Gunns Contractors Ltd

[Storrsy]

April saw me refurbing a gravel driveway, something I'd previously have done with my 3t but took the backhoe and smashed it out in half the time. Spread the shingle with the front bucket and started to realise how productive using a larger machine can be if you can fit it on the job.
Then dug a swimming pool for a mate of mine, tried out my crusher bucket on some of the as dug crush I saved - its early days on the crusher bucket, I am working out the best way to use it before I put up too much about the pro's and con's because there are both for sure.
Next was a play with a KX60 with tilty and the recent Engcon dig day - some machine that! So much better than the hire spec U50's - I'd have no issues buying a KX60 if I was in the market.
The 8026 has seen a few hours this month on some finishing works around two new builds, back there next week actually to carry on that work.
Then it was back on the backhoe for a few days running some new services into a piece of land. Again, the bigger machine made digging much faster than my 3t in some pretty hard ground for around here. Not the biggest job with the most room but I made it work. Also pulled a tree out of a river as a "can you just".
Then off to the Greenshields JCB round of the X series operator competition where somehow I managed to get in the top 3 and score myself a place in the final.... There's some much better operators below my name on that board - but it was luck to get two good times back to back as you couldn't pick your best time from each challenge and put them together - it had to be sequential! Anyway, no doubt Ill get thrashed at the final in June

Looks like you're finding plenty of work for the backhoe? Tbh they're becoming a rarity really, can't remember the last time Ive seen one used in anger other than cleaning grips on the side of the road

 

[Bri963]

Your up against Jesus in the jcb challenge, good look with that

No mate, he was a chippy. They only think they can operate.

 

[Gunners]

Put my BAV CB8 crusher bucket to the test this week. Made that pile in 4 hours. 30ish ton there you think? I was pretty pleased with it. Folds up on the back nicely.

 

[DaveDCB]

In terms of value for money for the client, would you say it’s a break even by comparison to taking it away and having crushed back in?
6f5 is only £13/ton and they’d take away the old hardcore for free on backload.. got to be on £80/hr+ for the machine and bucket?
When I had my 3cx I was very close to getting a larger front mounted crusher bucket, in the view that a small mini would load it while the 3cx was stationary ticking away.

 

[doobin]

In terms of value for money for the client, would you say it’s a break even by comparison to taking it away and having crushed back in?
6f5 is only £13/ton and they’d take away the old hardcore for free on backload.. got to be on £80/hr+ for the machine and bucket?
When I had my 3cx I was very close to getting a larger front mounted crusher bucket, in the view that a small mini would load it while the 3cx was stationary ticking away.

Round here since hs2 shut down they are not taking hardcore free even on backload any more.

 

[DaveDCB]

Round here since hs2 shut down they are not taking hardcore free even on backload any more.

Shut down as in finished or abandoned?

 

[rossandson]

Shut down as in finished or abandoned?

Abandoned up north What a waste!

 

[Gunners]

In terms of value for money for the client, would you say it’s a break even by comparison to taking it away and having crushed back in?
6f5 is only £13/ton and they’d take away the old hardcore for free on backload.. got to be on £80/hr+ for the machine and bucket?
When I had my 3cx I was very close to getting a larger front mounted crusher bucket, in the view that a small mini would load it while the 3cx was stationary ticking away.

Its not £13/ton where I live. And as Doobin says, no free collection anymore.
Also, there is a type of customer who will pay a premium to recycle products on site. It will take a while to know if its really worth the investment, as it doesn't exactly get used every month, but I like the idea to be able to offer a service where I can turn up with the breaker, riddle bucket and crusher on one machine and turn waste into a useable product. I think its unique and I think there's a market for it. Sometimes you just gotta take a punt.

Anyway, at 7t/hr maybe more, I thought that wasn't bad going. Used 72L of fuel, drove to and from site 22 miles in total, crushed 30ish ton of material and loaded 3 trailers. I was pretty happy with that.

