Other machines that do well on owner operator basis.

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Stroppymonkey

Well-known member
Diggers are a given and work well for me what with the variety of sizes and attachments.

I'd like to invest in another completely different machine perhaps with a different skill set/experience base. Got to be towable

I see some do very well with the Avant/multi one setups but fairly confident of my local market that that wouldn't be a good option for me. Wrong kind of terrain/properties. I've never felt the need for one in the jobs I do.

Latest thinking could be Alpine tractor with flail and I'm sure plenty of other attachments as time goes on. Able to work on awkward sites that would interest the ag contractors etc. I'm thinking a few ads in the local parish rags and keep it aside from my main business- simply machine and owner only

Self propelled flail? Possibly even truck and a variety of towing services with different trailers etc. All just ideas really but looking for a way to get into something a little less physical and that I can keep doing as I get older ...
There's a chap local with a tracked flail. Seems to keep busy, and we have wet ground so he has demand, think he's on a crop sprayer the rest of the time.
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
hell of a tool, but bet it's now done some hours ... and his "gas oil only" sticker on the back is well out the window .... don't very often see Dinse outputs on a genny
300 quid a day for the LEZ is some sort of piss take :oops: .... be cheaper to transport it in/out on a compliant flatbed :rolleyes:

did you see the other listing ? :oops::oops::oops:
 
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groundworker

groundworker

Well-known member
These things seemed like a good idea but never seen one in action and looks like they are hire only.


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William127

William127

Well-known member
These things seemed like a good idea but never seen one in action and looks like they are hire only.


View attachment 51778
I had one of these on hire once, good machine, decent operator, did the job in the time allowed but in reality I'd have been better off getting a big hiab artic tractor unit in- especially as the first and last thing in and out would have been a mini digger, would dug the whole job in about 30 minutes! Was a bit tight for parking when I visited to quote, so I got the hooka in.
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
These things seemed like a good idea but never seen one in action and looks like they are hire only.


View attachment 51778
They are hired on a shitty franchise agreement. So not only are you paying to hire it all the time, you also have to pay franchise fees! From talking to one franchisee, it's a total scam where they don't send you anything like the work they promise.

Most of the time the job can be done much easier in other ways.
 
S

Stroppymonkey

Well-known member
These things seemed like a good idea but never seen one in action and looks like they are hire only.


View attachment 51778
Looked at these for installing oil tanks … but they are quite wide from memory, still a nifty way of moving intact bulk from A to B. Suspect a mini handler would do most of the work, or an American style tracked mini loader
 
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DaveDCB

Well-known member
Like anything you kinda need the work before you buy the machine, and not just one customer because you can guarantee you’ll go buy the machine and bytime it turns up said customer has purchased his own! Happens to so many owner ops setting up!
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Like anything you kinda need the work before you buy the machine, and not just one customer because you can guarantee you’ll go buy the machine and bytime it turns up said customer has purchased his own! Happens to so many owner ops setting up!
I was always told that the work comes to the machine, and with the right attitude (and I have to say, the right area) I’ve found that to be true.
 
William127

William127

Well-known member
I was always told that the work comes to the machine, and with the right attitude (and I have to say, the right area) I’ve found that to be true.
I've heard that said many times, got to say it hasn't worked like that for me. Apart from perhaps the micro digger, which has been relatively consistently used on landscaping jobs where nothing else will get down the alleys...
I think my trouble is I have a good reputation for domestic fencing, Mrs Miggins hedges, carrying a whole garden through the house and awkward sodding about repair jobs! Despite the fact that I never advertise these kind of jobs they just keep coming!
I have a couple of plans I'm working on to change things over the next few months though 🤞

Going back to the original post, I'd agree that an Alpine is the first machine I'd be looking at. Lots of jobs that they can do, specialist steep ground stuff or normal paddock work, attachments aren't horrendously expensive and they're not massively common but there's still plenty of support, dealers etc.

Or a sawmill? Mine hasn't done much unfortunately (see above !😔), but it's great to use, not massively expensive to buy, pretty simple to maintain etc. There are plenty of people on arbtalk doing well with them as sidelines, including Doobin 👍

For a real money spinner, hire generators on the right contract are what you want! My mates had a 20kva on hire to a doggy day care place for 102 weeks now, no sign of it ending, at 200 quid a week. Not bad for a machine he paid 3k for!
Problem there is obviously getting the right contracts....
 
groundworker

groundworker

Well-known member
Looked at these for installing oil tanks … but they are quite wide from memory, still a nifty way of moving intact bulk from A to B. Suspect a mini handler would do most of the work, or an American style tracked mini loader
They are about 1m by the looks of it, so will go anywhere a mini digger will go.

They look quite handy in the range of materials they will lift/shift but not totally efficient at moving any single item.

I think the problem is most builders on jobs that size would rather just pay a dogsbody to do it.

I would like to have a loader for my own groundworks jobs but don't know if I could make it pay either.
 
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