Mini excavating!

[flairland]

I rolled my ankle pretty good at soccer on sunday night, and since I'm not all that mobile right now, I thought I'd ask my buddy if he could use a hand with his mini excavating business. I've only spent about 5 hours on an excavator in my life, so I spent all day yesterday cleaning up concrete around his place prepping for a new shop - good practice! I'll be spending another day doing the concrete, and then he's got some other work lined up for me already too. Here's a few pics for now..

[DeereMan85]

A skid with no cab in Canada? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Bleed Green]

i like the brand. Keep the pics coming.

[bobcat_ron]

There's only one Deere in that pic I like.

And it ain't even a Deere.

[flairland]

Deereman - ya I'm surprised he didnt buy it with a cab.. he usually doesn't skimp out on stuff like that. Must have been because the skid doesn't get used a lot, mostly just the excavators.

Bleed Green - I'll likely have some more tomorrow.

Question - I know its tough to say depending on location, but what is the average wage in your area to be a mini-excavator operator?

[bobcat_ron]

$65.00 per hour minimum, you can't make any money if you charge less than that, even it the machine paid for, payment, fuel, insurance on machine and vehicles, no way.
We bumped up our rate last year after my brother did the math.

[flairland]

There's only one Deere in that pic I like.

And it ain't even a Deere.

Haha, ya its a nice Hitachi eh? Its definitely one sweet machine for its size. 1500 hrs on it in 2 years!

[flairland]

$65.00 per hour minimum, you can't make any money if you charge less than that, even it the machine paid for, payment, fuel, insurance on machine and vehicles, no way.
We bumped up our rate last year after my brother did the math.

Ya he charges it out at 70/hr. Just strictly being an operator though - me working for him - whats a decent wage?

[bobcat_ron]

Ya he charges it out at 70/hr. Just strictly being an operator though - me working for him - whats a decent wage?

$22 per hour if you are a newbie with shovel experience, $25 if you can prove you have been on excavators for a year, $28 if you have skills that top mine (so I have been told) and I charge $30 when someone hires me out.

[flairland]

Cool, looks like I'm getting paid fairly then.

[bobcat_ron]

Cool, looks like I'm getting paid fairly then.

Are your skills as mad as mine!?

[freddyc]

$22 per hour if you are a newbie with shovel experience, $25 if you can prove you have been on excavators for a year, $28 if you have skills that top mine (so I have been told) and I charge $30 when someone hires me out.



When you say hires you out, do you mean as an operator running other peoples equipment or your own stuff?

I am moving 3 yds of peastone about 100 ft tomorrow with a 500lb roc machine. I am getting $90 to do it. Should be done in about 30 minutes if I go slow.

Not sure how that stacks up to other guys though.

[bobcat_ron]

When you say hires you out, do you mean as an operator running other peoples equipment or your own stuff?




Yes, I have been asked now by 4 people just this year and last year if I could run their equipment, 1 company is a member here, I had to decline his invitation partly due to the amount of people already running around his site, and the fact that his skid steers were Deere's with Case controls.
The extra $2.00 is just for the fuel I would use getting around since I am hiring myself out, and not my brother's company.
When my brother hires me out, I call it "whoring", because I have had to bend over on many occasions just to be there. :laugh:

[Bleed Green]

Are you guys saying that a laborer would get $22 per hour? Or would that be for a equipment operator?

[bobcat_ron]

Are you guys saying that a laborer would get $22 per hour? Or would that be for a equipment operator?

Labourer would get $12-15 from me, but if he could prove that he was competent on an excavator too, $22 would suffice.

[Gravel Rat]

Nobody gets those kind of wages here anymore. If your not willing to work for less your un-employeed.

A hoe operator is lucky to make 25 dollars per hour now. Most guys are thankfull they are working after being laid off for 6 months or more these guys would take 20 dollars per hour just to have a job.

Labour rate used to be 20 dollars per hour I think its back down to 15-18.

Currently it doesn't matter how much experience you have work is pretty tight. If your a newbie operator good luck you would have to work for free or pay the contractor to get a job. Contractors have no time or the money to hire a newb they cost them money. The only operator they want is someone with 20 years or more experience.

It is pretty much back to normal again if you have no experience its go away we are not interested been that way for years. Only the last 4 years companies were actually interested in training newbies but now there is no work no intrest in teaching.

[Junior M]

I wish those kind of wages were true here.. :dizzy:

[flairland]

Thought I'd update you all with a few more pics! We've been building a new shop.. which I haven't taken any pics of yet, but will do so next week (60x110).. but the first pic is of us crushing concrete of the old barnyard where the new shop is being built. The other two of just pics of my set up but I'll get more work photos up new week too!

[flairland]

one more....

[bobcat_ron]

What size hammer is that?
It's huge!

[ff1221]

Flair, where abouts in London are you? I went to school there, and only live about 1 1/2 hr north of you.

[Junior M]

is that your friends 35D and 10ton? I thought you had a 453 and a dump trailer? But anyways, that is an awesome set up.. :cool2:

[DirtMerchant]

Haha, ya its a nice Hitachi eh? Its definitely one sweet machine for its size. 1500 hrs on it in 2 years!

There are still differences.