Mini Digger - Would it be enough?

[Le Pop]

I need to get a hole dug in my garden for a septic tank, about 2.5M * 2 * 2. Would a mini digger be up to it or do I need a 3 tonner? Obviously it would be quicker with a bigger machine, but would a small one actually be up to the job??

Thoughts valued from those that have used this type of kit...

[mhill]

Hard one to answer really, both the 1.5 ton machines ive owned have had varying length booms so with out knowing what machine your going to use, how long is a pice of string.

From experience i will always go for the bigger machine, having turned several small ones over stability is a big thing as is the extra ease and the ability to do the job with ease.

[skeggysteve]

Le Pop said:

I need to get a hole dug in my garden for a septic tank, about 2.5M * 2 * 2. Would a mini digger be up to it or do I need a 3 tonner? Obviously it would be quicker with a bigger machine, but would a small one actually be up to the job??

Thoughts valued from those that have used this type of kit...

Couple of years ago we had our septic tank replaced with a Klargesster (sp).
The company that did it hired a mini digger, I think it was a 3 ton one, it was a very good bit of kit. Also very destructive in the wrong hands!

My son got the hang of it very quickly - two joystick to control it, much more teenage friendly than old git friendly!

The guy that did the work, digging out the old septic tank and making the hole big enough for the new tank was a joy to watch.

The other thing you need to think about is the amount of spoil/stuff you dig out.
It will take more than one skip to take it away!

[Solitude]

go for a 20ton grab lorry, skips will add up to much more !

[Le Pop]

Useful responses, thanks.

We are 'relocating' the spoil onsite as we have a space that needs filling, so no issue there. It's simply a case of wondering if a mini digger is man enough for the task!

Edited by Le Pop on Thursday 15th April 08:14

[FlossyThePig]

What is the ground like?

Many years ago I was involved with installing swimming pools. One site defeated a JCB digger as there was solid granite about 1.5 metre down. A large caterpillar tracked digger got most out but not all. The last 20 cm were removed by two men with pneumatic drills.

[Le Pop]

FlossyThePig said:

What is the ground like?

There are some lumps of granite but not too many, apparently. Obviously we won't know until we've started though...

[racing green]

3 tonner every time, it will not have to work so hard. 2 metres down your gonna come up against some real crap soil/stone so think about that rather than the good top soil above. Another real bonus is having a qualified driver as they can make the 'real' difference. Our digger has rubber tracks which makes a lot of difference when moving around a site.

[Busamav]

Le Pop said:

. Obviously we won't know until we've started though...

Start off with a machine that will surely cope , going for the smaller mini digger and then having to swap it out when it struggles will cost a lot more .