"jedi" wrote:
Ok, I have decided that there is no way I am going to be able to dig out the
pond I now have in mind on my own so I'm thinking of renting a digging
device.... It has to be small enough that I can get it in my back yard -
maybe I could take out one section of fence. Does anyone know what the
smallest excavator is that you can rent and how easy they are to use?

Without really answering your question, be sure to call around to local guys who
own their own equipment. Ofttimes it's cheaper to pay an expert (who knows
how to dig the hole *fast*) than to pay rental fees while you learn how (and how
not) to use the equipment.