Mini Excavator Attachments - Buyer Guide 2023

13 May.,2024

 

Mini Excavator Attachments - Buyer Guide 2023

Mini excavator

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Mini excavators have always been efficient when it comes to handling different tasks. Its smaller stature allows the user to fit it in tighter spaces and work more conveniently in other locations.

Nowadays, thanks to the many attachments available for the machine, you can use it for different applications besides construction.

These are the frequently asked questions about Mini excavator attachments.

What Are The Attachments For A Mini Excavator?

Mini excavator attachment

Mini excavators are helpful, but the many attachments available make them even more convenient for all sorts of applications. These are the mini excavator attachments that can help you with your projects:

1. Bucket

A bucket is the standard attachment for all excavators unless you request another upon purchase or renting. This attachment is often made of hard steel and sometimes features teeth that make it more convenient for digging through tough soil.

There are several types of buckets available for different applications, and you can interchange them for one another through its hitch. They are as follows:

Digging bucket

A digging bucket is one you will often see in a mini excavator. They are mostly for handling lighter materials and come with short blunt teeth to penetrate the ground.

You can use a digging bucket with the following:

  • Dirt
  • Clay
  • Topsoil
  • Sand
  • Gravel

Trenching bucket

Trenching buckets are used to create trenches. You can use them to navigate smaller spaces for digging drains, ducting, and piping.

These buckets are narrower than others and equipped with flat, sharp blades that penetrate dense and compact materials. They come in different sizes, and you can also get one for a mini excavator.

Grading bucket

Grading buckets are used for more delicate applications, such as backfilling holes, grading, unloading materials, and leveling.

This type of bucket has smoother and wider cutting edges, which is why they are mostly used with soft soil and other materials. Landscapers and road constructors favor them because they can efficiently perform many utility works.

Heavy-duty buckets

Heavy-duty buckets are specifically designed for their strength and abrasion resistance. They are often used for tougher applications because they are not easily damaged compared to other buckets.

This type of bucket’s most common application involves handling various kinds of rocks, including:

  • Compact clay
  • Blasted rock
  • Granite
  • Basalt

Specialized digger buckets

Aside from the buckets listed above, additional buckets are designed for specific applications. These are some of those:

  • V-bucket: These are for digging trenches in a v-shape.
  • Riddle bucket: Riddle buckets allow smaller soil particles to pass through, such as sands and smaller rocks.
  • Rock bucket: Used for screeding soil to remove smaller debris.
  • Hardpan bucket: Like the rock bucket, this type of digger bucket has ripper teeth on each side that helps loosen the soil upon use.

2. Rakes

For clearing a job site from different debris, it is more efficient to use a rake. They come in three, four, and five-tines that help clear out more conveniently while leaving only dirt behind.

You can use this to clear out tree branches, brush, concrete debris, and other similar materials. Rakes are useful for both construction and forestry applications.

3. Grabs

Excavator grabs are one of the most useful attachments available for excavators. It makes picking up things on a construction or farm site easier. Different weights of grabs are available, and you should find the one that best suits your available mini excavator.

You can also choose based on the number of claws available on the grab. A standard grab will have five claws, but you can get one with four or even more than that.

In most cases, people use grabs with their thumbs for better stability. Grabs are great for picking things up, and the thumb can help keep the materials in place.

4. Grapple

Grapples are more common for forestry applications, but you can also use them during demolition, waste handling, construction, and more. It usually has two large clamps that allow it to hold onto oddly-shaped materials.

5. Pulverizers

Excavator pulverizers are also often called concrete crushers, being their main purpose. This type of mini excavator attachment is mostly used for construction and concrete cycling.

Pulverizers are great for removing reinforcement steel from concrete. It breaks the concrete into smaller pieces to fall, leaving the steel behind. Some of them may have removable teeth, so they will be easier to replace when it’s worn out. Others also have wire cutters near the hinge, so separating the steel from the concrete is easier.

6. Rippers

Ripper attachments have pointed ends and rip through tough soil and frozen surfaces. You can also use it to remove root systems and tree stumps. Rippers make digging easier and more productive, especially in areas where a regular digger cannot penetrate.

7. Thumb

A thumb is an additional attachment that helps keep materials in place, usually alongside a bucket. It is best for gripping oddly-shaped materials that do not fit inside a digging bucket, like tree stumps and concrete debris.

8. Concrete breaker

Another useful mini excavator attachment is the concrete breaker for breaking down tough materials. It is called a hammer and provides high-impact vibrations to break hard surfaces.

