I've added an excavator to my list of "Things Every Man Needs Around The House."

My brother-in-law recently purchased this '08 Kubota U45 mini excavator.  Naturally I had to try it out so this weekend I gave it a whirl.  This ultra cool machine has a 4-cylinder diesel engine, 2-foot bucket blade, rubber tracks, auto idle, and an angled backfill blade.  This thing rocks.

I was amazed at how intuitive the controls were on this particular machine.  After only a few minutes I had the hang of how things work and I was movin' dirt like a pro.  Okay, maybe not.  But hey, I was having fun.  I liked the size of the machine, and it only weighs 11,800 pounds so it can be transported easily.  One of these can be yours for only $52k or so.  Yep, every man definitely needs one of these.