Had to pick between a skid steer rental or a mini excavator for a backyard job in Akron

I was doing a small retaining wall job in Akron last month and had to choose between renting a skid steer or a mini excavator for the digging. The excavator rental was 350 a day and the skid steer was 280, so I cheaped out and went with the skid steer. Big mistake - I spent an extra 3 hours digging out the footer trench because the skid steer couldn't get the reach I needed. The guy at the rental place even warned me but I thought I knew better. I ended up having to hand dig half of it anyway, which killed my profit on the job. Has anyone else made a similar equipment choice that backfired and cost more time than it saved?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekgibson17d ago

300 bucks for a skid steer in Akron is a steal, mini excavators are overkill for a footer trench.

dylan26517d ago

Buddy of mine rented one for a trench and it took him all weekend.