Excavation costs

Jun 24, 2007 6 Replies

I'm told that here in NH I can expect to pay approx $85-$100 per hour for general excavation work which should include all machine transportation and operational costs (one backhoe). Does this sound right to anyone? I want to agree on a fair price with an excavator. I figure two days work from past experience with a similar job. I'm sick of getting high lump sum quotes and want to offer payment by hour this time. Thanks in advance, K.



yes of course demographics is everything but even here in FL, that's a fair price

suppose the operator only wants to work about 4 hours (which is a lot of operating time sorta)

that's still under 400 dollars. is that a cool deal for all that excavating?

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$100 -- 125 an hour is reasonable for a backhoe, depending on size.

If you are paying by the hour, don't forget the cost of trucks and dump fees to haul the excavated earth away. And check on the charge for delivering and removing the hoe.

Personally, I prefer a lump sum bid ... but I'm a contractor and risk averse.

Ken

Perhaps OK. Depends on the soil, which varies substantially here in NH. I've sand where I am, and I can do stuff in an hour that were there a lot of rocks or ledge might take days....

Hourly costs of $85 to $100 seem (to me) reasonable.

However, I usually just rent the equipment and do the labor myself. That way I find I can do the work and cleanup at an easier pace.

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