In this blog, we would like to go over the mini excavator also known as the small excavator, mini digger, mini hoe, and compact excavator, and the reasons why you would choose this small machine for your project sites.
This machine may be smaller than its big brothers the mid-size and full-size excavators, But still, it can handle big jobs in tight areas reaching deep dig depth in such applications as trenching drainage lines between commercial buildings or in residential areas. Before the development of compact excavators, this was a manual labor job that took hours using handheld shovels.
Over the last decade, these mini excavators have become super popular in industries such as landscaping & utility work, farming, small construction projects, and more. One of the key reasons for this is that they can easily transport from one job site to another. Most mini excavator models can be towed with a class 1 or class 2 truck without requiring any Commercial Drivers License.
Common jobs your mini excavators can do.
A mini excavator is usually used on a residential job. These jobs include excavation for the foundation of small homes, material handling, or landscape work. For other site works mini excavators are used in our home renovation, digging footings, land clearing, installing pools, trenching for drainage systems, demolishing old concrete, and landscape projects. Since these machines are easy to operate, these machines are very popular in the rental industry. You will see many DIYs doing many of the above projects by themselves!
How to choose which mini excavator is best for your project
This can be a tough task as mini excavators are not a one-size-fits-all machine. Also, they are different in price. We suggest considering what types of jobs you are GENERALLY doing. What is your business purpose? Then fit your purchase of your mini excavator to fit the needs of these tasks.
Characteristics of mini excavator
Weight:
Mini excavators are significantly light in weight. This is perfect for most residential applications which is typical for these machines. This means you can move across your' concrete driveways or on turf with much less ground damage vs larger excavators.
Width:
What makes mini excavators a better piece of equipment is the fact that can get into areas where minimum width is required. When working for indoor demolition a machine must fit through a 48" wide space to get to the area. Working in narrow spaces with minimum area for tail swing is where the mini excavator is a clear winner. This is possible with the smallest mini excavators. Again even though they are smaller in size, they are still strong enough to get the job done in the most efficient manner.
Digging Depth:
Digging depth can range based on the model of the mini excavator you operate. The average mini excavator can effectively dig up to 7 feet into the ground. Heavy machines can dig up to 20 feet in depth. The same dig depth also relates to reach in certain applications such as brush cutting.