As a building contractor and owner of both a track hoe and a bobcat, I'll tell ya, call a guy with the equipment. If you've never operated either, you'll blow 2 to 3 days operating the machines at 25 percent capacity. Remember, equipment renters make their dough on the Ametures. They are scared of the equipment, don't run balls out and spend lots of time with the machine off or idling. Rental yards charge for time out, not time used. Unless you exceed 8 hrs per day. Leveling a large pad requires real depth perception and lots of experience. I've been doing it 20 years and still need a laser and a stick man. My cat skinner excavated my last 3400 square foot house requiring a 2' cut in about 6 hours, dead nuts flat. I agree with the fun factor. My machines are extremely useful and are about the only thing I really like doing in the field anymore, they are a blast. The cat can push the stumps out, cut the hole and spread the gravel. Depending on the design, you might need a hoe for footings. Again, diddling around with a excavator is touchy business. A good operator can dig a flat straight footing. The rest of us make a fair mess. If you can find a used skid steer with forks you can do tons of things up thru Landscaping then sell it for what you paid for it. Leave the heavy stuff to a pro.
