Digger King’s 1.3-tonne mini excavator has been the perfect companion for a customer building his own house on a 100-acre property, while complementing his local handyman business
For Darren Stone, the decision to move from his home in Hervey Bay, Queensland, and live off grid was a bold but exciting one.
When he purchased his 100-acre property in the rural town of Booyal – between Gin Gin and Childers – all that was there was a mere shed.
Despite this, its potential was clear, and Stone had a clear vision of what his new property would look like once it was complete.
To help make this vision a reality, Stone enlisted the help of Digger King’s 1.3-tonne mini excavator.
“I needed a machine that was going to help do the majority of the work, including building the house, living quarters, more sheds, chook yards and all those sorts of things,” he says.
The price of Digger King’s model advertised and the Kubota 14hp (10.2kW) engine initially stood out for Stone, with the variety of standard attachments also being a factor in his purchase of the mini excavator, including a 500mm mud bucket, 400mm GP bucket, 200mm trenching bucket, grab and ripper.
“Kubota is a reputable name, and I’ve had positive experiences in the past with machines using their engines,” he says.
“I also liked all the bits and pieces that came with it, and I added in a rake and an auger attachment.”
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Over the past four months, the Digger King mini excavator has clocked over 90 hours, with Stone putting it through its paces for a range of jobs on the property, including digging in septic tanks and fence posts.
In addition, the machine has been used to build a small block with a kitchen and all the living essentials for Stone and his wife before the eventual house is built.
Admittedly, Stone says he treats the mini excavator as if it was a much larger machine, which is why he’s been so impressed with its performance.
“I definitely push it to its limits and have used it to its extremities, but it has held up very well,” he says.
“The auger attachment has been a blessing for me because the block is predominately clay, so thank goodness I don’t have to dig all the holes by hand.
“The manual quick hitch is also good, so changing attachments is simple.”
Heavy lifting support
Throughout his time in the Hervey Bay area, Stone had a successful local business – Yellowstone Handyman & Home Maintenance – specialising in all-things gardening, carpentry, fencing and concreting.
While he has mostly had to put the business on hold in recent months to focus on his property works, he always planned on continuing his handyman services around Gin Gin and other surrounding communities.
However, having had a back operation in recent years, Stone has been advised to steer clear of heavy manual labour jobs for the foreseeable future, which was another key reason for the Digger King mini excavator purchase.
“I’ve got to be careful of my back, so the machine has been very helpful for me,” he says.
“It’s been out for one job in town as part of my handyman business doing fence lines, and it worked very well doing that.
“It was a no-brainer for me to buy the mini excavator so I could do the work on my property as well as complementing my business – it has been my right-hand man.
“Originally, I was going to go for the one-tonne model to suit the handyman works, but Digger King told me I’d be better off with the 1.3-tonne, and I’m glad they did. It’s probably done me the world of good on the property with it being just a little bit bigger.”
Since Stone is being cautious of his back, the 1.3-tonne excavator is doing all the heavy lifting for him on his property and in his business, instead of him having to employ someone else to do it.
This has meant he’s been able to ‘adequately’ work on his new home all by himself.
“Over the last several months I’ve just been trying to make it comfortable enough for myself and my wife to live in before I go build the house,” he says.
“That’s going to be the next thing the digger does, starting with the foundations.”
With no breakdowns so far, Stone hasn’t needed any specific aftersales service, but it hasn’t stopped Digger King from making sure he’s having a positive experience with the mini excavator.
“They’ve been in constant touch with me to make sure everything’s going smoothly and to check that I’m happy,” he says.
“Digger King have done everything that I’ve wanted and got the machine to my doorstep exactly how they said.
“If I’m in line for another machine, I will definitely look at Digger King again.”
For more information on the Digger King 1.3-tonne mini excavator, visit diggerking.com.au or call 1300 676 996.
