little experience, where to start?

My brother has a t190 track loader ive been using around his property to do little jobs. Been mowing brush, building dirt bike track/jumps, and cleaning up existing roads. Im very comfortable with controls and everything but lack the skills to do certain jobs. Was wondering what kind of jobs i could do to make money with it? Also wondering if anyone could point me to some good reading material as far as grading and excavating? Thanks for the help!

I appreciate your enthusiasm and desire--but you can't do work for others: 1) as you admit--"lacking the skills to do certain jobs". 2) With someone else's machine--you need excavator's insurance for one thing--if something goes wrong your brother will get sued as well as you. 3) just by reading something. 4) Without several thousand dollars a year for insurance and advertising. 5) Without a contractor's license. I suggest you get a job working for someone who really knows their stuff, and soak in everything like a sponge, and save $$$$$$ until you can fund a realistic start-up plan. You can be glad its not as easy as you think--if it was everyone would be doing it. Once you are really ready, you will do well. It took me about $75,000 to really get going. Don't worry, only the first million is hard!! (just teasing). Seriously, you're not ready yet. Being able to operate the machine is BY FAR the easiest part.

Iowa Dave said:

I appreciate your enthusiasm and desire--but you can't do work for others: 1) as you admit--"lacking the skills to do certain jobs". 2) With someone else's machine--you need excavator's insurance for one thing--if something goes wrong your brother will get sued as well as you. 3) just by reading something. 4) Without several thousand dollars a year for insurance and advertising. 5) Without a contractor's license. I suggest you get a job working for someone who really knows their stuff, and soak in everything like a sponge, and save $$$$$$ until you can fund a realistic start-up plan. You can be glad its not as easy as you think--if it was everyone would be doing it. Once you are really ready, you will do well. It took me about $75,000 to really get going. Don't worry, only the first million is hard!! (just teasing). Seriously, you're not ready yet. Being able to operate the machine is BY FAR the easiest part.

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DITTO, get some experience as a operater, see if you like it day in and day out.If you like it learn to run many machines, you'll be more valuable , then get your bussiness plan.

Iowa Dave said:

I appreciate your enthusiasm and desire--but you can't do work for others: 1) as you admit--"lacking the skills to do certain jobs". 2) With someone else's machine--you need excavator's insurance for one thing--if something goes wrong your brother will get sued as well as you. 3) just by reading something. 4) Without several thousand dollars a year for insurance and advertising. 5) Without a contractor's license. I suggest you get a job working for someone who really knows their stuff, and soak in everything like a sponge, and save $$$$$$ until you can fund a realistic start-up plan. You can be glad its not as easy as you think--if it was everyone would be doing it. Once you are really ready, you will do well. It took me about $75,000 to really get going. Don't worry, only the first million is hard!! (just teasing). Seriously, you're not ready yet. Being able to operate the machine is BY FAR the easiest part.

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$$ is the least of my concerns right now. There is plenty of legal documents on the world wide web. I have been trying to get with a company but everyone I found is looking for experience. So I was just curious if there is jobs to be done in the mean time while I'm trying to improve my skills with equipment. I was thinking about classes to get certified for equipment but i doubt the experience will justify the money for the classes. Just got my commercial license the class was pretty much do this like this and you will pass without explaining anything as far as why. So I have a commercial drivers license and not great behind the wheel.

Charlie said:

$$ is the least of my concerns right now. There is plenty of legal documents on the world wide web. I have been trying to get with a company but everyone I found is looking for experience. So I was just curious if there is jobs to be done in the mean time while I'm trying to improve my skills with equipment. I was thinking about classes to get certified for equipment but i doubt the experience will justify the money for the classes. Just got my commercial license the class was pretty much do this like this and you will pass without explaining anything as far as why. So I have a commercial drivers license and not great behind the wheel.

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In my area, NW MT, you can take heavy equip. class at the local colledge, just as if it were welding or construction. Matter of fact I am going to take welding some day because it would be so handy in my work.

sp6x6 said:

In my area, NW MT, you can take heavy equip. class at the local colledge, just as if it were welding or construction. Matter of fact I am going to take welding some day because it would be so handy in my work.

