Skid steer to excavate for an addition

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member
Location
Twin Cities
We may be adding on to our house this summer.
That is, if we can jump through all the hoops the city requires.
We would add a 18X19 addition.
We wont do a basement, just a crawl space.
Local code requires 42" deep frost footings.
The ground here is tough clay.
I would like to excavate the entire area to 42" as I could use the dirt to build up an area for a new garage
I can rent a Bobcat for a couple hundred $ a day and have run skidsteers enough that I could operate it.
It's about a 50? hp model, 5' dirt bucket.
Is it up to the task or should I consider something else?
How long would it take me to do it?
I added on once here already but just excavated for the foundation - didn't take the dirt out of the middle.
I rented a mini excavtor for that. It went pretty quick even though I'd never run one.
Lots of folks here with good info and experience.
I'd appreciate your thoughts and opinions.

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Jerry- that size would be fine....I had a 4625 Gehl, 46 hp with 5 foot bucket. Very handy for that type of work, plenty of guts. In fact, more than my current 5640e. Two neighbors had local contractor put new basements under their houses, using a medium Bobcat. Just ramp down into the hole, could easily move that 12-1400 cu ft dirt in a day. Bucket is about 1/3 yard?
 
Mini excavator. If the excavated material is to remain, small area (your lot and building size) you could size the rental so that its got the right or the most reach you can effectively use on the site, or just double cast or keep casting the excavated material to its location, then rough grade it. Excavating what you describe with a loader bucket could be difficult, the hoe has much stronger breakout force and is why I would prefer it, + being able to control sub grade once you established the correct depth, follow your work until done, using the initial area as a benchmark. Even if the distance is longer, you can do it all with the excavator, rough grade the fill once placed. Rubber tire backhoe is also a good choice, but you need more room for full size ones, soft ground and carrying loads of fill can be an issue, all depends on the site. I did a job for a friend, very tight site, was loading out excavated material, wet nasty material and it came to a point where I had to double cast it to a stock pile near where I could get trucks in. Sometimes you just adapt, was too soft, would have turned this cat 420D backhoe over, but it was the right choice as I brought in several hundred yards to replace and build up a parking lot pad, the front bucket allowed me to dump material on the street and haul it in, grade as I filled. Skidsteer with quick attach hoe, and the bucket, would be ideal if you can rent it with both attachments.
 
Building code required the bottom of my footer be 24 inches below grade. I dug my footers with my little terramite. Got footer inspected, poured concrete. When it sat for a for a few days, removed all the dirt from middle with backhoe. Put only 3 rows of block, sealed block, then backfilled outside with sand and gravel from gravel pit.

No way I would want to attempt to use a bobcat to do what I did. When the ground gets hard, I have to break it up with the hoe.

I will never be without a terramite, dump trailer and a self leveling laser that I can shoot grade with. I even used it to make sure footer was level and block too. Need dump trailer to move dirt a long distance. Not sure a bobcat can lift high enough for dump trailer.

Pole barn is laser level along with 26x26 room addition.
 
I have to move the dirt about 100'.
When I built the first addition I just used a water level for everything.
Cheaper than renting a laser.
When the inspector came to look he asked; "What's that? A water level?"
I kind of sheepishly said, "Yeah, I didn't want to rent a laser."
He said, "It's fine. It's what I used when I built my deck. You just never see them on jobsites anymore. Most people don't even know how to use one."
It's what I'll use again.

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It will work, slow is all. You definitely want to have a good dirt bucket with teeth, they make all the difference when excavating. Make a nice shallow ramp and slope the whole area to the ramp so you can drain/pump it if you get a lot of water from a big rain.
 
Terramites are nice little pieces of equipment. I've rented and used one before. Bucket up front, backhoe in the rear. Not going to move the world with one, but they work over time for not huge jobs. The place where I rented mine went out of business and had a big sell off, but I was out of town and missed out. When I rented the one that I did, I had in mind to rent a Mustang that they had, similar to a small Skidster, but opted for the Terramite instead. I'd like to have one. They have them on Ebay from time to time.

Mark
 
A skid steer would do the job. If you had one at your disposal, by all means use it. You did say you were renting. I would rent a mini excavator, if needed rent the skid steer to move the spoils to were ever you need them. The mini ex will dig circles around a skid steer in hard clay. In the end, you will be money ahead on the rental fees. Just my 2 cents...
 
A skid steer with rubber tracks and a bucket with teeth is all you will need. You can do a lot of work with a skid steer in an 8 hour day even if your a novice operator.
 
That's about 45 yards of material. Get a skidder. Not a big deal with the ramp. Maybe an extra 2 yards of dirt.
 
My have a slelf leveling dewalt laser on a tripod with laser detector. Not you cheapie you sit on the ground. As for moving dirt a long distance, that's where a 10k dump trailer comes in handy. I made a strong hitch for Farmall C to pull dump trailer. The three work well together for the things I do.

I purchased my terramite off ebay 7 years ago. I've put 1200 hrs on it so far. Love it. Great little toy. Saves my back.
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the guys I hired to dig my basement used 2 Mustang skid loaders. dug the complete basement in less than a day. they were digging under the jacked up house. They would have been done in far less time but they had to wait on the guy that raized the house to move cribbing and rejack house.
 
it'll do it...slowly...especially in tough clay.
(like using a wood plane to make a 2x12 a 2x6)
Digging with a bucket is possible, I've dug and moved mountains with my loader tractors...but it is tough on them....and me.
loader buckets ain't really made to 'dig' in compacted clay.

A hoe on one end and a bucket on the other solves most problems.
Now that I have a loader, tractor, backhoe,
scrape, scrape, dig, with the hoe on my concrete clay, then cart it away with the loader.
Piece a cake........and I bet my tractor will last twice as long.
 
Jerry, I'd do it 2 part. Teach hoe to do the digging and the a skidded to move the already loose dirt that has to be moved. Another solution would be to rent a TLB. Heck, here is your chance! Buy and older Ford 4500 TLB, do your earth work and then sell it with a little fresh paint at a profit........

Rick
 

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