Compact Excavator for demo

[skcj213]

Good morning to the good folks of GJ. I know there is someone here that has experience to draw from.

As some may remember, I have spent the summer deconstructing the POC house next door. At this point, I have just the shell left with the roof partially gone. I am tired of messing with it and ready to just make it go away so I am planning to rent a compact excavator to knock down the remaining structure. I know when it comes to excavators bigger is usually better, at least to a point. However, due to budget, equipment availability, towing capacity and trailer availability I am limited to renting a compact excavator, a Bobcat E32 to be exact. The question is, is this big enough to get the job done? I will have it over a weekend which gets me 13 hours of use.

I know there will be those that will say "just hire someone to finish it off". I appreciate that opinion but that is not likely the way I will go. If that is your only input, I would appreciate if you would refrain from posting.

 

[sberry]

A couple of pictures would help.

 

[sberry]

I am tired of messing with it and ready to just make it go away so I am planning to rent a compact excavator to knock down the remaining structure.

Knocking it down wont make it go away. It might be big enough to get the job done but doesn't mean its the easiest way to do it.

 

[skcj213]

Pics of the house next door are in my thread "The dump next door is finally mine". I am at work right now and don't have access to any pics.


EDIT:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=269279

 

[WhiffySpark]

50 would be better. My dealer will delivery it if you ask him. 32 doesn't have a ton of reach

 

[skcj213]

Knocking it down wont make it go away.

Well......that's true. But it does get the structure off of the tax roles. The house is brick and I have someone lined up to take the bricks once it is a pile of rubble. The remaining wood will either be burned in the basement hole or hauled to the dump.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I added your link so that others can see the pictures.

Will you have the reach you need ?

EDIT: Whiffy already commented on that.

 

[sberry]

I got to go but,, have taken a cable, run it thru the house, tie on to far corner and rip it in to the center, repeat. A common pickup truck will do it. It will come straight down in to its own footprint.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I added your link so that others can see the pictures.

Will you have the reach you need ?

EDIT: Whiffy already commented on that.

It can be done but it's not ideal. Especially if this is his first time. You have to be comfortable on the pedals to get out fast

We would generally try to cave the middle in and use that as a ramp. You want the house to fall in on its foundation but it he's saving the brick it makes it harder.

 

[sberry]

A big excavator and a top hand make it happen but a compact with a newbie is a different matter.

 

[Falcon67]

They take down dilapidated houses here regularly with a full size backhoe. I would not even try with a mini. Every rental place here delivers. I'd get a full size and get-er-done quick, have them come pick it up.

 

[skcj213]

The rental places I'm working with doesn't have anything bigger. My problem is that there are no local large equipment rentals. The place I'm looking at is 35 miles away.

There is another place that I contacted that has a Kubota KX121 but you have to provide the trailer if self hauling. I have access to a trailer but it is only rated at 5500 lbs. The KX121 weighs 10,000 lbs. according to the rental place. They are only 20 miles away and quoted $240 to drop off and pick up. Weekend rental is $443 for 12 hours that would be $680, which is a budget buster.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Just knocking it down will leave a big mess. One big pile of bricks, wood, shingles, drywall, plaster, carpet, wires and pipes.
Not good if there is anything that you want saved (bricks).

A thumb grapple will make it easier to pull it apart or to pick-up and place the "lumber" and large pieces into a separate pile or dumpster.

 

[skcj213]

50 would be better. My dealer will delivery it if you ask him. 32 doesn't have a ton of reach

Definitely can't reach the top of the structure with the 32, not even close. the entire bottom floor is brick, except one corner. The upper floor is 30% brick/70% stick built. Since I can't reach the top of the structure my plan was to pull the corners out of the top and collapse the roof onto the second floor, then repeat for the bottom floor. Once in a pile, straighten up as much as possible, separate brick from wood, until time ran out on the rental.

This is my first time doing this so I am open to suggestions.

 

[skcj213]

Just knocking it down will leave a big mess. One big pile of bricks, wood, shingles, drywall, plaster, carpet, wires and pipes.
Not good if there is anything that you want saved (bricks).

A thumb grapple will make it easier to pull it apart or to pick-up and place the "lumber" and large pieces into a separate pile or dumpster.

The house is gutted. Almost everything worth savings has already been removed. About the only thing remaining that I wanted to save is some of the old floor joists, which I had thought about eventually building a workbench out of. At this point I am willing to say "screw it" on the joists. Plaster, lath, all of that stuff is already gone.

The guy that is taking the bricks is taking them for fill, he has some old coal mine ground that is full of holes and washouts. It won't matter if they are broken.

The excavator I am looking at has a thumb.

 

[skcj213]

Well.....change of plans. I just spoke with a guy that has a local backhoe service. He lives only a couple of blocks away from me. He had quote $8000 to demo the house complete this past spring. I figured I would give him another chance. I see him drive by every weekend when I am working on the demo myself, so he knows what is involved and what is left. He offered to work for $75/hour and estimated it would take about 4 hours, maybe less, to drop the house and pick through the rubble to separate the big chucks of wood from the bricks. If we have a dumpster there he will load the dumpster. $300 is less than the total cost to rent an excavator.

 

[TonkaJoe]

I Operate for a living, this is your best bet by far, especially if you don't have the experience its much more safe to have a certified operator do the demo. This saves you risk of equipment damage and most importantly your own safety!. You've already done a ton of cost cutting by doing most of the work yourself. That bobcat E32 only has a 13.5' reach at best, thats just enough to top load a tri -axle dump truck from the ground.. I personally wouldn't go with a mini ex for any type of demo, a mid sized excavator has a lot more breakout force and weight for that type of job. All said and done you made the right choice, be sure to post pictures of your demo!.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[TractorJeff]

YEP!
The guy with the Backhoe Service sounds like a good deal!
Something's are just better left to the Professionals!

 

[purplezr2]

Good morning to the good folks of GJ. I know there is someone here that has experience to draw from.

As some may remember, I have spent the summer deconstructing the POC house next door. At this point, I have just the shell left with the roof partially gone. I am tired of messing with it and ready to just make it go away so I am planning to rent a compact excavator to knock down the remaining structure. I know when it comes to excavators bigger is usually better, at least to a point. However, due to budget, equipment availability, towing capacity and trailer availability I am limited to renting a compact excavator, a Bobcat E32 to be exact. The question is, is this big enough to get the job done? I will have it over a weekend which gets me 13 hours of use.

I know there will be those that will say "just hire someone to finish it off". I appreciate that opinion but that is not likely the way I will go. If that is your only input, I would appreciate if you would refrain from posting.

E32 is a 3.2 Ton units, not real big. I would look for a 42,45, 50 or 55.

 

[skcj213]

I Operate for a living, this is your best bet by far, especially if you don't have the experience its much more safe to have a certified operator do the demo. This saves you risk of equipment damage and most importantly your own safety!. You've already done a ton of cost cutting by doing most of the work yourself. That bobcat E32 only has a 13.5' reach at best, thats just enough to top load a tri -axle dump truck from the ground.. I personally wouldn't go with a mini ex for any type of demo, a mid sized excavator has a lot more breakout force and weight for that type of job. All said and done you made the right choice, be sure to post pictures of your demo!.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

I will likely be at work when the actual final demo happens. At a minimum, I can get before and after. Might see if the better half can snap a couple of "in process" pics.

My goal all along has been that the demo of the house is a cost neutral project. Meaning, the money from all salvage would pay for needed new tools (a requirement for any project), dumpsters, etc. Right now it looks like I will be able to achieve that objective. I would estimate total costs to be in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500. I'll total receipts when all is said and done. That means I paid myself about $4000-$4500 to do the demo. I spent about 8 hours a weekend over roughly 23 weekends, which equals 184 hours. So I paid myself around $22/hour. Not bad, it was a lot of work but I would do it again.

 

[bobcatdan]

I think a E32 would do it. It would be very handy to have the tumb to pick stuff up. Yeah an E50 could do it faster, but with all the **** I've seen 331s do, the newer E32 is much more a beast in a smaller package.

 

[T_R]

I got to go but,, have taken a cable, run it thru the house, tie on to far corner and rip it in to the center, repeat. A common pickup truck will do it. It will come straight down in to its own footprint.

I was about to post the same thing. Couple well placed cuts with a swazall with demo blade then chains or cables and just pull it down with your truck.