Excavators are a necessary piece of equipment for any building, construction, or mining project. Built for heavy-duty hauling and digging, excavators can increase your team's efficiency and productivity while reducing your operating costs. Available in various types and sizes, excavators can help lift heavy materials, break ground, crush pavement, dig trenches, and much more.
However, Excavators can be so big, intimidating, and will take a lot of space in your garage. If you are looking for the same productivity in a friendlier size, the Mini Excavators are perfect for you. In this blog, we will be talking about mini-excavators: its advantages and how much it weighs.
Mini excavators are about the same size as a regular skid-steer, but they serve a very distinct purpose. They have functions similar to an excavator, with the additional benefit of being able to work in small spaces. They are also referred to as "mini ex", a small excavator, or compact excavator. Mini excavators highlight the traditional features of an excavator as a smaller size.
Like their full-size counterparts, Mini-excavators are typically differentiated by their power rating, arm force, maximum dig depth, maximum loading height, and maximum dump height.
How much does a mini excavator weigh?
Mini excavators usually weigh less than 10,000 pounds, or five tons, while some say it is an excavator that weighs less than seven metric tons. However, there is no specific rule that is strictly followed.
These small excavators are ideal for tight job sites. Mini excavators can manage small spaces for landscaping jobs, such as digging holes for trees or trenches for pipes. Mini excavators often hold zero or near-zero tail swings so that operators can use them conveniently around buildings and other structures. For job sites with several pipes or gas lines underground, mini excavators are a better option offering greater accuracy than larger digging equipment.
Another advantage of mini excavators is that they can easily be transported using a truck or trailer and need less fuel than larger excavators. Because they are smaller, mini excavators can operate on soft terrain without ripping up the ground or on finished sites without breaking the pavement or sidewalks. However, mini excavators may not be as powerful as larger excavators and may not be able to provide the required dig depth or lift capacity for every job.
Choosing The Right Mini Excavator
The ideal way to find the right excavator for a project is to know the purpose. Knowing correctly what kind of role the excavator will play on site will help decide what type of excavator is required. As an outcome, your job can actually become more effective. It can be more suitable for a job to rent the right size equipment for what is needed instead of making one piece fit for various jobs.
Typical jobs requiring Mini Excavators
Mini excavators are popular equipment because of their versatility, with many uses for various construction jobs. As previously mentioned, mini excavators are often used for smaller projects in construction and landscaping. These include:
- Installing pools or hot tubs
- Demolition of small buildings
- Repairing sewer pipes
- Tree harvesting
- Brush cutting
- Home renovations
- Landscaping projects
- Roadside applications
- General digging projects
Mini Excavator or Standard Excavator
Mini excavators and regular excavators are both great equipment but have a time and place for best use. The mini excavator can be great suited for specific jobs over a standard excavator. It is always essential to choose an equipment based on the project requirements instead of personal preference. This helps to prioritize productivity and efficiency in all projects.
The modest size of mini excavators makes them more popular for high traffic worksites and working around other equipment. Aside from driving over parking lots with less hassle, they are also much easier to transport between work sites. Mini excavators tend to have a longer life span as it is used for less intense projects than standard excavators.
Both excavators can fit different types of attachments for job versatility. The availability of attachments for mini excavators means they can be utilized in many industries and applications. These include agriculture, forestry, landscaping, plumbing, and construction, to name a few.
If you need assistance buying Mini Excavator attachments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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