I'm an idiot and I'm going to buy a piece of excavating equiptment.

[2big bronco]

They're 2x2x4.

They still make and sell them locally, they say 1300lbs.

https://shop.burncolandscape.com/products/magnum-ledgestone-top---burnco-3510.html

I'd re check that math or the company that makes them needs to. Those blocks usually vary a little and come in between 3000-4000lbs depending on the mold and design. Concrete is close to 150lbs per cubic ft, a 1 yard block is 27 cubic feet

 

[FC4X4]

Lot's of decent advice here. Tracks over tires. Get a bigger trailer. I've got a 2015 E35 with all the bells and whistles... love the thing... I have a 1' bucket, 2' bucket, 39" grading bucket, and an auger with two bits. I do feel like it's the smallest really useful machine though (at 7500lbs) available. 329s, 330s, 26Ds, and the like (~6000 lb machines) are really too small for much of anything besides landscaping and moving loose materials. They just aren't heavy enough. If I bought one again, it would be an E42 which is a little heavier, has a little more reach, and would still fit on my 16k trailer.

I agree with you that renting is tough, unless you have a block of time you can set aside and focus to make the daily burn worth it. A good helper who knows how to run a level and a shovel could also drastically reduce your machine time, rather than going 100% solo.

 

[Dennhop]

Most everything I'd say has been said, but I'll throw one little warning in here.

If you look used, especially if you try and go auction route, be extremely careful; especially if you can't go over the machine before you buy/bid on it. A lot of companies will pull stickers and send machines off to auction outside of their territory because those machines are trashed. They may look great on the outside, but it's typically going to be a fatal issue, usually involving something grenading in the hydraulic systems.

I know; my company does it, and I've seen machines with everything that looks good on them go to auction, because the hydraulic filter looked like someone threw glitter in it. Once that's in the system, your pretty much fucked. You'll never be able to get the pilot valves and shuttles cleaned out, unless you literally replace the entire system at once, and then you'll end up chasing hydraulic issues on a 15-20k machine that you now own, sucking your money and life out of you.

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

I'd re check that math or the company that makes them needs to. Those blocks usually vary a little and come in between 3000-4000lbs depending on the mold and design. Concrete is close to 150lbs per cubic ft, a 1 yard block is 27 cubic feet

The ones he linked too look to be hollow not the solid mafia blocks. They are the high dollar ones not the ones made out of the hot left over concrete lol.

 

[infernozx]

The ones he linked too look to be hollow not the solid mafia blocks. They are the high dollar ones not the ones made out of the hot left over concrete lol.

They are hollow, and they are more expensive. Almost $220 each. Which kills me... because I have $4000 of retaining wall there, that I don't actually like, and I'd be happy to replace, but I'd literally have to pay someone to haul it away. I also don't have enough of them to do the job properly, which means I no need to go add about $1000-$2000 of my own money to the concrete block pile in order to get enough blocks to complete the job properly.

Why they didn't just go grab the normal style ones is beyond me. but the previous owners of this house were pretty good at getting ripped off apparently. They paid for a wall that started leaning within weeks. They paid for landscaping up front that never happened. They paid for a retaining wall in the back yard that just consisted of a guy turning up with a truck and literally throwing $1000 worth of Allen type blocks into the back yard. Not even kidding, just literally took their money, threw some blocks down the hill and never came back. I think the only thing they didn't get ripped off on was the carpet install.

 

[infernozx]

Lot's of decent advice here. Tracks over tires. Get a bigger trailer. I've got a 2015 E35 with all the bells and whistles... love the thing... I have a 1' bucket, 2' bucket, 39" grading bucket, and an auger with two bits. I do feel like it's the smallest really useful machine though (at 7500lbs) available. 329s, 330s, 26Ds, and the like (~6000 lb machines) are really too small for much of anything besides landscaping and moving loose materials. They just aren't heavy enough. If I bought one again, it would be an E42 which is a little heavier, has a little more reach, and would still fit on my 16k trailer.

I agree with you that renting is tough, unless you have a block of time you can set aside and focus to make the daily burn worth it. A good helper who knows how to run a level and a shovel could also drastically reduce your machine time, rather than going 100% solo.

Thanks for the info, I was looking at a couple of machines at Auction, but with the whole virus thing they're not allowing inspections. I imagine they'll go cheap because of that, but last time I bought sight unseen someone had backed a forklift into the Bridgeport before the sale. Luckily it was easily repaired, and I got a screaming deal on it, but it's made me weary ever since.