My family own a large landscaping and irrigation company and were thinking of buying a mini excavator for removing trees and planting bigger trees i.e. palms and such. We also install irrigation up to 4 inches of Pvc pipe and repair all kinds. Also French drains. If anyone has anything else I would love to know your opinions! All comments are welcome negative and positive. Thanks!
If you're moving live trees of any substantial size, you need a hydraulic tree-spade, not an excavator, but you already knew that, since your family owns a large landscaping and irrigation company.
I would get a Bobcat MT 52 with the trencher and auger attachment. It's a nice little machine that can do a variety of tasks and doesn't to property damage like an excavator or skid steer would. You can use the trencher for installing your irrigation line and the auger for digging holes for trees. They also have a stump grinder attachment for it that you can use for taking out trees. A new excavator is probably 40-50,000 new for a decent one so you've got to ask yourself, is it worth it? A new MT 52 is only about 15,000 plus whatever attachments you get. Also, if you have a small enclosed trailer already, its small enough to fit into that. If you get an excavator, you're going to have to get an equipment trailer big enough to haul it.
I don't believe that You or any member of Your family owns a Landscaping or Irrigation company because if You did You would already know what You need.
If you use one often enough, you save on the manual labor necessary to dig those holes and you save on rental costs and time to go get the machine and return it. On the other hand, you will now be responsible for maintenance and repairs, you will have to have a trailer and truck big enough to haul the machine and you will have to have insurance on the machine, truck and trailer. You have to have someplace secure enough to store the machine.
I am a bit baffled that a business person in your line of work would need to ask a gardening forum if there are any advantages to owning a mini-excavator. Of course there are advantages, and disadvantages as Dan H so aptly commented. As a business you get to write these expenses off on your taxes.
