Pricing
$150 per hour. 4-hour minimum. Operator and fuel included.
One rate for both machines. The first four hours ($600) are the only commitment; after that you pay for the hours used. Material, haul-off and travel outside the core area are quoted before you book.
$150 per hour • 4-hour minimum • Operator and fuel included • Insured
The rate
$150/hour
4-hour minimum, so the smallest job is $600. Half hours after the minimum.
Included in the hour
- ✓The Bobcat T300, the mini excavator, or both, delivered on our trailer
- ✓An experienced operator for every billed hour
- ✓Fuel
- ✓Buckets, brush cutter, auger, breaker and forks as the job needs
- ✓Delivery and pickup inside the core area: Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Pala, Valley Center
- ✓A site walk before the machine unloads, and a raked finish before it reloads
Quoted separately, always before we start
- Material: road base, DG, gravel, fill dirt, drain rock, pipe. Ordered at cost from local yards, or you order it.
- Haul-off: dump trailer or roll-off for debris, concrete or spoil, plus the dump or recycler fee. Quoted before the job.
- Travel outside the core area: a flat charge based on the address, told to you before you book.
- Chipping on larger land-clearing jobs, arranged through a local chipper service.
- Vibratory compaction or compaction testing when a building plan requires it.
Compared with a bare rental
A skid steer rental runs about $250 to $400 a day plus delivery, with you in the seat. A day of our operator on a job that takes four hours is $600 and it is finished by lunch, graded the way you wanted, with no damage to a rental machine or your property to pay for afterward. On jobs that take a full day the rental looks cheaper on paper and rarely is in practice.
Typical hours by job
Every number below is a typical range for normal ground and access, billed at the same rate. Rock, roots, slopes and tight gates add hours; we tell you which before we start.
Skid Steer Services
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Spread two truckloads of gravel or road base on a driveway | 4 | $600 |
| Backfill a foundation or utility trench after inspection | 4 | $600 |
| Rough-grade a 2,000 sq ft pad for a shed, barn or ADU | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Clean up a construction site and load debris | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Move and place 40 to 60 tons of DG or fill dirt | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Clear a quarter acre of light brush with the brush cutter | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Mini Excavator Services
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Trench 100 feet for a water or irrigation line, 18 to 24 inches deep | 4 | $600 |
| Trench 200 feet of electrical conduit to a shop, well or gate | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Dig footings for a 60-foot retaining wall | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Dig footings for a 400 sq ft addition or ADU | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Pull 6 to 10 stumps from a dead grove or hedge line | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Cut a 150-foot drainage swale or French drain on a slope | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Grading & Leveling
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Level a 12 x 20 ft shed or carport pad | 4 | $600 |
| Level a 2,000 sq ft backyard for turf, pavers or a play area | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Grade a 1,000 to 1,200 sq ft ADU or garage pad on a flat lot | 6 to 8 | $900 to $1,200 |
| Cut and fill a pad into a hillside lot | 8 to 16 | $1,200 to $2,400 |
| Regrade a yard that floods toward the house | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Grade and base a gravel parking area for an RV or trailer | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Land Clearing & Fire Clearance
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Cut 100 feet of defensible space around a home on a sloped lot | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Clear a half acre of weeds and light brush | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Clear an acre of heavy chaparral and small trees | 8 to 16 | $1,200 to $2,400 |
| Remove a dead avocado grove, trees and stumps, per acre | 12 to 24 | $1,800 to $3,600 |
| Open a 300-foot fence line or fire break | 4 | $600 |
| Clear and rough-grade a lot for a building pad | 8 to 16 | $1,200 to $2,400 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Trenching
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Trench 100 feet for a water or irrigation mainline | 4 | $600 |
| Trench 200 feet of conduit to a shop, well pump or gate | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Trench a grid of irrigation mainlines for a new grove or landscape | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Trench 150 feet of drain line from downspouts to daylight | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Trench water, sewer and power to a new ADU | 6 to 12 | $900 to $1,800 |
| Backfill and compact after inspection (often same day) | 2 to 4 | $600 to $600 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Driveway & Road Grading
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Regrade and crown a 300-foot dirt driveway | 4 | $600 |
| Spread and grade two truckloads of road base on a driveway | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Grade a quarter mile of shared private road with ditches | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Repair a storm washout and rebuild the roadbed | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Build a new 100-foot gravel driveway from bare ground | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Cut water bars and ditches on a steep grove road | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Drainage & Erosion Control
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Install 100 feet of French drain along a foundation or slope | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Cut a 150-foot swale above a house or pad | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Build a dry creek bed with rip-rap to carry a seasonal wash | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Regrade a yard that drains toward the house | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Repair storm erosion and rebuild a slope in compacted lifts | 6 to 12 | $900 to $1,800 |
| Trench downspout lines to daylight | 4 | $600 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Concrete & Demolition
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Break up and load a 400 sq ft patio or walkway | 4 | $600 |
| Remove a 600 sq ft concrete driveway slab | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Tear down a wood or metal shed and load the debris | 4 | $600 |
| Demolish 50 feet of block wall and remove the footing | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Remove the stem walls and footings of a demolished structure | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Remove a pool deck and coping ahead of a pool remodel | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
Dirt Moving & Spreading
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Spread 20 tons of DG or base rock delivered to a driveway | 4 | $600 |
| Move a 30-yard stockpile across the property and rough-level it | 4 | $600 |
| Backfill a foundation or a retaining wall after inspection | 4 | $600 |
| Load 5 dump truck loads of spoil for export | 4 to 6 | $600 to $900 |
| Cut and fill 100 cubic yards on a sloped lot | 6 to 10 | $900 to $1,500 |
| Place and track-roll 10 loads of imported fill for a pad | 8 to 12 | $1,200 to $1,800 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
How to keep the hours down
Six things that make the difference between a four-hour job and a six-hour one.
Measure the gate
The T300 needs about 7 feet. If it does not fit, say so and we bring the excavator or plan to pull a fence panel, instead of finding out at the trailer.
Call 811 early
DigAlert is free and takes two working days. A trench job that waits on a locate is a wasted trip, and we will not dig near unmarked lines.
Have material on site
If we are spreading base or fill, have it dropped the day before. The machine spreading is cheaper than the machine waiting for a truck.
Stake or paint the plan
Mark the pad corners, the trench line or the edge of the clearing. Five minutes with marking paint saves a billed half hour of pointing.
Clear the route
Move cars, hoses, pots and the trampoline off the path from the street to the work area before we arrive.
Bundle small jobs
A shed pad and a drainage swale on the same morning cost one minimum, not two. Tell us everything you want done.
Pricing questions
How much do you charge?
$150 per hour with a 4-hour minimum, so the smallest job is $600. That covers the machine, the operator, fuel and delivery inside our core area of Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Pala and Valley Center. After the first four hours you pay only for the hours used. Material, dump fees and travel outside the core area are quoted separately and approved before we start.
Why is there a 4-hour minimum?
Loading, towing, unloading and reloading the machine takes the better part of two hours whether the job is 30 minutes or all day. The minimum keeps the hourly rate honest for everyone. Most jobs people call about, a driveway regrade, a trench, a shed pad, a patio removal, fit inside four hours anyway.
How do I get a quote?
Text three or four photos of the area with something for scale and tell us what you want the ground to look like when we leave. For most jobs we reply the same day with a range of hours. For bigger grading, clearing or road work we come out and walk it with you first, at no charge, and give you one number.
How soon can you come?
Usually within the week in Fallbrook, Bonsall and Valley Center, and within two weeks in Temecula and the coast. Washouts, fire inspection deadlines and contractors waiting on a trench get moved up. Spring is the busiest season because of fire clearance; book in March if you can.
What forms of payment do you take?
Cash, check, Zelle and Venmo on the day the work is done. For multi-day jobs we invoice at the end of each day. We do not ask for a deposit on jobs under a day.
Get hours and a price for your job
Tell us the job and where it is. We reply with a range of hours the same day, and the first four hours are the only commitment.
- $150 per hour, 4-hour minimum ($600)
- Operator, fuel and delivery included in the core area
- Insured. Owner-operated. Monday to Saturday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM