Mini digger purchase

D

Daren333

New member
Hi to everyone,
I’m new at PlantTalk and looking for some advice.
My question is straight forward.
Thinking of buying a mini digger, but have no any experience at the building industry.
Does it worth and what possibility to make some additional income from this?
Do I need to have insurance for mini digger when working privately?
Thanks in advance fellows
 
diggerjones

diggerjones

Well-known member
Hi to everyone,
I’m new at PlantTalk and looking for some advice.
My question is straight forward.
Thinking of buying a mini digger, but have no any experience at the building industry.
Does it worth and what possibility to make some additional income from this?
Do I need to have insurance for mini digger when working privately?
Thanks in advance fellows
What size digger, yes you will need insurance.
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Now is a s**t time to get into it. In a recession, rates for mini digger and driver are the first thing to go through the floor. People charging £180 a day etc. you’d be better off working at Sainsbury’s by the time you account for your costs.
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Personally I'd buy one new now whilst there really expensive, I'd make sure I also hire myself out to others with no idea whatsoever.
You talk a big talk, you should try try walking the walk one day.

Yours,

Big shot with all new gear 🤣🤪

😘

Yeah, honestly OP, it’s a dumb time to give it a go even if you knew what you were doing and could buy a digger outright.
 
Gunners

Gunners

Well-known member
@Daren333 There is never a good time to start your own business and always a reason to wait. Opportunities are everywhere and its only going to work out for you if you say yes to things. However...

Lack of experience, be that mechanical, trade knowledge or operating skill will seriously hold you back. I don't know what you do for a job currently but if you want to seriously start your own little plant firm up (and despite the negativity above here - they both do exactly what you want to do!) then you would do well to get some hands on experience, doing the sort of work you want to carry out for people, but under someone else's employment. Learn your lessons at their cost, gain knowledge, contacts etc and get some money and tools behind you to make a start yourself one day.
Then get your first job and do it one weekend with a hired machine and some magnetic stickers on the arm as Russell says to make it look like its your machine - the professional look ;)
Take photos of this top notch work, plaster it all over your FB business page, website, tell your mum, kids, bloke down the pub etc that this is what you can do and trust me the next job will call.
Work weekends for a few years, save up this money to buy your machine, trailer and tow vehicle, do more work with them and it will build on its own. All whilst still working 5 days a week for someone else.
Eventually you land a job too big to do at the weekends and you can then decide if its worth jumping to do your own thing or not.

Funnily enough the recession will have ended by then and you'll be running with a head start to the competition. I know this because I was you back in 2009 - except I had 5 years or so experience by then - many say I could do with some more experience even now - they are probably right, we never stop learning :LOL:

Always do the best job you can, sometimes going beyond what the customer would expect, and you will find the work finds you. You can charge more than your competitors and still be busy. Look professional, clean kit, van, clothes etc you'd be surprised how it helps. Never pay for marketing - those leaches will have your money away with little results - good work gets more work not pretty pics, stickered banners or facebook campaigns. Only thing I pay for are business cards and always keep one on you - you never know who you are speaking to or where the next customer might be. I've won work from chance meetings in supermarket queues to having a drink in the pub - people see you in your tidy looking work gear, starts a conversation and suddenly your there pricing a job.
And finally, work harder than anyone else you know. Go the extra mile and you will notice it doesn't take long to pay off. Good luck! - but get some experience first mate!
 
B

Brendan

Well-known member
Some good points above.

If you have no building experience, do you have any experience with an excavator?

It's not so much just the cost of the machine, it's all the extras.
To be legal moving it, you will need a suitable weight rated trailer and tow vehicle with enough tow capacity.
Including the digger that could be 20k+
Somewhere to store it and trailer if you don't have a drive or off road space
Then your insurance rough guess...
Plant insurance £500+
Liability £500+
Then there is the little add ons like laser level, grease gun, servicing costs
There is people moving micro diggers on 3.5t tipper vans but they are all overweight, especially when you add all the crap stuck to the undercarriage/tracks, the buckets and ramps and then those running really bent with up to 2.5t machines on the back

Reality is you can earn not far off the same amount and just seat fill.

Only way you will know for sure is if you go for it
 
Last edited:
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
interesting article in construction index this morning https://www.theconstructionindex.co...tion-labour-rates-edge-close-to-1000-per-week

" Construction labour rates edge close to £1,000 per week "

would be going some to earn this sort of level, after costs, with a mini digger - or much else
1671131282835.png
 
Gunners

Gunners

Well-known member
" Construction labour rates edge close to £1,000 per week "

would be going some to earn this sort of level, after costs, with a mini digger - or much else
Would it?
Most trades work 5.5days a week - especially the sort that are going to be in this survey. So rough maths £180/day its good money for sure for the calibre of tradesman often found on construction sites but I think you will find that many of us on here and elsewhere have been well above that figure per day for many years now.

You've been retired too long Druid, gone are the days of £50/day :LOL:
 
Gunners

Gunners

Well-known member
You call it negativity, I call it reality. Tomateo Tomato...... |Give it 12 months the market will be interesting to say the least.
Well we've both said that to each other several times over the last 3 years yet here we are...
 
D

DaveDCB

Well-known member
Great advice from Ollie above.

Re business cards- spend a little extra and get the plastic credit card type ones. Much more of a subconcious resistance to throwing them away.
A great tip, generally speak we are out in the rain and mud, handing over a soggy business card will only end up with it going in the bin!
Always amazes me how many business cards I’ve handed out over the years!
 
B

Brendan

Well-known member
Would it?
Most trades work 5.5days a week - especially the sort that are going to be in this survey. So rough maths £180/day its good money for sure for the calibre of tradesman often found on construction sites but I think you will find that many of us on here and elsewhere have been well above that figure per day for many years now.

You've been retired too long Druid, gone are the days of £50/day :LOL:
Not many areas getting the rate you or doobin have been getting.

It's all area dependant, some will see a micro out for 200 and others 300+
 
S

Smiffy

Well-known member
Not many areas getting the rate you or doobin have been getting.

It's all area dependant, some will see a micro out for 200 and others 300+

Also that's an average. Plenty getting more than that. Plenty getting less.
And ofcourse ask on fb and you will see that most machine drivers won't get out of bed for less than 250 a day and a go on the bosses wife.
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
Would it?
Most trades work 5.5days a week - especially the sort that are going to be in this survey. So rough maths £180/day its good money for sure for the calibre of tradesman often found on construction sites but I think you will find that many of us on here and elsewhere have been well above that figure per day for many years now.

You've been retired too long Druid, gone are the days of £50/day :LOL:
after ALL your costs, etc.? ...
most them boys carry a bag of tools to the job ...
not knocking anyone Ollie, just thought that it was an interesting 'report' ...

I wouldn't put me boots on for 50 quid BTW :rolleyes: ..
unless it was a 10 minute weld job on me bench ....
short day rigging £180 .. full day £280 ;) ... tha's worth an early start (y):giggle:
 
Last edited:
B

Brendan

Well-known member
Also that's an average. Plenty getting more than that. Plenty getting less.
And ofcourse ask on fb and you will see that most machine drivers won't get out of bed for less than 250 a day and a go on the bosses wife.
There is a lot of clowns on all of the cpcs and CSCS sites. Most want top money for nothing and not willing to do anything but sit in the seat. Same for the labourer sites bitch and moan when the agencies offer 11-12.50 then when adds up for 15+ no work shy idiot applies
 
Top