Dingo vs Mini Bobcat
Submitted by Red Dog on Tue, 2015-03-17 20:58
Just had an old fibreglass pool removed so have a bit of a hole to fill.
I've got four truck loads of sand to move about 30 metres with limited acces due to a low garage door height so it's down to hiring a Dingo or a mini bobcat.
Back yard needs a bit of levelling in a few places as well. Hire rate seems pretty reasonable for a weekend.
Does anyone have any recomendation towards either machine?
The bucket on a Dingo from what I can see looks a little bigger than the mini bobcat but the idea of sitting on my butt while working for a few hours also appeals.
Appeciate any opinions...
.thumbnail.jpg "Steve's first Exmouth marlin - different angle")
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
have you used either machine
have you used either machine before
Red Dog
Posts: 311
Date Joined: 13/12/12
Driven a mates Bobcat a few
Driven a mates Bobcat a few times many moons ago - fairly confident with most things driven but open to your advice - frankly after sanding walls, painting, laying floors, fiitting a kitchen and bathroom, cutting and breaking concrete on 41 degree day etc - wanted to have bit of fun! Or am I dreamin'?
eziliving
Posts: 875
Date Joined: 30/12/09
If you have used a bobcat
If you have used a bobcat before and picked it up alright then I would go for the bobcat. Just put it on half or three quarter revs until you pick it up then bang it up to full revs. The bobcat would be way faster
Get busy living, or get busy dying!
kirky79
Posts: 1354
Date Joined: 13/01/12
Go the bobcat then mate they
Go the bobcat then mate they are good fun. I reckon you'll get thru the job quicker aswell
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
That's gonna take some
That's gonna take some serious moving with either of those.
But cant help you with which is better, i use a tractor/mini excavator most of the time!
Red Dog
Posts: 311
Date Joined: 13/12/12
No doubt vinesh, looking at
No doubt vinesh, looking at the four truckloads in the front yard it's a friggin lot of sand but gotta get it done somehow.
woodywantstofish
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 11/09/13
I have found in the dingo
I have found in the dingo style machines that they are too light when it comes to moving loads on slopes. I would look at a tracked machine if this was the case. I have no experience with small bobcats. But the control you would have in a mini should be better then a dingo due to the control operation s
Red Dog
Posts: 311
Date Joined: 13/12/12
Cheers woody, flat ground
Cheers woody, flat ground the whole way mate.
eziliving
Posts: 875
Date Joined: 30/12/09
If you haven't used either
If you haven't used either machine and aren't really familiar with machines I reckon the dingo would be the better option imo. Not that I've operated a dingo or seen one in action but I reckon they were designed for public hire. Bobcats would have faster hydraulics than the dingo therefore more room for error and damage especially if you are working in confined spaces.
Get busy living, or get busy dying!
Red Dog
Posts: 311
Date Joined: 13/12/12
Thanks for the reply ezi,
Thanks for the reply ezi, yep been checking out the Dingo online and they have a 'turtle' option which would help whilst getting used to it. Seems pretty simple to operate but I appreciate that experience counts.
Rocktron
Posts: 66
Date Joined: 08/02/13
mini bobcat
get a mini bobcat, i had the opposite issue, had to remove 4 truck loads of sand from backyard and level soil with limited access (small roller door in back of garage) and paid a contractor to do it. I started with a dingo, gave up after a couple of hours and fuck all sand removed, and he did the rest with a mini- took him good 9 -10 hours but the mini was way faster than the dingo, so going back and forth from front yard to back the mini was far superior. you can get different sized buckets as well
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
i moved 18 cube with a dingo
i moved 18 cube with a dingo in a day, my legs were shot for days after, if you think you are capable of using bobcat and have plenty of room to spin aroung go the bobcat. if its remotely tight go the dingo. i suggest a compactor, water and layering the hole so it doesnt sink later on or first decent rains. message away if you need anymore info
woodywantstofish
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 11/09/13
20 years using various
20 years using various tractors bobcats excavators and experience says there is nothing worse than being under gunned. Too smaller machine will take twice the time as something slightly over powered. Can turn a fun job into a frustrating job.
Madmerv
Posts: 672
Date Joined: 24/01/15
Go Bobcat
My brother ownes a dingo and i have used it a lot.
The bobcat will get the job done faster and will be much easier on your legs. Dingo's kill your thigh muscles after 4-5h.
Sometimes when the water is quiet, you can hear the fish laughing at you !
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
Go the biggest you can get
Go the biggest you can get under the garage. biggest bucket biggest HP.
50tonnes of sand even just 30m with a dingo is going to take a hell of a lot of time and not be at all "fun"
Have just finished filling in a dam on my property of about 400m3 BTW
also if the levelling you have to do has grass on it you will be struggling if whatever you get doesn't have tracks or enough HP. Generally you can't level well with a dingo.
Most of my filling of the dam was done with a tractor with bucket.... (front end loader)
most of the levelling with a 80HP positrack..
Positracks are fun!!!
Marineboy
Posts: 842
Date Joined: 14/03/14
Dingo or mini
hey red dog both of these will shift sand for you, if you are inexperienced the dingo will be easier to to use.
I am a paver and have used both machines and with very little or no experience about all you will probably achieve is to shift the sand, any thought of levelling just doesn't happen. Experienced operators make it look easy but believe me it's not.
My spots are so secret even the fish don't know about them !
Shimka
Posts: 465
Date Joined: 06/02/14
Go the bobcat mate. The dingo
Go the bobcat mate. The dingo is easy to operate but will take you a little while to get the hang of. You will waste the first hour getting the hang of getting full buckets & manoeuvring it around. Great fun doing endos with the dingo but your legs & hands will be hurting after a couple of hours use. Best sticking with a machine you know & can sit on your arse in.
Oh yeah, no chance of any local babies being stolen by a bobcat either.
Anyfishwilldo (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
I've done a few hours on
I've done a few hours on both... I would prefer the bobcat for backfill
Michael Yoni
Posts: 603
Date Joined: 02/01/11
Dont be slack .... use a
Dont be slack .... use a wheelbarrow.
markj
Posts: 163
Date Joined: 23/12/08
Wheelbarrow haha
Did exactly that a few years ago with my pool, about 40 cubes with a shovel and wheelbarrow. Didn't take that long actually. Just ran a compactor over it every layer added.
Not that I'm offering to do yours tho!
Dale
Posts: 7930
Date Joined: 13/09/05
I had a kanga business in Buso for a while and I could move mountains of dirt with it. I once had a job going through a front door of a house and going out the back door to tidy up and move a truck load of good soil in once.
"Just because you are a Character, Doesn't mean you have Character."
Mr Wolf
Red Dog
Posts: 311
Date Joined: 13/12/12
Thanks for all the replies -
Thanks for all the replies - bobcat and compactor booked for Saturday morning so all Safety Bay babies can rest easy - thanks for the laugh Shimka
Just for the heck of it I will update after the job and let ya know just how much 'fun' I have - gotta get this house finished, fishing has been suffering big time.