Lets say  you have an equipment operator that earns $20/hour.  I always double 
that for loaded cost.
That operator can dig probably 50 foot/hour reliably.  So say 320 feet/day with 
start up and shut down inefficiencies.  8 x 40 = $320.  So $1/foot just for the 
labor.  More if we pay for a health insurance plan.  

Then equipment allowance.  $100K used excavator.  10% time value of money = 
$10K/year
Depreciation expense, say $20K/year.  
So $30K/year.  If you kept it busy half the time, say 1000 hours, that is 
$30/hour.  
$240 per day.

We are up to $560/day for 300 feet of ditch.  Round it up to $600 and you have 
a minimum of $2/foot.
And knowing my estimates are generally off by half or 3x, perhaps $5/foot is a 
good planning figure for the true cost of digging a ditch.  

From: Chuck McCown 
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 6:33 PM
To: af@afmug.com 
Subject: Excavation costs

Anyone figured out what it costs them per foot for excavation using their own 
machine?
I am working to figure out the real cost.  
What does it cost to have a contractor do it?

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