groundworker
Well-known member
Hi all
I’ve been posting on the forum a while but realised I never introduced myself so thought I’d make a belated thread
I’m Rich, been working in construction for about 15 years, half of that in groundworks and been working for myself for the last 4 years.
I will post some pics below, quick look at my kit/work etc.
Started off with a Kubota u15 and Renault Master.
Definitely paid over the odds for the Kubota having bought it at the tail end of covid, it had evidently had a hard life but I was confident it would still get the same amount of work done as a newer machine.
Work was busy when I started out, got a few builders as regular customers and was fairly consistently knocking out extension footings etc., usually on the smaller scale but picked up a few bigger jobs here and there.
Bought a Tecna breaker from @Dr pecker who kindly dropped it down to me at short notice.
Added a thumb to the Kubota which proved to be a great tool. Had some issues with it initially and poor customer service but once ironed out it was great.
End of 2022 I bought a Slanetrac HT1000 to go alongside the Kubota. Very handy machine what with it being able to go anywhere including the back of my van. But again this was a covid purchase - got it fairly ‘cheap’ but only relative to the other examples on the market which were basically asking new prices.
I bought it with a smokey engine which was fixed pretty cheaply with a new Loncin engine.
Eventually had to renew the undercarriage, that was a lot more pricey - I had been limping it along for a while with a knackered idler but my hand was forced when it threw a track - inwards - right against a boundary fence - had to replace the post as I’d smashed it when lifting the dumper to pull the track.
The first year and a half I didn’t even have a yard, I had been working out of a garage I had built at my mum’s place. Bloody handy to have starting out but I had to take the ROPS off the digger just to get it in - luckily the digger had been jumping job to job and didn’t get taken back to base much. My plant trailer I was storing on my nan’s driveway.
Early 2023 I was offered yard space by a building firm I work for and jumped at it. Finally had somewhere secure to store the plant, tip waste, a container for storage/workshop, access to a skip etc. This was a big step forward for the business.
As I got a bit more experience running the business and my own kit I came to realise I’d possibly made some wrong choices...
The van definitely wasn’t ideal… fully loaded it was dragging its arse on the floor, add a plant trailer to the mix and I was clobbering every speed bump en route to the job. Called the firm who fitted my tow bar and asked what could be done - 'nothing mate, you bought the wrong van' - great, glad you told me that after taking my money.
Worked around this by using a drop plate upside down, again not ideal but better than it was. The choice of van had been dictated by budget plus what was on the market at the time, not necessarily what was best for towing etc.
more in next post
I’ve been posting on the forum a while but realised I never introduced myself so thought I’d make a belated thread
I’m Rich, been working in construction for about 15 years, half of that in groundworks and been working for myself for the last 4 years.
I will post some pics below, quick look at my kit/work etc.
Started off with a Kubota u15 and Renault Master.
Definitely paid over the odds for the Kubota having bought it at the tail end of covid, it had evidently had a hard life but I was confident it would still get the same amount of work done as a newer machine.
Work was busy when I started out, got a few builders as regular customers and was fairly consistently knocking out extension footings etc., usually on the smaller scale but picked up a few bigger jobs here and there.
Bought a Tecna breaker from @Dr pecker who kindly dropped it down to me at short notice.
Added a thumb to the Kubota which proved to be a great tool. Had some issues with it initially and poor customer service but once ironed out it was great.
End of 2022 I bought a Slanetrac HT1000 to go alongside the Kubota. Very handy machine what with it being able to go anywhere including the back of my van. But again this was a covid purchase - got it fairly ‘cheap’ but only relative to the other examples on the market which were basically asking new prices.
I bought it with a smokey engine which was fixed pretty cheaply with a new Loncin engine.
Eventually had to renew the undercarriage, that was a lot more pricey - I had been limping it along for a while with a knackered idler but my hand was forced when it threw a track - inwards - right against a boundary fence - had to replace the post as I’d smashed it when lifting the dumper to pull the track.
The first year and a half I didn’t even have a yard, I had been working out of a garage I had built at my mum’s place. Bloody handy to have starting out but I had to take the ROPS off the digger just to get it in - luckily the digger had been jumping job to job and didn’t get taken back to base much. My plant trailer I was storing on my nan’s driveway.
Early 2023 I was offered yard space by a building firm I work for and jumped at it. Finally had somewhere secure to store the plant, tip waste, a container for storage/workshop, access to a skip etc. This was a big step forward for the business.
As I got a bit more experience running the business and my own kit I came to realise I’d possibly made some wrong choices...
The van definitely wasn’t ideal… fully loaded it was dragging its arse on the floor, add a plant trailer to the mix and I was clobbering every speed bump en route to the job. Called the firm who fitted my tow bar and asked what could be done - 'nothing mate, you bought the wrong van' - great, glad you told me that after taking my money.
Worked around this by using a drop plate upside down, again not ideal but better than it was. The choice of van had been dictated by budget plus what was on the market at the time, not necessarily what was best for towing etc.
more in next post
). I did struggle with the comfort, but very versatile.