Mini and Compact Excavators
Machines from roughly 1 t to 10 t for service trenching, landscaping, indoor strip-out and work inside footprints where a full-size machine cannot turn. Most are specified around access width and tail swing before anything else.
Features
- Retractable undercarriages narrow to pass a standard doorway or gateway, then widen on site to restore stability before digging.
- Zero tail swing keeps the whole upper structure within the track width so the machine can work parallel to a wall.
- A dozer blade is standard on most of the class and is used for backfilling and levelling without repositioning.
- Canopy versions are lighter and cheaper; a cab is what makes the machine usable through a European winter.
- Boom offset or a variable-angle boom lets the bucket work off the machine centreline, which is how a trench is cut alongside a kerb.
- Battery-electric versions exist in the smaller classes for enclosed and low-noise sites; charging arrangements need planning before delivery.
Specifications
| Figure | Typical range | Unit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating weight | 1 500 - 9 800 | kg | Decides trailer or low-loader transport and whether floor loadings allow indoor use. |
| Minimum transport width | 700 - 2 300 | mm | The access gap on site is usually the binding constraint on this class. |
| Maximum dig depth | 2 300 - 4 400 | mm | Sets whether a service trench can be cut in one pass. |
| Auxiliary circuit flow | 20 - 90 | l/min | Small breakers and augers have narrow flow windows on these machines. |
| Ground pressure | 24 - 34 | kPa | Governs what the machine can cross without matting on finished or soft ground. |