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  1. Compact Equipment Magazine
  2. Mini Excavators

Mini Excavators

These Popular Mini Diggers Are Also Awesome Tool Carriers

The mini or compact excavator segment stands as one of the hottest machine markets in U.S. construction equipment. Its popularity stems from its versatility and size. Operators can easily transport mini excavators, and these machines handle a variety of onsite applications. These include digging basements, burying downspouts, compacting soil, trenching service lines or grappling obscenely big, decorative rocks. Manufacturers define these units as excavators under 8 metric tons. Designers equip them with an undercarriage and tracks, a long digging arm, and a cab or ROPS enclosure. With dig depths ranging between 5 and 15 ft+ and operating weights between 2,000 and 20,000 lbs, compact excavators maneuver into cramped worksites while delivering impressive digging power.

The 3.5- to 4-metric-ton class continues to drive growth in the compact hydraulic excavator market, especially in rental, while the 5- to 6-metric-ton size class gains momentum. Conventional-style compact excavators share the spotlight with minimum and zero tail swing designs. Zero tail swing (ZTS), which ensures the cab stays within the width of the tracks, remains a popular choice. Beyond their many features — such as enclosed cabs, backfill blades, extendable sticks and retractable undercarriages — mini excavators can equip a wide range of attachments to tackle tasks beyond digging, including hydraulic thumbs, breakers, specialty buckets, augers, grapples and mowers. Recent trends in the category include commercially available electric and hybrid variants as well as machine control systems for grading and digging. Examples of mini excavators include:

Takeuchi’s TB Mini Excavators | Caterpillar’s Next Gen Mini Excavators | Kubota’s K, KX and U Compact Excavators

JCB mini excavator Safety Tips for Compact Excavator Operations
Contributing Author
August 20, 2019
Read Article
Mini Excavators Yanmar excavator
Yanmar Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide
August 19, 2019
Mini Excavators Wacker Neuson excavator
Wacker Neuson Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide
August 19, 2019
Mini Excavators Volvo excavator
Volvo Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide
August 16, 2019
Mini Excavators Takeuchi excavator
Takeuchi Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide
August 15, 2019
Mini Excavators New Holland excavator
New Holland Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

Big Dig Power Packed into Seven Compact Machines Designed for power, precision and performance, New Holland Construction’s compact exc...

August 15, 2019
Mini Excavators LiuGong
LiuGong Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

The 9035EZTS Is a Zero Tail Swing Model Offering Two Cab Options LiuGong North America’s parts distribution and corporate office locat...

August 14, 2019
Mini Excavators Kubota excavator
Kubota Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

19 Variants, Including the New KX033-4 with an Extendable Dipper Arm Kubota has decades of experience in the compact excavator category. Mos...

August 14, 2019
Mini Excavators Komatsu
Komatsu America Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

Half a Dozen Mini Excavators Made to Meet Customer Needs Komatsu entered the compact excavator market in the mid-1990s. With many of the sam...

August 13, 2019
Mini Excavators Kobelco excavator
Kobelco Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

A Brand That’s Been Redefining Excavators for Nearly a Century Since 1930, Kobelco has built its excavators to be industry leaders, ad...

August 13, 2019
Mini Excavators John Deere excavator
John Deere Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

Six Diggers Ranging from the Nimble 17G to the Powerful 60G John Deere has been manufacturing excavators for more than 40 years. Responding ...

August 12, 2019
Mini Excavators JCB excavator
JCB Excavators Summarized — 2019 Spec Guide

Comfort, Controllability, Reliability, Serviceability and Performance JCB has decades of experience in manufacturing full-size and compact e...

August 12, 2019
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