Following was taken from this recent thread---
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=350351#Post350351"Speaking of windshields...if you ever find yourself in one of these pieces of equipment, WEAR YOUR SEATBELT! Once I had finished digging out the pond, I switched gears (literally) to moving the berm of dirt that came out of the small pond near the house. I made countless trips back and forth from the berm to the dam of the new pond, and on one of those trips hit a depression in the pasture that caused the loader to buck forward. Instead of dropping the bucket, I hit the brakes, and my forehead made contact with the windshield. The only suffering I'm doing is paying the $500 for the glass and $300 to install it. So, even on flat ground, you never know. Protect your body, wear your seatbelt. Protect your wallet, wear your seatbelt."When I begun cleaning up my pond, I was considering renting. I am glad that I didn't. I purchased an old excavator to play with. Granted all the headaches that come with such a thing, it still let me learn at my pace (that would be slow). It is highly dangerous if you have never been around equipment before, which I have been. I heard a lot of stories about folks renting, and by the time they were done with the way they wanted it, it cost twice as much as to hire it out. Or even worse, they could have bought the equipment.
I agree too with Spark, possibly your not doing a job of extreme skill, and it could be a fun learning experience.
Tums above also talked about renting equipment awhile back. He described his way of renting to get a better deal when doing so. Perhaps you can look thru his old threads to find that.
