Otherwise be very aware of where the arm is while you're maneuvering around the yard. I'd avoid the backhoe if you have any kind of obstacles and there's any other machine available. Beware that the arm hanging off the rear of the backhoe is easy to bump into stuff while you're backing and turning.(Especially when you're next to the truck.)

If you don't have a lot of weight in the back, beware of tipping forward. Some machines have the tendency to tip forward when the bucket is loaded.Be careful of overhead clearance near power lines!.Be careful when dumping into the truck that you don't bump the front of the machine into the side of the truck!.Be careful when dumping into the truck (or trailer, see below) not to hit the sides with the bucket!.(I've been driving tractors since I was a kid, so I'm guessing at the skill level required for a novice.) At the low end, wheeled loaders (tractor, backhoe) are probably the easiest to use.In other words: shoveling dirt out of the back of a pickup is a hassle, consider a dump trailer, see below. If you are hauling it away, you'll want to think about the truck and how you'll unload it. With this strategy, you'll need a place to push the dirt. If you don't need to haul the soil away, you could rent a small bulldozer. You could rent a tractor with a front-end loader, a wheeled loader, a skid-steer with a loader ('bobcat'), backhoe with a front-end loader. (Hitting a sewer pipe won't be much fun either.) I will be tilling the clay with soft dirt and fertilizer before the sodР”В«efore you do anything, call DIG SAFE or its local equivalent. After removing about 4 inches, the dirt becomes very clay-like, so I don't anticipate any settling.I will be softscaping (adding sod, trees, bushes, irrigation).I will be moving the dirt to my front yard in an effort to make the front yard level.I have called 811 (Call before you dig) and had the utilities marked.Should I attempt this task myself, or would it be more cost effective to hire someone?Р”В®DIT: I am looking to rent from A Tool ShedР”В®DIT 2: Responses to a few of your answers: I have no experience using tractors, but am a quick learner. What is the best piece of equipment to rent to help with this?Р”Вo I need to have training/experience to rent/use a tractor (excavator, loader, etc)? The dirt in the yard currently sits higher than the foundation of the house due to overgrowth & gophers. I am landscaping my yard and need to remove from 2-6 inches of dirt from the entire yard (about 2,000 square feet) to get it level with the rest of the property.

How to remove slic loader