Run a 21,000-Pound Bulldozer in Las Vegas Without a License
A yard of Caterpillar machines south of the Strip, where you pick one, climb in alone, and a coach talks you through it.
Well south of the Strip, on a graded dirt lot off Roban Avenue, sits a fleet of Caterpillar machines that members of the public are allowed to operate. You climb into the cab and work the controls yourself. No driver's license, no construction training, and no prior seat time are required. An instructor walks you through a safety and controls orientation first, then stays with you over a wireless headset for the rest of the session.
The yard exists because a New Zealander named Ed Mumm rented a bulldozer and a 20-ton excavator to clear land for his own house in Colorado, and two hours in, started wondering how many people would love a turn and never get one. He opened the first version in Steamboat Springs in December 2007 and moved the whole operation to Las Vegas in 2011.
The listing below covers the full lineup of machines, and you choose yours at the time of booking. The yard runs on reservations, and every session has a scheduled start.
Las Vegas Heavy Equipment Playground: Dig, Push, and Play!Dig This Las Vegas · one machine per booking · safety equipment and a certificate of completion includedwww.viator.comHow the Session Time Splits
The full-length sessions, the ones the yard calls Big Digs, break into three pieces: a 15-minute safety and instruction briefing, 60 minutes of operating time, and a 15-minute graduation ceremony. The six-ton excavator runs a shorter session than the rest.
One machine holds one operator. A session cannot be split between two people, and the large cabs carry no passengers. Booking several people at once puts each of them in a machine of their own, and the headsets let them talk while they work.
Every Machine in the Yard Has a Name
The bulldozers are Bugsy and Harvey, both Caterpillar D5Ks at 21,347 pounds and 96 horsepower. The large excavators answer to Jake, Thor, Brutus, and Big Bird, and the heaviest of them weighs 36,000 pounds. Woody and Tonka are the backhoes, Pacman and Badger the skid steers, Golden Knight the wheel loader, and Fred and Barney the six-ton excavators.
The task list changes with the machine. A bulldozer session pushes mammoth dirt piles and teeter-totters the machine over a mound of dirt. An excavator session digs trenches, stacks 2,000-pound tires, and includes a game of excavator basketball. The backhoe digs deep holes, backfills them with its loader, and stacks giant tires into a pyramid.
Rules of the Yard
This listing books travelers aged 14 and over, and the yard asks a parent or guardian to consent at that age. An adult has to be on the booking. Two machines carry a higher minimum: the backhoe and the wheel loader start at 16.
Everyone signs a waiver. Closed-toe shoes are required, and sandals and flip-flops are turned away. Operators need to speak and understand English. A breathalyzer test is given before your dig, and failing it forfeits the booking with no refund.
The activity is rated for a high level of physical fitness and carries warnings for pregnancy, back and spinal injuries, and poor cardiovascular health. Travel writer Lance Longwell, who ran one of the excavators here, found that modern hydraulics make operating these big machines more of a finesse game than a brute force one. Every cab is climate controlled with air conditioning and heat, which counts for something in a Las Vegas July. Anyone who comes along to watch stays in the spectator areas.
Getting to Roban Avenue
The yard sits at 800 West Roban Avenue, well south of the Strip. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, and public transportation options run nearby. A single booking covers up to nine travelers.
This is not the original address. Dig This spent close to eight years at its first Las Vegas site on South Rancho Drive next to the I-15, and opened here on February 1, 2019 with a bigger building and two shaded spectator areas. Older write-ups still list the Rancho address, so go by the one on your booking.
Cancelling at least 24 hours before the scheduled start returns the full amount on this booking. Gratuities are not included, and tickets are mobile, one per booking.
The session closes with a 15-minute graduation ceremony and a certificate of completion. Then you hand back the headset and head back north with dirt still on your shoes.