[Plumberman]

How many of yall do your own digging and equipment driving? We seem to have to do it all down here since the operators union went under. I drive the excavators on dig jobs and the small crane on equipment moving jobs. Just curious if yall sub out of do your own...

 

[user4]

The operators union in Chicago is huge, and they will picket a job if you are letting a laborer operate a skid steer, even though none of their members want to operate skid steers.

 

[Plumberman]

Our locals are so small down here that we have to man alot of different machines. Its good to learn but sometimes I would rather be down in the ditch running pipe instead of running equipment.

 

[user4]

Our locals are so small down here that we have to man alot of different machines. Its good to learn but sometimes I would rather be down in the ditch running pipe instead of running equipment.

I have a pretty good grasp of your market, years ago I worked for a shop that had a former traveler from Baton Rouge working there, he is still there but is a member of our local now, and he described the differences all the time.

 

[Plumberman]

I work with a welder who traveled his whole time in the local untill about a year and a 1/2 ago. He tells me all the time to travel and I would be amazed at how different up state it is....We seem to stay in a bind with no one wanting to work with the lowest scale in the state. But what can I say I call this place home....

 

[rex]

id f*** to many things up and take way to long......i hire my ex boss to come do the digging with his machine

 

[Plumberman]

I strated out like that... but after HOURS upon HOURS digging you get the feel for it. Now anytime we have a dig job,even if its a repair. Im the first one called. No matter what I working on at the time.

 

[Bill]

If equipment is needed up to say a trencher, I run it. But if its a bigger job I let someone else do it.

 

[Ron]

The machine to use when replacing a water service or a sewer is a vactor unit, this machine saves vast amount of time, not to mention in a bid job you can always come out ahead.

 

[Bill]

Ron, I googled a "Vactor Unit" and came up with a vacuum truck. Sure you did not mis spell it? I know you are the mod here, but thats no excuse for bad spelling:laughing:

 

[Ron]

:laughing: I'll locate the vactor I'm talking about, the one we use is a tow behind unit.

 

[Bill]

You aint talking about something like the cable company uses are you? I know they have a machine that digs, plants the line and covers in one shot

 

[Ron]

Nope

 

[threaderman]

I hire an operator,I would be content never running a service line [wtr,sewer,gas]to a bldg.,the pay is good but the work is monotonous,I would rather be re-piping or repairing something.

 

[smellslike$tome]

I can get a full sized back hoe w/operator (who does nothing but operate that back hoe all day every day) for $85/hour w/4 hr minimum which includes 1 hour travel time. If the job requires anything larger than a walk behind trencher then it makes no sense for me to try and dig myself. I don't do a tremendous amount of digging anyway but when I need it done it makes more sense for me to hire it out.

Sewer replacement here requires either ductile iron or C900. The requirements for the use of C900 are so stringent that when it's all said and done it's a better value for the customer to use the much more durable ductile iron. For anyone who doesn't know, ductile iron is VERY heavy and must be moved with a backhoe. I certainly don't need an inexperienced operator transporting a 20' stick of 4" ductile iron from the front yard to the back yard through a fence within just a few feet of a house. Hire a pro unless you are one. Backhoe operators gotta eat too.

 

[Plumberman]

I can get a full sized back hoe w/operator (who does nothing but operate that back hoe all day every day) for $85/hour w/4 hr minimum which includes 1 hour travel time. If the job requires anything larger than a walk behind trencher then it makes no sense for me to try and dig myself. I don't do a tremendous amount of digging anyway but when I need it done it makes more sense for me to hire it out.

Sewer replacement here requires either ductile iron or C900. The requirements for the use of C900 are so stringent that when it's all said and done it's a better value for the customer to use the much more durable ductile iron. For anyone who doesn't know, ductile iron is VERY heavy and must be moved with a backhoe. I certainly don't need an inexperienced operator transporting a 20' stick of 4" ductile iron from the front yard to the back yard through a fence within just a few feet of a house. Hire a pro unless you are one. Backhoe operators gotta eat too.

I wish we could but there arent any down here so we are the pros when it comes to digging.
Yall use ductile and C900 for sewer? Interesting cause we only use them for water mains down here.
Sch.40 pvc or SDR-35 only get buried for sewer around here.....

 

[Plumberman]

Two of my favorites, first one is for sewer repipes> Big daddy is for huge water and steam mains we install regulary......