Mini Excavator Description and Uses

Mini excavators are small, compact machines that range in size from under 2000 kg to 6000kg (4409lb to 13227lb) and with bucket sizes between 0.02m3 to 0.17m3 ( 0.026yd3 to 0.222yd3 ). Like their larger cousins, these excavators also consists of a cab, a boom arm, a bucket and mounted on top of crawler or wheeled base. Usually the machine is equipped with a backfill or bulldozer blade that attaches below the boom. This make it easy to refill and level the material after digging works without having to change attachments.

Picture of a Mini Excavator digging a trench

Despite their size, mini excavators are extreme versatile. Machines in this class typically have digging depths from 6 to 8 feet and their relatively powerful hydraulic systems allow these machines to run a host of attachments, including hammers and breakers for light demolition work. Further more with retractable undercarriages, this allow them to contract to widths as small as 40 inches to get through tight areas. Then when the machine is in position, the tracks are expanded out to their working width.

These traits, combined with their compactness, high maneuverability and easy transportation characteristics make them suitable for working in restricted surroundings.Thus these machines are used in utility, light demolition, home repair or renovation application. They however can also be used to complement bigger machines or even work in conjunction with them. As an example, a mini excavator can be paired with a wheeled based front shovel. Such pairing can be applied to jobs like the construction of a residential swimming pool. The mini excavator can dig while the skid-steer loader removes the material and loads it into a dump truck.