John,
I can rent a John Deere 17D excavator for $190/day (Kansas). It is only about 4200#, so you can haul it with a 1/2-ton pickup.
For a little more, you can rent a larger mini-excavator if you have access to a truck that can handle more weight. (If you don't have a suitable trailer, you can probably rent one at the same place.)
I keep a list of excavator projects for my farm. When the list gets long enough, I grab a rental and put in a full 8-hour day on the meter.
In my experience, HP at that low price is a bargain compared to my pitiful man-power!
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