Mini Excavator for Hire With Operator — Small Digs in Tight Yards
You have a digging job too big for a shovel, in a yard too tight for big equipment, and you want someone who runs the machine every day to do it.
JMB Builders offers a mini excavator for hire with an operator, by the hour, across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. It is for small digging jobs in tight yards: holes, dig-outs of old landscaping, shrub roots, small pads and loading debris where a bigger machine cannot fit. Every dig starts with a Gopher State One Call locate. Priced per hour on site, plus getting the machine there.
- Priced per hour, with an operator
- Small digs in tight yards and side yards
- Gopher State One Call before every dig
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Renting a mini excavator for a weekend sounds easy until you are trailering it, learning the controls next to your foundation and finding out the gas line was closer than you thought. Hiring the machine with an operator costs you hours instead of a weekend, and the digging is done by someone who does it for a living.
A mini excavator is the right tool when the job is digging, not pushing: holes, dig-outs, pulling shrubs and roots, cutting a small area down to grade, or reaching over a wall or into a corner. It fits through many gates and works in side yards where a skid steer cannot turn.
Gopher State One Call marks come first, and near any marked line the last of the digging is done by hand.
What you supply
- Photos of the area and the path in, with a tape across the gate or narrowest spot
- A list of what needs to be dug, how deep and how wide, in priority order
- Where the dirt goes: a pile on site, spread on the lot, or a dumpster or truck
- Private lines marked: irrigation, invisible fence, septic, power or gas to outbuildings
What JMB supplies
- A mini excavator and operator for the booked hours
- Gopher State One Call locate before digging, and hand digging near marked lines
- Digging to the depth and size you ask for
- Spoils piled, spread on site or loaded into a dumpster or truck, as agreed
- Mats or plywood on the access path where the lawn needs it
- Cleanup of the work area and a note of the hours worked
How it is priced: per hour
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Hours on site, set by the size of the dig and the soil
- Getting the machine to the site and back, based on distance
- Access: gate width, slopes, soft lawn, overhead wires or tight spaces
- Rock, roots, old concrete or debris in the ground
- Whether spoils stay on site or are hauled off
- Hand digging near marked utility lines
Send photos of the dig area and the access with a tape across the gate. We give you an hour estimate before booking. Short jobs are welcome.
How long it takes
Most small mini excavator jobs: a few hours to one day. Booked as a block of hours; more work is added only when you approve it on site.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Dig-outs in tight backyards
Old shrubs and roots pulled, a landscape bed dug out, or a small area cut down to grade in a fenced yard where a larger machine cannot fit.
Holes and small pits
Holes for posts, a buried tank removal area, a dry well pit or other small digs, dug to the depth you need with the spoils piled or hauled.
Digging next to structures
Work close to a house, garage or retaining wall, reaching over walls or into corners, with the last of the digging by hand near foundations and lines.
Loading and debris
Broken concrete pieces, rock and old landscaping loaded into a dumpster or truck when the pile is in a spot a skid steer cannot reach.
Mini Excavator for Hire With Operator — Small Digs in Tight Yards: questions, answered
Can I hire a mini excavator with an operator instead of renting one?
Yes. We book mini excavator work by the hour with an operator. You pay for the hours on site plus getting the machine to your address, and you skip trailering, learning the controls and the risk of hitting a line. Send photos and a list of the digging first so we can estimate the hours.
Will a mini excavator fit through my gate?
Many mini excavators fit through a standard backyard gate, and removing one fence panel opens up most yards. Measure the narrowest point on the path, including between the house and fence, and send a photo with the tape in it. If nothing fits, the work is done by hand and priced that way.
Is a mini excavator or a skid steer better for my job?
A mini excavator digs down: holes, dig-outs and trenches, and it can reach over things. A skid steer pushes and carries: moving piles, spreading material and grading. Many yard jobs use one of each for a short time, and we tell you which fits from your photos.
Do you call 811 before using a mini excavator?
Yes. We place a Gopher State One Call request before every dig and wait for the utility marks. Near any marked line, the digging is finished by hand. The locate does not cover private lines, so tell us about irrigation, invisible fence, septic, and power or gas to a shed or garage.
How much can a mini excavator dig in a day?
It depends on the soil, the access and where the dirt goes. Sandy soil with a pile right next to the hole goes fast; clay, roots, rock and hauling dirt across a yard slow it down. From photos we give an hour estimate before booking, and the work stops for your approval if it runs longer.
Will the mini excavator damage my lawn?
Rubber tracks are easier on turf than steel, but the machine still marks a lawn, especially on wet ground and where it turns. Mats or plywood spread the load on the path in and out. Remaining ruts are raked out; bigger lawn repair can be quoted as its own line.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Excavation Contractor Near Me — Residential Digging and Backfill
You have a house, addition, garage or deck to build and need the hole dug to the plan, the dirt dealt with, and the lot put back so water runs away from the building.
Read moreSkid Steer Service Near Me — Hourly Work Moving Dirt, Rock and Gravel
You have a pile of dirt, rock or gravel in the wrong place and a list of small jobs that need a machine for a few hours, not a full excavation quote.
Read moreYard Grading and Leveling — Low Spots Filled, Sloped Away From House
Your lawn is lumpy, holds puddles after every rain, or tips back toward the house, and you want it reshaped once before you put down new grass.
Read moreLawn Repair After Construction — Regrade, Topsoil and Seed
The addition is done, the septic is in, the windows are new — and the yard is ruts, clay and a pile where the lawn used to be. We put the grade back and grow a lawn on it.
Read moreBackfill and Final Grade Around a New House
The foundation is in and inspected, and the dirt needs to go back around the walls and the lot shaped so the basement stays dry and the lawn can go in.
Read moreBury Sump Pump Discharge Line — Freeze-Safe Run to a Pop-Up
The sump line ends at the foundation or in a hose across the lawn, the water comes right back to the pit, and every winter it freezes and ices the sidewalk.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
Where we work
Excavation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: