Operated Mini Digger Rates & Practiality?

[Old Operator]

Any thoughts on a minimum size of machine to run as an owner operator? I see what I think are 1.5 Tonners offered on ebay for an average of £ 220 per day all in. Lately I have done some garden/landscaping type works with a couple of hired in Kubota 008's. Stump removal, regrading etc. I did find them rather bouncy & twitchy compared to the JCB 8016 I used to hire. Granted that self drive machines are hammered anyway. I am governed by what towing vehicle I can fit in the garage - too rough an area to leave it outside. This means 2t or 2.1t as an absolute max, with a trailer of 364 Kg empty. So 1636 Kg my machine upper limit. Can anyone really make a living out of these? I come from an era where a 3cx was seen as a small machine.

I did have a thread on here concerning working on slopes, consensus of opinion was expanding tracks & long armed dozer blade. The main work for this evaporated but I would still be interested in this area as an extra string to the bow. I looked at an 8018 - slightly too heavy. Came across the Bobcat E14, or 16, Yanmar Vio models 15, 12 & 10. If I go too small adding a Baughans crusher bucket later goes out of the window. I just wondered if a Vio10 with an operator would seem a joke. Where I scored is people who have never operated even an 008 - thinking the time they took to learn would cost them dearly & they knew me anyway. We only had the 008 because it had to pass throu a narrow gateway & fold its ROPS bar to get under an overhang. That said it did in a day what would have been a killing week for 2 Labourers, so client (a retired council landscape manager) chuffed.
just wondered what other small guys were running?