Compact vs. Full-Size Excavators: Which One Fits Your Job Site?

The type of excavator you choose for your job site impacts efficiency, budget, safety, and overall site function. In this blog, we will compare compact versus full-size models to help you choose the one that fits your job site.

General Information to Buy Excavators

Excavators are categorized by the following sizes:

• Mini/compact: Up to 7 metric tons.
• Medium/standard: From 7 to 45 metric tons.
• Large: Over 45 metric tons.

The main considerations when you buy excavators are as follows:

• The type of terrain at the work site determines if you need tracked or wheeled excavators.
• Hydraulic flow and pressure to accommodate the types of attachments you require at the job site.
• User experience, such as comfort, ease of use, ergonomic controls, etc., to help ensure safety and efficiency.
• Brand reputation for durability, safety, parts, attachments, etc.

How to Buy Excavators for the Job

The following questions will help you buy the right excavator for the job:

What is the average digging depth for your typical job site?

If you tend to dig deeper holes, then the mini digger won’t provide the digging capacity you require.

What is the average reach you need?

The reach refers to the boom length, which combines how deep it can dig and how far it can reach to move dirt and debris. For example, if you need to reach across a trench to fill a dump truck, you won’t have that type of extension with a mini digger.

How heavy are the loads?

The type of material you are removing, unloading, or loading determines the lift capacity you require for your excavator.

What types of tasks do you typically manage?

The tasks determine the types of attachments you require. Having the ability to manage your typical projects based on your company type, such as landscaper, clearer, excavator, residential builder, etc., will allow you to either manage your current work or expand your ability to tackle a wider range of projects.

What is your towing capacity?

Your excavator needs to be manageable, allowing you to transport it efficiently from job to job. If you need a flatbed trailer to transport your full-sized excavator, it will cost you more. You will also require permits that take time and money to procure. A smaller excavator doesn’t require special licenses or considerations, making it often the better choice.

What is your budget?

Your budget should consider not just your upfront costs, but also the longer-term costs of your purchase. For example, a mini digger costs less up front while reducing your transportation and operating costs. Other expenses that impact your long-term spending include storage, maintenance, and potential downtime.

Consider the versatility of the equipment to help ensure you can use it often to increase your return on investment. If you purchase equipment that is too large and expensive to transport for your average work, it will cost you money. If you purchase equipment that is too small to maintain a high level of productivity for your average job, it will also cost you money.

What is your typical work site?

Your excavator needs to adapt to your typical work site to ensure you can take on a wide range of projects. Work site terrain also determines if you need wheels or tracks for your excavator.

Compact and Mini Excavators

When considering a mini excavator for sale, you’re looking at equipment that’s less than seven metric tons. Mini diggers are ideal for tight job sites where operators are challenged to maneuver or where parts of the site have hard-to-reach areas. Their size is designed to operate in smaller areas, but also work well when speed and manoeuvrability are important.

They have minimal tail swing, so they are the excavator of choice for jobs such as landscaping and residential property excavation. However, they also lack the power, capacity, and reach of full-size excavators, so they are not suitable for heavy-duty tasks.

The Benefits of Mini Excavators

Contractors buy mini excavators for sale for the following reasons:

• Easy, more cost-effective transportation from site to site.
• Adaptability, allowing contractors to get more use out of them across more job types.
• Precision work that is more accurate compared to full-size excavators.
• More affordable for fuel.

Full-Size Excavators

When you buy full-size excavators for construction sites, you’re looking at sizes over 45 tons. These excavators are made for heavy-duty jobs on larger job sites. They have the power to tackle a wide range of tasks, but also present challenges that limit work for more accessible, small projects.

They are far too cumbersome to take on more readily available jobs that require a reasonably easy-to-manoeuvre piece of equipment that can operate in average-sized lots. From a logistical standpoint, they pose more challenges in sites with awkward, tight spaces, and they are difficult and costly to move from project to project.

On the plus side, they are customizable with a wide range of attachments, offering the versatility contractors need across a variety of tasks. The extended boom and arm are suitable for deeper digging or when you require a longer reach for jobs such as trenching or foundation digging.

The Benefits of Full-Size Excavators

Full-size excavators over 45 tons offer the following benefits:

• More power to move heavy-duty materials like rocks.
• Extended booms and arms for deeper digging and further reach.
• Efficiency for moving and lifting larger, heavier loads.
• Adaptability with heavier-duty attachments to take on a wider range of large-scale projects.
• Higher earning potential to take on major projects such as municipal infrastructure or building projects.

The Bottom Line to Buy Excavators

All in all, compact equipment tends to optimize your capabilities, allowing you to tackle a wider range of projects. Having a compact excavator offers both large construction companies and small business owners a competitive advantage, allowing you to:

• Improve efficiency.
• Reduce operating costs.
• Tackle a broader range of projects.
• Accommodate smaller work sites and awkward spaces.
• Use a wide range of attachments, including augers, backhoes, buckets, snow blades, brushes, and more.
• Manage speedy cross-site tasks at large construction sites.

Contact the Excavator Experts

At Oaken Equipment, we are Canada’s largest Bobcat dealer network, with a knowledgeable team ready to help you find the right compact excavator for sale. We can optimize productivity and efficiency while reducing operating costs.

For more information on buying excavators for sale, call us at 1-888-861-1447 or click here to find a location near you.