tractors, diggers & dumpers

[Rick Dipper]

I am currently working out what machinery to purchase to assist with my building project.

I have never brought a new car, and have no idea how to buy a tractor/digger/dumper, I drive round in a rust bucket 4x4 with a brand new trailer that carries

*EVERYTHING*.

I can't get delivery lorries neerer than 1/2 a mile from the project site. Little tippers (trani vans), can get in, but have to reverse out (the drivers NEVER come back a second time. I can't get a JCB down the track, they are much wider than you imagine.

All deliveries will occour at the top of the track. I want to buy my aggrigates in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of the cost of 16 tonnes of bags from wickes, which are still cheeper than one tonne bags from the builders merchants.

To get the concreate mixed, I have the choice of a hand mixer, or a lorry again

1/2 a mile away.

The best thing to move the concrete in is a dumper, but they are hard to get into the right places, and need space to turn. The worst thing is that you need to load them with a digger, as you can't manually lift into them, or lift with them. So a dumper sounds a bad idea.

I can hire a self drive mini digger for 500 a week all in (fuel, insurance delivery) etc, so reckon that this is the best way to go for a digger, as I only have a couple of weeks for for it, assuming I don't buy a dumper to move the aggrigates.

The best plan at the moment looks like a tractor, with a bucket on the front. This will lift the stuff off the ground, have reasonable access (not as good a mini digger), and be like a small dumper.

Any better ideas for what equipment I should consider, and any advice on how you go about buying one of these things ?

Anyone ever seen a 3 tonne trailer with hiab crane, you can stick on the back of your 4x4 ?

Thanks Rick

[David]

In article , Rick Dipper writes

Use a small back hoe loader, such as the JCB 3 range if you have to buy one go to an auction but take someone who knows about such things, I'm amazed at what you say about dumpers, I find them greatly manoeuvrable, you've got to have a bit of practice though... there are mini dumpers as well and also side tippers available

[Toby]

Sounds like access is your biggest headache, for an easy life a wider track may work out cheaper in the long run. If you can get loads dropped exactly where you want, then so much time is saved. Imagine filling the foundations straight down the chute off the truck. All the builders merchants I have ever used have always delivered by lorries larger than 7.5 tonners. Will you be needing bricks or trusses? Scaffold won't probably come on a transit either.

Either the plant section of Autotrader

my personal favourite the agricultural auctions such as good for construction machinery. Buy it, use it, sell it. Works out a lot cheaper than hiring. Just got my alloy tower scaffold at YLC, £200 for a tall one with outriggers, wheels, platforms etc. just the job for painting the gable end. Bought a steel diy spec one for £15 for resale.

Lots of 3cx type diggers about for sale, more versatile & better value than the 1.5 tonne Kubotas etc.

May need to consider the power arrangement, unless you mean to put the hiab on the pickup. Certainly seen one on an agricultural trailer, but this of course would be too big for you.

[Toby]

I hope there is space to offload at the head of the track as 1 mile round trip while the driver waits may get tiresome. Readymix usually give you

30mins to drop the load, so it looks like lots of minimix deliveries down the track or mix it yourself. Old 1 or 2 bag mixers are not expensive.

[Andrew Mawson]

building project.

tractor/digger/dumper, I drive round in a rust bucket 4x4 with a brand new trailer that carries

Little tippers (trani vans), can get in, but have to reverse out (the drivers NEVER

wider than you imagine.

aggrigates in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of

one tonne bags from the builders merchants.

again 1/2 a mile away.

get into the right places, and need space to turn. The worst thing is that you need to

with them. So a dumper sounds a bad idea.

delivery) etc, so reckon that this is the best way to go for a digger, as I only have

front. This will lift the stuff off the ground, have reasonable access (not as good a mini

how you go about buying one of these things ?

back of your 4x4 ?

Rick,

You can get a backhoe attachment as per:

you could fit an almost anything with a bit of ingenuity. I've seen a few turn up on ebay recently and they gor for £1-2K

Andrew

[Autolycus]

my building project.

tractor/digger/dumper, I drive round in a rust bucket 4x4 with a brand new trailer that carries

site. Little tippers (trani vans), can get in, but have to reverse out (the drivers NEVER

much wider than you imagine.

aggrigates in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of

I collected my aggregate direct from the quarry in a trailer, a ton or so at a time. Buying "all-in" ballast meant that I could then shovel it straight from the trailer into the mixer, very close to where I was pouring.

front. This will lift the stuff off the ground, have reasonable access (not as good a mini

I used the fore-end loader on an MF135 to distribute 80 tons of MoT 1 limestone for my drive base. Not ideal for the job, as you do have to charge at the heap to get anything on to the bucket, and with a simple "trip" loader there's always a chance you'll pull the trip and the bucket will be so unevenly loaded nothing happens. I made an attachment for it so that I could pick up half packs of brick paviors to move them

60 yards or so. H&SE would have had a fit if they'd seen it, but I was able to make sure no-one was anywhere near when I did it. Tractors with loaders are very awkward to manoeuvre - there's a hell of a front overhang.

Mini-diggers are best suited to working over short distances, ime. They slew and lift quickly enough, but are very slow to cover any distance, and don't pick up all that much in a back-actor bucket.

-- Kevin Poole

********Use current month and year to reply (e.g. [e-mail])************** Tiltbed car transporter trailer hire - £25/ day. Near Derby. May even tow it for you.

[Andrew Heggie <andrew.heggie]

in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of

tonne bags from the builders merchants.

1/2 a mile away.

This points to an agricultural tractor, not only can you use it for transport but also a small mixer can fit on the pto. McConnel pa6 or pa44 are available secondhand but aren't a patch of a Kubota 101 IMO.

into the right places, and need space to turn. The worst thing is that you need to

them. So a dumper sounds a bad idea.

Artic steer 4wd dumpers are actually very manoeuverable, better than a tractor trailer combination, reversing a dumper 800m is a doddle in comparison.

you go about buying one of these things ?

Farmers weekly

of your 4x4 ?

Yes a local ag dealer

has one on a plant trailer, it is electro hydraulic, mounted on the rear quarter with a pull-out stabiliser leg.

AJH

[rob w]

building project.

tractor/digger/dumper, I drive round in a rust bucket 4x4 with a brand new trailer that carries

Little tippers (trani vans), can get in, but have to reverse out (the drivers NEVER

than you imagine.

aggrigates in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of

tonne bags from the builders merchants.

again 1/2 a mile away.

into the right places, and need space to turn. The worst thing is that you need to

them. So a dumper sounds a bad idea.

delivery) etc, so reckon that this is the best way to go for a digger, as I only have

This will lift the stuff off the ground, have reasonable access (not as good a mini

you go about buying one of these things ?

of your 4x4 ?

Rick Have a look on Ebay normally dumpers etc quite cheap, and mini diggers not so cheap. I would get a dumper and a cheap JCB type of thing.

500 a week for a mini digger sounds expensive, Ive managed to find a guy with a full size JCB for 10 an hour all in driver included may be best to ask about, ask at any nearby self build sites! Rob

[Rick Dipper]

Thanks for the ideas Rick

aggrigates in bulk, as I live neer the quarry, a 16 tomnne lorry of sand is a fraction of

tonne bags from the builders merchants.

again 1/2 a mile away.

into the right places, and need space to turn. The worst thing is that you need to

them. So a dumper sounds a bad idea.

you go about buying one of these things ?

of your 4x4 ?