Mike's Story — Michigan Landscaping & Drainage Contractor
After three years of renting mini excavators at $1,500 a week, Mike Hendricks bought a 2021 Bobcat E45 with 890 hours for $41,200. Paid for itself in rental savings within eighteen months, now earning money instead of burning it.
"I was spending $18,000 a year just to borrow someone else's machine. That math didn't make sense anymore."
Mike runs a two-truck landscaping and drainage operation outside Grand Rapids. French drains, foundation waterproofing, utility trenches—the kind of work that needs a mini excavator but not necessarily every single day.
For three years, he rented. Week-long stretches at $1,500 a pop, twelve times a year. Sometimes more if jobs stacked up or weather pushed schedules around.
"I was writing $18,000 in checks every year and had nothing to show for it," Mike says. "Plus every Monday morning I'm calling around hoping they've got a machine available."
New Bobcat E45 priced at $59,900. That's a tough pill when you're running on landscaper margins. Plus you're paying for zero hours and first-year depreciation.
Mike looked at older units—2015s, 2016s—but most had 2,500+ hours and came with stories about hydraulic leaks or track wear. Cheaper up front, maybe. But not if you're dumping money into repairs six months later.
We sourced a 2021 E45 from a commercial developer in Ohio who'd used it on a single subdivision project. Enclosed cab with heat and AC, hydraulic thumb, auxiliary hydraulics, pattern changer. 890 hours, all documented, garage-kept between jobs.
Machine looked like it had maybe three months of real use. Tracks at 85%, no hydraulic weeps, engine quiet. Zero tail swing meant Mike could work tight residential lots without tearing up lawns or flower beds.
"I brought my mechanic to check it over. He spent twenty minutes looking for something wrong and came up empty."
Listed at $42,500. Negotiated to $41,200 since Mike didn't need financing. Still paid nearly $19,000 less than new for a machine that was barely broken in.
We handled transport from Ohio—showed up on a flatbed four days later. Mike spent the afternoon running through operations, swapping buckets, testing the thumb. Machine performed exactly like the hour meter suggested it should.
Mike's E45 now shows 1,650 hours. That's 760 hours of trenching, grading, and digging that would've cost him another $27,000 in rental fees if he'd kept the old routine going.
Instead, he owns the machine outright. Takes jobs he used to turn down because the rental math didn't work. Keeps it on-site for multi-week projects without watching the calendar. Rents it out occasionally to other contractors at $400 a day.
"The thing basically paid for itself in saved rentals," Mike says. "Now every hour it runs is profit, not expense."
Only maintenance so far: oil changes, one set of rubber tracks at 1,400 hours ($2,100), greasing. No downtime, no surprise repairs, no drama.
"If you're renting more than ten weeks a year, run the numbers," Mike says. "You're probably better off buying used and building equity instead of lighting money on fire."
His advice: find low-hour units from commercial operators who maintain equipment properly, get a mechanic to inspect before you buy, and don't overthink it. A 900-hour machine isn't new, but it's nowhere near used up. These Bobcat diesels run 5,000+ hours if you treat them right.
The E45 hits the sweet spot—small enough for residential work, strong enough for commercial drainage, tight enough to not destroy landscapes. At 10,000 pounds, it's still trailerable behind a 3/4-ton without CDL headaches.
Would Recommend: "Already have. Three guys I know bought excavators in the last year because they saw mine sitting in my yard making money instead of someone else's."
Tell us your usage—we'll find a machine that pays for itself instead of draining your account.