 

[V8Druid]

Put my BAV CB8 crusher bucket to the test this week. Made that pile in 4 hours. 30ish ton there you think? I was pretty pleased with it. Folds up on the back nicely.

hate to say it, but closer to a eight wheeler load IMHDO Ollie

 

[Smiffy]

Round here since hs2 shut down they are not taking hardcore free even on backload any more.

20mins north and they are. Recycled crush is in short supply around here. We planed out 200t of dry lean last week and day aggregates where paying us to tip it in their yard.

 

[DaveDCB]

hate to say it, but closer to a eight wheeler load IMHDO Ollie

Did think the same…

 

[6feetdown]

Round here since hs2 shut down they are not taking hardcore free even on backload any more.

Same here to my knowledge, 250ish for concrete, stone etc 350 for normal grab load and i think around 450 for clay

 

[Furniss]

I respect the graft Ollie obviously puts in and like the way he tries to do things his way, and maybe there is an environment benefit, no disrespect @Gunners but I just can't imagine sat on my machine rocking up hours,burning fuel and becoming ill through boredom for 7t per hour of crush.
Thing is we pay 5€ per ton to tip and about 10€ per ton for 0/60mm to collect it so it's not suprising i think that way.

 

[doobin]

Its not £13/ton where I live. And as Doobin says, no free collection anymore.
Also, there is a type of customer who will pay a premium to recycle products on site. It will take a while to know if its really worth the investment, as it doesn't exactly get used every month, but I like the idea to be able to offer a service where I can turn up with the breaker, riddle bucket and crusher on one machine and turn waste into a useable product. I think its unique and I think there's a market for it. Sometimes you just gotta take a punt.

Anyway, at 7t/hr maybe more, I thought that wasn't bad going. Used 72L of fuel, drove to and from site 22 miles in total, crushed 30ish ton of material and loaded 3 trailers. I was pretty happy with that.

At the end of the day, if you can sell the concept to the customer and make money, that’s all that matters.

He says, out on the Fisher-Price forwarder again today My mighty stack is no more, another arctic gone yesterday.

 

[Gunners]

I respect the graft Ollie obviously puts in and like the way he tries to do things his way, and maybe there is an environment benefit, no disrespect @Gunners but I just can't imagine sat on my machine rocking up hours, burning fuel and becoming ill through boredom for 7t per hour of crush.
Thing is we pay 5€ per ton to tip and about 10€ per ton for 0/60mm to collect it so it's not surprising I think that way.

Furniss, I really like the way you go about work and think you've pretty much got the ultimate small contractor setup, but not all of us have a lorry at our disposal. I could tip hardcore for free if I took it there, but there are costs involved in doing so. Time away from site, diesel, lorry costs etc. At 5€ to tip and 10€/ton for crush I'm technically earning 105€/hour at 7t/ph before running costs.
Now the counter argument for that is of course that you're gone maybe an hour on turnaround and come back with 10t? (cant remember what your lorry will take) on the back ready to tip and get back to work? Some sites might be close to the tip, others further away, but its hard to nip down the garage in 20 mins for a drink in my experience so I bet the average turnaround is 1hr.
In that time I'm 3t short of you but I haven't spent 150€ either. And we both have diesel & labour costs, probably about equal, and I don't have the lorry running costs.

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious that I haven't taken into consideration. I admit, its a bit of an experiment, but my maths going into this put me up at a potential £200/hr cost saving to me where I live. That's Doobin micro fancy tractor levels of profit! And it doesn't cost me anywhere near that to run the machine.

I know there's faster ways to crush material. And I know that above a certain number (I haven't quite worked out yet), its going to be far better financially to get a bigger crusher in and just load the b4st4rd. But I'm working with what I have here, trying to maximise profitability and appeal to customers in a world where doing it the usual way seems to only be getting more expensive and less reliable.

 

[Furniss]

Furniss, I really like the way you go about work and think you've pretty much got the ultimate small contractor setup, but not all of us have a lorry at our disposal. I could tip hardcore for free if I took it there, but there are costs involved in doing so. Time away from site, diesel, lorry costs etc. At 5€ to tip and 10€/ton for crush I'm technically earning 105€/hour at 7t/ph before running costs.
Now the counter argument for that is of course that you're gone maybe an hour on turnaround and come back with 10t? (cant remember what your lorry will take) on the back ready to tip and get back to work? Some sites might be close to the tip, others further away, but its hard to nip down the garage in 20 mins for a drink in my experience so I bet the average turnaround is 1hr.
In that time I'm 3t short of you but I haven't spent 150€ either. And we both have diesel & labour costs, probably about equal, and I don't have the lorry running costs.

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious that I haven't taken into consideration. I admit, its a bit of an experiment, but my maths going into this put me up at a potential £200/hr cost saving to me where I live. That's Doobin micro fancy tractor levels of profit! And it doesn't cost me anywhere near that to run the machine.

I know there's faster ways to crush material. And I know that above a certain number (I haven't quite worked out yet), its going to be far better financially to get a bigger crusher in and just load the b4st4rd. But I'm working with what I have here, trying to maximise profitability and appeal to customers in a world where doing it the usual way seems to only be getting more expensive and less reliable.

Fair enough Ollie
its all about making what youve got work , I get it, we all have to do it, impossible to have the ideal setup for every scenario.
Suns out, let's try make some money

 

[JerryRtilt]

Furniss, I really like the way you go about work and think you've pretty much got the ultimate small contractor setup, but not all of us have a lorry at our disposal. I could tip hardcore for free if I took it there, but there are costs involved in doing so. Time away from site, diesel, lorry costs etc. At 5€ to tip and 10€/ton for crush I'm technically earning 105€/hour at 7t/ph before running costs.
Now the counter argument for that is of course that you're gone maybe an hour on turnaround and come back with 10t? (cant remember what your lorry will take) on the back ready to tip and get back to work? Some sites might be close to the tip, others further away, but its hard to nip down the garage in 20 mins for a drink in my experience so I bet the average turnaround is 1hr.
In that time I'm 3t short of you but I haven't spent 150€ either. And we both have diesel & labour costs, probably about equal, and I don't have the lorry running costs.

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious that I haven't taken into consideration. I admit, its a bit of an experiment, but my maths going into this put me up at a potential £200/hr cost saving to me where I live. That's Doobin micro fancy tractor levels of profit! And it doesn't cost me anywhere near that to run the machine.

I know there's faster ways to crush material. And I know that above a certain number (I haven't quite worked out yet), its going to be far better financially to get a bigger crusher in and just load the b4st4rd. But I'm working with what I have here, trying to maximise profitability and appeal to customers in a world where doing it the usual way seems to only be getting more expensive and less reliable.

Another plus point i see is you have control over what goes through the crusher, i've been struggling to get decent 6f5 at the moments, as @Smiffy says there's a shortage in this part of the world at the moment, not enough Demo going on, and i've been paying for crap that's about 50% crushed dirt.!
During early Lockdown i hired @CPS 's BAV8 and crushed about 200t, not the most exciting week I've had admittedly but i'd priced the job accordingly and the client liked the idea of using the hardcore he had on site to build a road across a field.
Only thing i would add is i recon running a crusher bucket for any length of time gives your hydraulic system a bit of a hard time ?

 

[JD450A]

Crusher buckets are as useful as a chocolate teapot in general. The cost of haulage and disposal is gradually making them viable but it's still niche.

 

[JerryRtilt]

Not something i would invest in, but would hire again if the right job came along.

 

[Gunners]

Crusher buckets are as useful as a chocolate teapot in general. The cost of haulage and disposal is gradually making them viable but it's still niche.

You live in a land of plentiful rock and poor phone signal.