SoCal Dirt Movers • Based in Fallbrook, CA
Bobcat & Mini Excavator Services in Fallbrook, CA
Grading, land clearing, trenching, driveway grading, drainage and concrete removal on the hillside lots of Fallbrook, Bonsall, Temecula and Valley Center. $150 per hour with a 4-hour minimum, operator and fuel included.
$150 per hour • 4-hour minimum • Operator and fuel included • Insured
A Bobcat and an excavator with the operator included
SoCal Dirt Movers is a Bobcat T300 compact track loader and a mini excavator run by Oscar, who has 5 years on the machines and learned on his father's equipment in a family with more than 25 years of dirt work around Fallbrook. The rate is $150 per hour with a 4-hour minimum, and that includes the operator, fuel and delivery anywhere in Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Pala and Valley Center.
Most of the calls are the same half dozen jobs: a pad for a shed, barn or ADU; the 100 feet of fire clearance North County Fire inspects every spring; a trench to a well, a barn or a gate; a dirt driveway that washed out in January; a yard that drains toward the house; and a cracked patio or slab in the way of something new. Text a few photos and you will have hours and a price the same day.
What we do
Nine services, two machines, one operator. Every page explains the job, the typical hours and what it costs at $150 per hour.
Skid Steer Services
A Bobcat T300 with an operator for dirt, gravel, grading and cleanup.
Typical: 4 hours →
Mini Excavator Services
Trenches, footings, stumps and drainage on lots a big excavator cannot reach.
Typical: 4 hours →
Grading & Leveling
Pads for sheds, barns and ADUs, yard leveling, cut and fill on hillside lots.
Typical: 4 hours →
Land Clearing & Fire Clearance
Defensible space, weed abatement, overgrown lots and old grove removal.
Typical: 4 to 8 hours →
Trenching
Clean, straight trenches to the depth your plumber or electrician specifies.
Typical: 4 hours →
Driveway & Road Grading
Regrade washboard and potholes, crown for drainage, spread gravel and road base.
Typical: 4 hours →
Drainage & Erosion Control
Move water away from the house and keep hillsides where they belong.
Typical: 4 to 6 hours →
Concrete & Demolition
Slabs, patios, walkways, sheds, block walls and old foundations.
Typical: 4 hours →
Dirt Moving & Spreading
Cut, fill, move and spread dirt, DG, gravel and base rock anywhere on the property.
Typical: 4 hours →
What a job costs
Everything is billed at $150 per hour with a 4-hour minimum. These are typical hours for the jobs people call about most.
| Typical job | Hours | At $150 per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Regrade and crown a 300-foot dirt driveway | 4 | $600 |
| Level a 12 x 20 ft shed or carport pad | 4 | $600 |
| Trench 100 feet for a water or irrigation line | 4 | $600 |
| Cut 100 feet of defensible space around a home | 4 to 8 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Break up and load a 400 sq ft patio | 4 | $600 |
| Rough-grade a 1,000 sq ft ADU pad on a flat lot | 6 to 8 | $900 to $1,200 |
Hours are typical ranges for normal ground and access. Rock, roots, steep slopes and tight gates add time. Material, haul-off and dump fees are quoted separately. 4-hour minimum applies.
How it works
- 1
Text photos or call
Send three or four photos with something for scale and say what you want the ground to look like. (442) 271-2748.
- 2
Get hours and a price
Same day, you get a range of hours at $150 per hour. Bigger jobs get a free site walk and one number.
- 3
The machine shows up
Oscar arrives with the Bobcat, the excavator or both on the trailer, walks the job with you, and starts.
- 4
Pay for the hours used
4-hour minimum, then only the hours worked. Cash, check, Zelle or Venmo when the job is done.
See the machine work
Drone footage from a weed abatement job: a lot of dry grass and mustard, the T300 with the brush cutter, and the cleared field at the end. Press play; nothing loads until you do.
Weed abatement on a vacant lot, from the air
The Bobcat T300 with the brush cutter takes a lot of waist-high dry grass and mustard down to stubble between the neighbors' fences. Drone footage of the pass along the hedge, then the whole cleared lot: mowed rows, no fuel against the houses, ready for the fire inspection.
Owner-operated, insured, from Fallbrook
There is no office and no dispatcher. The number on this page rings Oscar's phone, and Oscar is the one on the machine. He has run skid steers and excavators for 5 years and learned the trade on his father's equipment, in a family that has been grading pads, cutting roads and pulling groves around Fallbrook for more than 25 years.
The Bobcat T300 compact track loader is a tracked machine, which is why it works on the slopes and soft decomposed granite that stop a wheeled skid steer. The mini excavator digs the trenches, footings and stumps the loader cannot. Both ride on one trailer, so a job that needs both does not need two trips.
- ✓ General liability insurance
- ✓ DigAlert (811) before every dig
- ✓ Brush cutter, auger, breaker, forks
- ✓ Same-day replies to texts
Where we work
Based in Fallbrook. No travel charge in the core area; a flat travel charge, quoted before you book, for the rest of North County and Temecula.
Fallbrook
No travel charge • 92028, 92088
Pad grading for sheds, barns, workshops and ADUs. Defensible space and weed abatement. Dead avocado grove removal.
Bonsall
No travel charge • 92003
Arena, round pen and barn pads. ADU and guest house pads on estate lots. Grove removal and replanting prep.
Temecula
Flat travel charge • 92590, 92591, 92592
Backyard leveling in the tracts. ADU and casita pads. Trenching for pools, ADUs and gates.
Valley Center
No travel charge • 92082
Pads for barns, workshops and ag-parcel ADUs. Grove removal and ag land prep. Defensible space and fire breaks.
Also Rainbow, De Luz, Pala (no travel charge) and Murrieta, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido, Camp Pendleton (flat travel charge). All areas →
Questions people ask
Short answers to the questions that come in by text. The full list is on the FAQ page.
How much do you charge?
$150 per hour with a 4-hour minimum, so the smallest job is $600. That covers the machine, the operator, fuel and delivery inside our core area of Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Pala and Valley Center. After the first four hours you pay only for the hours used. Material, dump fees and travel outside the core area are quoted separately and approved before we start.
Why is there a 4-hour minimum?
Loading, towing, unloading and reloading the machine takes the better part of two hours whether the job is 30 minutes or all day. The minimum keeps the hourly rate honest for everyone. Most jobs people call about, a driveway regrade, a trench, a shed pad, a patio removal, fit inside four hours anyway.
How do I get a quote?
Text three or four photos of the area with something for scale and tell us what you want the ground to look like when we leave. For most jobs we reply the same day with a range of hours. For bigger grading, clearing or road work we come out and walk it with you first, at no charge, and give you one number.
Skid steer or mini excavator: which do I need?
The skid steer moves, spreads and grades material and clears brush. The excavator digs: trenches, footings, stumps, drainage. A pad or a driveway is skid steer work. A water line or a stump is excavator work. A lot of jobs use both, and you do not have to decide; describe the job and we bring the right machine or both.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry general liability insurance and can send a certificate before the job if your HOA, your contractor or your own peace of mind wants one.
Which areas do you serve?
Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Pala and Valley Center with no travel charge. Temecula, Murrieta, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido and the Camp Pendleton area with a flat travel charge quoted before you book.
Get a Free Estimate
Tell us the job and where it is. We reply with a range of hours the same day, and the first four hours are the only commitment.
- $150 per hour, 4-hour minimum ($600)
- Operator, fuel and delivery included in the core area
- Insured. Owner-operated. Monday to Saturday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM