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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

Wacker Neuson Mini Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide
CE Contributing Authors
August 19, 2014
Read Article
Mini Excavators
Volvo Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide
August 19, 2014
Mini Excavators
Terex Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide
August 18, 2014
Mini Excavators
Takeuchi Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide
August 18, 2014
Mini Excavators
Sany America Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide
August 15, 2014
Mini Excavators
New Holland Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

In 1999, New Holland Construction launched its construction equipment brand for the North American market, which included compact excavators...

August 14, 2014
Mini Excavators
LiuGong Mini Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

LiuGong started to develop excavators in 1992 and kicked off the R&D of mini excavators in 2001. The mini excavator plays an extremely i...

August 13, 2014
Mini Excavators
Kubota Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

Kubota launched Kubota Tractor Corp. in the United States in 1974 with an initial introduction of a 12-hp, four-wheel drive compact tractor,...

August 12, 2014
Mini Excavators
Komatsu Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

Komatsu entered the compact excavator market in the mid-1990s. Today’s newest member of the compact family is the PC88MR-10: One of th...

August 12, 2014
Mini Excavators
Kobelco Crawler Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

Since 1982, Kobelco has been offering its excavator line to contractors throughout the United States and Canada, innovating many of the popu...

August 8, 2014
Mini Excavators
John Deere Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

John Deere has been manufacturing excavators for more than 40 years. Responding to customer demand for excavating equipment that can fit in ...

August 8, 2014
Mini Excavators
JCB Compact Excavators — 2014 Spec Guide

For decades, JCB has been producing both full-size and compact excavators. All of JCB’s weight classes of compact excavators are popul...

August 7, 2014
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