Basement excavation using scale model construction equipment

[Metspitzer]

A Canadian man has been digging out his basement with scale-model RC construction equipment since 1997.

Yes, you read that right -- he's been digging out his basement for

15 years -- with nothing but little R/C tractors, diggers and even a miniature rock crusher! Amazing.

At an average rate of eight or nine cubic feet of earth moved each year, the process has been absolutely glacial. But what do you expect when every morning he drives his little excavator on its transport truck down to the basement, unloads it, and then uses it to dig out the basement walls.

Then Joe uses the excavators to load R/C trucks and they work their way up a spiral ramp to the basement window where the soil gets dumped outside.

Then, once it's outside, he uses bulldozers to consolidate the pile of excavated dirt.

Due to a teamsters strike and persistent inclement weather, the project is expected to take two years longer to complete.

[Jim Elbrecht]

I've been working on mine since 1987. Until today the idea of a mini-fleet had never occured to me. But I'm already shopping.

I've been struggling with a narrow ditch that I can only get to from one spot. I need to dig it back 12 feet to provide drainage around an old cistern.

I've struggled with hoes with 12' handles, power augers, scoops, power hoes. I make some progress, pull some muscles, and give each plan up for the next one. A little power shovel and a bulldozer should do the trick and save my back.

-snip-

I have some reading to do now--- follow the links and you end up with a 53 page thread on one forum

a 4hr [in 2008] on another- -

never mind on the second one. they discontinued their forum in 2010. but they still have some cool toys.

Thanks for this one--

Jim

[Jon Danniken]

[snip]

I could see doing that for a few days, but then I'd want to bust out the hand tools and git 'er done. Still pretty cool, though.

Jon

[Arby M]

Canadians must drink a lot when they get home from work!

[Robert Macy]

I hope he filmed all that activity for posterity.

Remember that highly successful construction film where some guy went out and filmed heavy trucks making a road, or something. I heard it was the most watched film by children EVER.

This guy in Canada could recoup all his costs for those R/C trucks by selling the rights to PBS

[Pete C.]

Rent a vacuum excavator trailer rig and complete the job in a single day. By far the best way to excavate in tight quarters like that, you get a high pressure air lance to poke ahead and loosen up the dirt and a big vac hose to suck it away to the trailer's holding tank. They're also popular for excavation in crowded utility areas since they have essentially no risk of damaging power/gas/water/sewer/com lines.

[Metspitzer]

I am not sure I could watch all 15 years of film, but 30 min of highlights would be very interesting.

I agree. I think the guy could cash in.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I should look into that again. a few years ago when I first knew I needed to dig there, I looked into them, but there wasn't one for rent within 3 hours of me.

It looked like an adventure, though. Probably cost about the same as a low end RC excavator-- and about as much fun.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

More video than you can shake a stick at-

Jim