A Guide to Buying Mini Excavators for Sale

If you are looking for a mini excavator for sale, it is important to find a supplier of both used and new construction equipment for sale that has a trustworthy reputation and a wide array of potential models for you to choose from. There are different models of mini excavators, with different capabilities, along with attachments for excavators that add versatility and range in an effective way. Understanding your specific needs for mini excavators is important in making the correct choice when purchasing either new or used from a reputable supplier.

Mini excavators for a wide range of work

Mini and midi excavators offer an effective choice of construction equipment that can be used on sites where there is the need for general excavation tasks and where the ground needs to be prepared for upcoming work. They are designed to be effective, helping you to increase the efficiency and productivity on site, maximise uptime and ensuring that a project runs as smoothly as possible.

Factors to consider when choosing a mini excavator

Looking at different types of mini excavators and diggers, you’ll see that there are specific characteristics for each model. Before committing to purchasing a certain model of mini excavator, it is important to pair your requirements with the correct model of excavator. By purchasing a mini excavator that doesn’t have enough power for your site needs, this will have a knock-on effect to the project cost. A model that is too big for your requirements will also cause potential problems on site. Factors to consider include:

Net power

What is the total output that the machine is capable of? The lower end of this figure should provide enough power to deal with light duties on site, such as material handling and landscaping, while the higher end of the output should offer effective trenching, stump removal, and heavy-duty construction tasks.

Digging depth

One of the most important factors, the maximum digging depth of an excavator will prescribe how effective and how deep trenches can be dug. For mini excavators, you can expect max digging depths between 5.6 and 12 feet.

Swing system

The swing system allows the boom to be hydraulically shifted left or right to a certain range of degrees. This is useful for offset digging and for trenching parallel with the tracks of the machine. 50 to 60 degrees are common swing ranges to the right, and 60 to 80 degrees on the left. 

Operating weight

Mini diggers are commonly between 1 tonne and 8 tonnes in weight, allowing for access to tight and limited spaces where the power provided is still required but a large excavator cannot access.

What about attachments?

A range of attachments are available that offer even greater levels of flexibility to a mini digger. A quick coupler on most modern mini excavators makes it quick and easy to switch between different tasks. Examples of common mini excavator attachments include breakers, trenchers, clamps, grapples, grading blades, and rippers.

Finding construction equipment for sale that matches your requirements for a specific task or project, and that fits the bill within your company budget, takes some consideration. We would always advise that you look for the best suppliers of construction equipment that have a reputation that you can trust. If you are considering purchasing a mini excavator outright, due to the consistent need for the versatile piece of equipment on myriad construction sites and projects, you must be completely sure that you are purchasing the correct model for your needs and that it will be a cost-effective solution for your long-term business needs.