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I bought a brand new house on 2 acres 10 years ago that had no landscaping and lots of potential. I used my bobcat to build a pond, a nice driveway circle, lots of raised flower beds using boulders. The property was very rocky so I took all the rocks and built around 500 feet of dry stack rock wall. What I am getting at is you don't have to start a business to make money with a bobcat and this would be another way - plus you could take pictures of your projects for future customers. I sold the house 2 years later and would guess my landscaping got me 40 - 50 K.

muddybuddy said:

I bought a brand new house on 2 acres 10 years ago that had no landscaping and lots of potential. I used my bobcat to build a pond, a nice driveway circle, lots of raised flower beds using boulders. The property was very rocky so I took all the rocks and built around 500 feet of dry stack rock wall. What I am getting at is you don't have to start a business to make money with a bobcat and this would be another way - plus you could take pictures of your projects for future customers. I sold the house 2 years later and would guess my landscaping got me 40 - 50 K.

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I'm with Iowa on this one.
The other day a local saw my bobcat work ad on Craigslist and wanted a primer on how to start his bobcat business. Yeah, all I need is another competitor! But being the nice guy I am (really) I was honest with him. And I'm sure 10 years ago when I started other companies said the same thing about me. But I'm still around and they're aren't.
And yes, if it were that easy everyone would be doing it. However, just like grass cutting and snow plowing goes in my area (south of Detroit suburbs), we saw rates drop in half after the local laidoff autoworkers got their $100,000 severance pays and went out and bought new equipment and basically put long-established guys out of business.
More and more I'm finding myself competing with guys who do this work part-time or on weekends and are charging just a few bucks less than me. But they pay no equipment "mortgages", have no insurance, and pay no taxes. I'm just a one-man operation, work out of my home and my overhead is still $3000 a month. Tye only I can compete is I tell people (in the well-to-do 'hoods) would they rather I drive up in smoke belching truck and operate a 15-year-old bobcat dripping oil all over? Nope, of course not.

Earthwerks Unlimited said:

I'm with Iowa on this one.
The other day a local saw my bobcat work ad on Craigslist and wanted a primer on how to start his bobcat business. Yeah, all I need is another competitor! But being the nice guy I am (really) I was honest with him. And I'm sure 10 years ago when I started other companies said the same thing about me. But I'm still around and they're aren't.
And yes, if it were that easy everyone would be doing it. However, just like grass cutting and snow plowing goes in my area (south of Detroit suburbs), we saw rates drop in half after the local laidoff autoworkers got their $100,000 severance pays and went out and bought new equipment and basically put long-established guys out of business.
More and more I'm finding myself competing with guys who do this work part-time or on weekends and are charging just a few bucks less than me. But they pay no equipment "mortgages", have no insurance, and pay no taxes. I'm just a one-man operation, work out of my home and my overhead is still $3000 a month. Tye only I can compete is I tell people (in the well-to-do 'hoods) would they rather I drive up in smoke belching truck and operate a 15-year-old bobcat dripping oil all over? Nope, of course not.

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I 'll tell you how I got experience , my Dad was an Operating Engineer out of the Local Union for 53 years , he passed a year ago , I wanted to be an operator when I graduated high school in 1976 , the Union had two Apprenticeship classes . one for Operators and one for Mechanics , I was into cars , motorcycles and boats and was pretty handy fixing them up , but I wanted to operate , he talked me into going for mechanics as he said the mechanics got more over time , didn't rain out as they could always work in the shop and that I would pick up operating on a lot more different machines along the way , " If you can't run it , how can you fix it " , he was right ----I went thru a 4 year program where I worked for construction equipment contractors and service companies in the area under a journey man mechanic as a regular job , started at 60% of scale wages , went to class 2 times a week for 3 hours each night for book work , and every 6 months to a two week hands on , 8 hour a day training session , and got 5% raise if completed , took 6 months of 3 hours a day welding classes on the side from a voteck school--------been into equipment for 33 years this April and have done alot things , mostly fix them but have had some operating jobs