? About grading and excavation services

[weed wacker 2]

I have been tossing around the idea of expanding my business towards small excavation and grading and leveling. Right now our services are limited to lawn maintenance and small landscaping. I don't have experience with running skid steers or mini excavators but I am willing to learn and get experience. What services would I be limited to with these machines? However, I don't want to buy a machine and it not pay for itself.

[Landrus2]

rent as you need that is how you start

[Dirt Digger2]

you need more then just a machine...while renting is your option there nobody is going to want to pay for a crappy job...not saying you will leave it that way but having no experience doesn't help...

anyone can run a skidloader..it takes skill to operate equipment and some people have it, others don't

i would find a buddy with a lot of land and do a lot of practicing before you have someone pay you to do it...nothing worse then putting a bad reputation on your businesses name

[Junior M]

Experience is the first thing you need...

[weed wacker 2]

We have 40 acres of ground so I will get some practice in before I take on some jobs. I am about to build a shop so I will rent one and do some of the grading for the slab to get some seat time.

[DoornbosOutdoorServices]

Originally Posted by weed wacker 2

We have 40 acres of ground so I will get some practice in before I take on some jobs. I am about to build a shop so I will rent one and do some of the grading for the slab to get some seat time.

That would be a good start. Just be careful of the jobs that you take to start untill you feel comfertable in the machines. Good luck.

[RockSet N' Grade]

weedwacker.......read the thread. skids are nice, i have one......i would suggest looking at a mini skid - maybe a ditchwitch 650 and try that also.....not as glamerous as a skid, but incredibly practical.......a lot of the scapers who are successful around here have them.....great for yards.

[S&S Outdoor Services]

It may be easier to start taking on bigger landscaping jobs before you decide to start doing the excavation and grading. We were in your situation (somewhat) last year and I ended up getting an awesome deal on a bobcat. Pretty quickly I realized how much faster I can knock out the landscape work on jobs that I wouldn't have considered renting a skid for in the past, for about the same price. Now I'm starting to transition into large landscape jobs and bidding on excavation/ grading. I actually just sold my mowing accounts to focus on using the skid and dump trailer as much as possible. In my opinion you should try to grow into more of a full service landscape company rather than having two competely seperate divisions of mowing and excavation. Once you get into the landscape construction, it'll be a lot easier to transition into the excavation and grading. - Sam

[jbird3898]

S&S gave you great advice. Having my skid steer for over a year now I realize how much more effiecent work i can do. I put in alot of lawns in my area and on an average I can do 2 to three a day with my machine when before i could only do 1. Remember if you market it right and have conections for people to get you jobs with the machine it is literly a license to print MONEY

[stuvecorp]

Ahh, confetti does not drop from the sky if you have a skid...

Trust me, everyone and their brother has a 'bobcat' and are the world's best operator too. If you are in maintenance why not add a mini skid or ASV 30 with some attachments that will compliment what you are doing?