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mini digger - is it worth it and what to look out for...


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I've spotted a mini digger on Facebook market local to us and am thinking about whether it would be worth buying. I have several things that it could be used for, and limited width access (only 2m in places - I can just about drive my qashqai up the drive and into the plot).

 

We need to get the topsoil removed, and have it taken away and disposed of by a specialist processing company because it is contaminated with arsenic. Due to the access issues this is looking like it will cost around £12.5k at best. I'm wondering about saving some ££ by doing the scraping off myself, and just paying the company to remove it and dispose. That could save us £2-3k. 

There are some tree stumps to dig out as well, and we want to dig a small pond in one corner.

 

Any advice/thoughts/feedback? I've never driven or used machinery such as this - am I mad to think I could learn quickly??

 

The mini digger is being sold for £6750.

 

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You could hire a mini digger out for a weekend and see how you get on. Some people can take it them very quick. Others have no hand to eye coordination and are painful to watch. 

If after the weekend you think your near enough getting the hang of it then it will be used for more jobs than you think.

When your finished with it and if it's kept in good condition you won't lose much money on it as well.

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I bought a JCB and learnt how to use it myself and it’s great fun, I would have struggled greatly without it, currently levelling the field after clearing up after the build. If you buy well and maintained it you will get your money back, go for it (but get a plant mechanic to go over it to spot any problems).

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They are lots of fun. Had a go in a 15t (big digger) and a 5t (larger mini digger) last week or so while ground works we're going on. Surprisingly easy and get the hang of. Then you hand it back to the owner and you see how it's done properly!

 

Fun, but also dangerous and destructive. Telehandlers are the same. Even with the safety limit gear, it's easy to tip or roll a digger or handler.

 

If you go for the likes of a C3X or other backhoe, you have the advantage of being able to fit forks to the front bucket. Not as versatile as a handler, but certainly handy for lifting a pallet of insulation from a lorry. They wouldn't be as manouverable as a mini dinner.

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 There are toy ones that go through your front door.

 

Then more useful sizes 1.5t to 3t, that will go through perhaps a 1.2m gap.

 

Then the serious ones.

 

I used a 1.5t to do a slab for a big conservatory, and it was fine.

 

One thing to think about is whether you can tow it on your license with your vehicle.

Edited by Ferdinand
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Not sure I would bother.... it will be a lot easier for the company to do the work and they will need a digger anyway to load up dumpers and trucks..... I think you should leave this job to the contractor and then if you only have a few other jobs just hire one in as needed. Buying diggers from private adds can be very risky And by the time you pay a professional to check out a few diggers that cost will also mount up. I love diggers And have been using them for 25 years on and off and really really need one Now.... but to get something decent in the size I need I am looking at about 15k.And just don’t have the budget. I am going to hire one as and when I need it.  Not trying to put you off but seriously consider if you can justify it. 

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 I hired a 1.75ton on a few occasions and having never used one before found it easy enough for trench digging and grading. We didn't want to tie up money and risk it being nicked so didn't buy one.

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3 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

I've spotted a mini digger on Facebook market local to us and am thinking about whether it would be worth buying.

....

The mini digger is being sold for £6750.

That price tells me a lot. It's a common price point. In my experience its code for ... 'ok but'  . The but varies

 

Buy a digger anyway.  The thing about diggers is that they turn so many site tasks into a fifteen minute hold-on-a-moment-while-we do something that would otherwise take so much much more effort. 

We spent about £13000 on a good one. Loved and cherished it, over-maintained it. 2 months into a four year stay with us SWMBO  called it 'The Best Thing We've Bought' another BH  member bought it.  Just before Lockdown.

 

The cost to us? The over-maintenance. And the VAT. 

The utility? Several thousands in saved hire fees, and many more thousands in saved aggro, hundreds of small two man jobs turned into - just a mo while I sort this -.

 

Have a read 

 

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3 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

@joe90 how big is a JCB compared to a mini digger?


sorry, been out all day (in my JCB?), yes it’s big, (See above from @Construction Channel, but mine is old and leaky) I bought it as it’s a multi task machine, digger, grader, shovel, crane, fork lift truck and been invaluable over the last 4 years. From what you say above if you could do all your jobs in  one week I would hire one, take half a day to get used to it then crack on. Mine will be fir sale soon as all the big jobs are nearly done (but it’s been fun). 
 

A chap I used to know years ago who was a multi millionaire used to spend hours in his JCB just shifting stuff around just fir the hell of it!.

56E46FC8-4089-4C99-81D0-E5B1B4A90418.jpeg

Edited by joe90
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Thank you @Ferdinand, @ToughButterCup, @Cpd, @PeterStarck, @Construction Channel, @Conor, @joe90 & @Declan52. Great food for thought - I appreciate you all taking the time to contribute.

 

I suspect a machine will come in handy for landscaping our garden, and for various tree-related tasks around the plot. As we can afford the upfront outlay, I'm very tempted to get my hands on one. Unfortunately the local one has already sold, but there's no great rush so I can have a look around for something suitable.

I will take a look at digger world to see if I can visit any time soon. 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Omnibuswoman said:

 

@joe90 I'm guessing that's more than 2m wide, eh?!!!!


just been out  and measured it, 2.4m wide. Also it weighs in excess of 8.8 tons and will destroy your ground (it did mine) a tracked digger will do a lot less damage (should have got one really). I like the suggestion above of going to digger world and “playing”. I have been told the micro ones are not worth it (unless you need it to go through a doorway).

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A JCB 2CX (smaller version of @joe90's monster) is just under 2m wide, and might be a better bet, but there are a lot on the market that don't have a digging arm on the back, they have an air compressor for highway work such as jack hammers.

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2 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

The cost to us? The over-maintenance. And the VAT. 

 

Please can someone explain to me why second hand excavators/diggers/dumpers etc all attract VAT? I thought second hand goods didn't have VAT added as the VAT was paid when bought new? 

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Bought by businesses, who claimed the VAT back when they had them. When sold to the public have to charge VAT. 

 

If you are VAT registered yourself, you can then claim it back, if not - sadly it's tough luck. 

 

If you buy secondhand from a private individual who has paid the VAT then yes there should be none to pay, likewise when you sell it.

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5 minutes ago, JFDIY said:

Bought by businesses, who claimed the VAT back when they had them. When sold to the public have to charge VAT. 

 

If you are VAT registered yourself, you can then claim it back, if not - sadly it's tough luck. 

 

If you buy secondhand from a private individual who has paid the VAT then yes there should be none to pay, likewise when you sell it.

 

ok. thanks. I understand it now. my business is VAT registered but I'm not sure an excavator can be considered a business purchase for an IT company! unless I were building my own datacenter of course. hmmm......I wonder......:ph34r:

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42 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

 

ok. thanks. I understand it now. my business is VAT registered but I'm not sure an excavator can be considered a business purchase for an IT company! unless I were building my own datacenter of course. hmmm......I wonder......:ph34r:


No reason why not ... charge your build £20 a week (plus VAT) rental, then sell it at the end of the build.  Offset your depreciation against the company profits .. 

 

No different to a building company buying a server !

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4 minutes ago, PeterW said:


No reason why not ... charge your build £20 a week (plus VAT) rental, then sell it at the end of the build.  Offset your depreciation against the company profits .. 

 

No different to a building company buying a server !

it is an interesting idea. I might have to speak to the accountants but I'm not holding out much hope. 

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