The mini excavator is one of those great tools for your business that can help save a significant amount of time and money. Which brings the question, what kind of mini excavator features should you keep in mind when choosing the right digger for you? Let’s find out!
Mini Excavator Operating Weight
Operating weight refers to the total weight of the excavator while working. This includes the average weight of the operator and all the liquids like: fuel, oil and hydraulic fluid. In the large excavator word, couple hundred kilograms difference of the operating weight does no make a big difference, but when it comes to the mini excavators it is important to make a distinguish. It is common to find offers of “2 ton mini excavators for sale” that have actual machine weight of 1.7 tons. In general, the heavier the excavator the greater performance capabilities it will have. 1.7 ton vs 2 ton machine weight mini excavators some times could have up to 15% lower performance capabilities.
To make sure that you are comparing apples to apples, it is advisable to make sure that you are comparing mini excavators of the same weight.
Mini Excavator Basic Performance Capabilities
Four main performance capabilities of an excavator to consider are:
- Max Digging Distance: see “D” below. It shows the maximum distance the excavator can reach at the ground level. Please pay attention that the distance is measured from the center of the excavator rotation axis.
- Max Digging Depth: see “C” below. It shows the maximum depth the excavator can reach with its bucket measured from the bottom of the tracks (ground level). Please pay attention to the trajectory of the bucket movement, digging a trench at the maximum depth is possible, but will be challenging and time consuming. It is best to pick an excavator where 80% of the maximum digging depth will satisfy the maximum digging depth of your project
- Max Digging Height: see “A” below. It shows the maximum height the excavator can reach with the bucket teeth measured form the bottom of the tracks. It is important to understand that digging height is different from the dumping height.
- Max Dumping Height: see “B” below: It shows the maximum height from which the material can be unloaded. If the material needs to be dumped into a vehicle with greater side height then the maximum dumping heigh, then it would not be possible to load that vehicle if the vehicle and the excavator are on the same ground level.
When looking at the maximum values it is important to keep in mind that just because it is possible, it does not mean that it will be efficient. It is advisable to avoid operating excavators at its maximum capabilities. Best to choose a machine that is capable of doing at least 20% to 30% more than your project requires.
- Bucket size: Excavator bucket is most common excavator attachment that is used for digging. There are different types and sizes of the buckets available. Common types of the buckets are:
- Digging Bucket: Most excavators come standard with digging bucket. It has sharp teeth which could be replaced if broken. Most common use is the top soil excavation
- Rock Bucket: It is like the Digging Bucket, but it is heavier duty and has reinforced design. It requires to be able to break through rock. Often the teeth on the rock bucket are V-shaped. Main use is to dig through rocky soil
- Hard-Pan Buckets: Similar to the Rock Bucket, but the design also has teeth at the back of the bucket that can be used to loosen up soil
- V-Bucket: Digging end of the V-bucket is narrower than the top. This design enables digging of the shallow V-shaped tranches for pipes and cable that can be installed at shallow depth.
- Riddle Bucket: Constructed from the steel plates with gaps between each other to allow smaller particles to pass through. It is used as a sifter to separate larger part like rocks from the soil
- Grading Bucket: They do not have teeth and usually wider in size. Mainly used for working with soft soil while back filling, sloping, and leveling. Sometimes grading buckets can be equipped with a till option that allow for the bucket to not only perform the wrist up/down motion, but also tilt from side to side. This additional motion allows for more efficient sloping and leveling
|
Excavator Weight |
Digging Bucket Width |
Grading Bucket Max Width |
|
Under 1 ton |
6” to 24” |
30” |
|
1 ton to 2 ton |
6” to 24” |
39” |
|
2 ton to 4 ton |
9” to 30” |
48” |
|
4 ton to 6 ton |
12” to 36” |
60” |
|
6 ton to 10 ton |
12” to 36” |
72” |
|
10 ton to 20 ton |
18” to 48” |
72” |
|
20 ton to 25 ton |
18” to 60” |
84” |
Mini Excavator Wheels or Tracks?
Excavators can have either wheels or tracks. Each have their own advantages depending on the task at hand. If you have a need to drive the excavator around a large job site, then the wheeled option might be the best fit for you. Wheeled excavators can reach travel speeds of up to 35 km/h while most of the tracked counterparts max travel speed cannot exceed 10 km/h. However due to the higher center of gravity most of the wheeled versions require the use of stabilizer feet which could be an inconvenience.
Majority of mini excavators come equipped with tracked undercarriage as it allows for higher maneuverability, less damage to the ground due to exerted lower ground pressure and no need for using stabilizer feet. For small work sites and confined spaces, tracked mini excavator is a better fit in most of the cases.
Mini Excavator Telematic and Antitheft Systems
North America has high level of construction equipment thefts because construction equipment can be easier to steel and can cost more than average cars. Besides the readily available antitheft measures like extra lock, excavators can be equipped with the following features to deter theft even further:
- Battery disconnects: A device with a key that cutoffs battery power to the machine which prevents the machine form being started. This is a deterrent but will not prevent theft as there are ways to wire around it or possibly use an external battery
- Fuel line shutoff valves: Work together with the fuel pump and they are used to prevent flow of fuel to stop engine from running in the event of the theft
- Engine Kill Switch: It allows for the engine to be shut off remotely in the event of the theft
Above devices are a good deterrent that can be made even more powerful with the help of the telematics system that provided live location tracking of the vehicle, setting up of the geo fences to send out alerts if the vehicle leaves certain area. If the theft in progress is discovered, with the help of the telematic system excavator’s electrical system and the engine can be shut off from the smart phone.
Mini Excavator Accessories
Accessories might be an afterthought for some, but thanks to the accessories mini excavator can be like a Swiss army knife. Some of the common excavator accessories are augers, forklifts, rippers, grapplers, teeth buckets, breakers, log grapples, rakes, thumb buckets, rippers and so on. There are a plethora of different mini excavator accessories, just make sure that the accessory is rated for your size of the excavator, and you know accessory’s limits.
Mini Excavator Features Conclusion
There are many different mini excavators features you should look for when buying such a unit. You always want to invest in the best possible value mini excavator within your budget. JoyT5 specializes in the best value mini excavators that can be customized to meet your needs. If you are looking to but a great mini excavator, visit mini excavators for sale in Calgary, Canada. JoyT5 ships mini excavators all over Canada at a great price
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