The Green Industry's Resource Center

tnmtn · #71 01-31-2010, 04:51 PM

Jr.,
i have the septic installer ticket for Tn. it has been a good thing to have. it is tough to break into doing new installs as most contractor these days seems to want to keep the guys they have worked with afloat much more than hire a new guy. thats not the end of the world. last week we finished a repair job. after redigging the drainfield trench it was obvious the line had been crushed and only using about 15' out of the tank. easy fix. reworked some of the crain field for another 30' to make sure it was still good brought in new gravel and pipe and they are back in bussiness. best thing is didn't get dirty. this is typical for the jobs i have gotten and i do them all with a smaller backhoe. i would recommend for the diffrent jobs you are interested in going with a machine similar to L48/jd110. with these you can do many jobs. entry prices are much lower thaan a similarly capable skid steer mini ex combo and you can still tow them behind your truck. they will also work out well for new install. also you can run cheaper 3 point attachments like a bushhog. don't want to start a debate here as much as add an option.
good luck,

Junior M · #72 01-31-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtisfarmer

If your local supplier also does installs, that is tuff on competing....but there is always room for 1 more who is just as good or better. He probably doesn't do all the other stuff associated with septic installs like I mentioned, so there is hope. I bet you could find a boom truck in your area to set them or sub out the heavy digging and setting to an excavator to get you going. Around here (which is slightly rural) there are more than a few precast co's around and they are fighting for work. Tell your local guy you would rather use him for everything you can...as long as he can set and not rape you price wise. H e shouldn't worry about you so he should play along. Avg. system around here is from $8-16K for a reasonable contractor and you can pay higher for tyhe guys with brandnew trucks. We also see ALOT of subs out here doing installs/repairs for pumping co's, so talk to them too.

If you can do it right....and eat some jobs to dump into equipment....you could get off the ground and into other things in 1 season or so.

The thing about systems here, you can install the whole system with a backhoe. They arent near as complicated here as up north.

So if I subbed anything, it'd of course be setting the tank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWJ Services

The tanks are set here with trucks and there are plastic tanks.
Our tanks are cast in 2 peice then glued and I have broke them back into 2 peices to set in the whole with my equipment but a 1000 gallon tank weighs about 7000 pounds whole.

I've seen guys set tanks with an A frame on the back of a flatbed single axle international, pretty simple set up..

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmtn

Jr.,
i have the septic installer ticket for Tn. it has been a good thing to have. it is tough to break into doing new installs as most contractor these days seems to want to keep the guys they have worked with afloat much more than hire a new guy. thats not the end of the world. last week we finished a repair job. after redigging the drainfield trench it was obvious the line had been crushed and only using about 15' out of the tank. easy fix. reworked some of the crain field for another 30' to make sure it was still good brought in new gravel and pipe and they are back in bussiness. best thing is didn't get dirty. this is typical for the jobs i have gotten and i do them all with a smaller backhoe. i would recommend for the diffrent jobs you are interested in going with a machine similar to L48/jd110. with these you can do many jobs. entry prices are much lower thaan a similarly capable skid steer mini ex combo and you can still tow them behind your truck. they will also work out well for new install. also you can run cheaper 3 point attachments like a bushhog. don't want to start a debate here as much as add an option.
good luck,

You make a good point, I'll mention it to Dad and keep you updated..

I honestly could careless about what kind of equipment. A backhoe would be cool because I'd like more experience on a backhoe.. But a mini ex would be so much more versatile imo.

flairland · #73 01-31-2010, 10:27 PM

I definitely wouldnt call a mini ex more versatile. A JD 110 is def more versatile, you can do almost anything with one. A mini ex is just more efficient in a smaller range of jobs.

curtisfarmer · #74 02-01-2010, 08:45 AM

The more and more I think about it, this route is WAY more "safe" than the mulching thing which IMO is kinda risky $ wise. This could get you up and running like I said before, for way less$ with a much higher ROI.

You can get a reliable hoe on Craigslist under Erotic Services for like $200.

Junior M · #75 02-01-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtisfarmer

The more and more I think about it, this route is WAY more "safe" than the mulching thing which IMO is kinda risky $ wise. This could get you up and running like I said before, for way less$ with a much higher ROI.

You can get a reliable hoe on Craigslist under Erotic Services for like $200.

I am not pullin a Ronnie..

Now you know up in Canada any decent hoe is $2,000 or more. The rest are just pure herpes.. And they cant get up the driveways to get to you..

nedly05 · #76 02-02-2010, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junior M

I am not pullin a Ronnie..

Now you know up in Canada any decent hoe is $2,000 or more. The rest are just pure herpes.. And they cant get up the driveways to get to you..

And when the go downhill they run out of braking power!!

nedly05 · #77 02-02-2010, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flairland

I definitely wouldnt call a mini ex more versatile. A JD 110 is def more versatile, you can do almost anything with one. A mini ex is just more efficient in a smaller range of jobs.

I'd rather take a pencil in the eye than run a wheel hoe (not really) But I wont argue that the excavator is not as versatile. You make a good point here.

Junior M · #78 02-02-2010, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nedly05

I'd rather take a pencil in the eye than run a wheel hoe (not really) But I wont argue that the excavator is not as versatile. You make a good point here.

maybe I've got a bad definition of versatile..

jefftb · #79 02-02-2010, 09:51 AM

I marvel at the guys that can be efficient at septic installs with just a backhoe. I know there are some operators that can get the most out of a backhoe but I've never been able to make that work, i.e. running a one machine operation.

Probably just the way I look at jobs though. I truly believe the best way for a job like that is (assuming you have employees) is a mini-ex and SSl/CTL/MTL.

If you are a one man operation then a backhoe makes perfect sense.

We set a lot of concrete tanks, the job we're on right now has a 5,000 gallon tank, 4,000 gallon tank, 1,500 gallon tank, and a 15,000 gallon FRP septic tank.

Here are the tank weights:

5K: 40,000 lbs, 20K per half
4K: 32,000 lbs, 16K per half
1500 Gallon, 20,000 lbs total.

The tank supplier will deliver all of these and set them with their boom truck. They have one of the largest trucks of its kind in the area.

Project is on a slight slope however. This will cause the front end of the boom truck to tip, so we'll do what we've done many times. Chain down the truck off the front to the bucket of a 32,000 lb machine and hold it in place.

Junior, send me a PM with your location, where you want to work and an email. I'll check my SC contacts for info on tanks and market potential.

LawnmastersMikejr · #80 02-02-2010, 10:01 AM

We have a backhoe and it works good if the conditions are right. It doesnt have near as much digging power as the Cat mini ex I've used and isnt quite as fast. It also takes about twice as long to backfill compared to using a skid loader. On the plus side you would only have to buy one machine and spend alot less money.