There are a few hammer shapes available for this one, and you can choose which is best for your current project. They are as follows:

  • Moil: Mostly used for demolition and trenching.
  • Chisel: For concrete excavation and demolition, where an angled tip is useful for penetration.
  • Blunt: Mostly for crushing operations because it can transfer the impact to a wider surface area

9. Mulchers

Mulchers are for forestry applications and environmental cleanup. They can cut through vegetation, undergrowth, and other organic materials and turn them into mulch.

Aside from its purpose of removing biodegradable materials, you can even make a profit from the mulch it produces by selling them to other people.

10. Auger

Augers are among the mini excavator attachments that can help you dig through the earth. As you go, it can transport the dug soil directly out of the hole. You can use this for installing pillars, foundations, planting trees, and other shrubs.

Augers are versatile tools, and you can use them for many jobs. It can dig through rocks, shale, and hair soil much easier because of its power.

They can be short, long, wide, or narrow. Augers can also come in different flight styles and produce different results.

How To Change A Mini Excavator Attachment?

When you rent a mini excavator, it usually comes with three bucket attachments and a ripper. However, it still depends on the type of work you plan on working. To interchange the attachments, here are the basic steps that apply to most machines:

Step 1: Remove the pin

The first step in changing mini excavator attachments is lifting the bucket slightly above the ground. Then, you can remove the safety pin by pulling the ring and sliding it out.

Step 2: Detach the bucket from the arm

Before detaching the bucket, you’ll need to lift it a little so that it won’t put too much weight on the pin. When the pin is holding too much weight, you cannot remove it.

The correct position is to open the bucket to the machine’s direction while the top faces downward. Once you do that, you can remove the bucket safely.

You can also push the bucket using your body weight. Do it a couple of times until the pin becomes loose. If this technique doesn’t work, you must position the bucket at a different angle.

Watch when you loosen the pin to see which angle works best.

Step 3: Remove the bucket

After removing the bucket pin, you can hitch it out until it drops to the ground. Be sure it is still close to the ground so the impact will not be as strong, and avoid hitting your feet.

Step 4: Prepare to pick up the bucket

The next step is to replace the safety pin, but you must pick up the bucket first before doing this. Ensure that the hitch is in the correct position, which is far side and squared to the mini excavator. This way, it will be easier for you to pick it up.

Reduce the throttle speed to the slowest position.

Step 5: Pick up the bucket and replace the safety pin

Place the bucket on the machine’s arm to put the bucket pin into the excavator hitch. Once it slides to its correct position, line it up to the bucket holes and ready the pins. Replace the bucket pin and make sure it goes way through.

Secure the bucket, and you’re ready to work.

What Kind Of Jobs Can You Do With A Mini Excavator?

Mini excavator jobs

With the many attachments available for a mini excavator, this can help you finish all sorts of jobs that require large machinery. Its smaller size is beneficial for fitting in tight spaces and other areas that standard-sized excavators won’t do.

These are some of the jobs that you can do with a mini excavator and the type of attachment you’ll need:

Construction

There are certain types of tasks on a construction site. The attachments you will primarily use in this application are the following:

  • Augers: This attachment is used for drilling support posts for fences and other structures.
  • Rippers: Rippers can cut through earth, vegetation, rocks, and ice to make way for construction.
  • Compactor attachments: This comes with several designs, such as rollers and plates, that help finish some tasks more quickly.

Landscaping

A mini excavator of 1 ton or 2 ton is extremely useful in landscaping. Its lighter weight would not damage the ground, and you can use it for several tasks, including:

  • Tearing down small structures
  • Carrying away debris
  • Mulching
  • Placing and removing trees and stumps
  • Installing and removing pools
  • Breaking down concrete decks and sheds
  • Raking and mowing grass

Some attachments for landscaping are buckets, thumbs, grapples, rakes, and augers.

Maintenance and utility

You can also use mini excavators for utility and maintenance work. They cost less, but you can do the same tasks. This includes working with sewer lines, pole installation, and digging trenches.

Farming

Mini excavators can be used for many applications in farming, like moving hay bales, lifting feed bags, mowing grass, and digging holes for fences.

Material Handling

Mini excavators are powerful lifters, so you can use them to accommodate materials of all shapes and sizes. You can use additional attachments like grabs and thumbs for more stability.

Excavator Buyer's Guide

Excavator Buyer's Guide

The hydraulic excavator began as a variation on the steam shovel, which employed cables and other mechanical systems to manipulate a digging bucket on the end of a boom. In England in the late 19th century, a manufacturer subbed a hydraulic cylinder for a cable and utilized water as the hydraulic fluid. Before the end of the century, steam began to power the hydraulics. By the middle of the 20th century, manufacturers of the excavators had settled on oil to transmit hydraulic pressure.




Early models were, of course, primitive. For example, a 1950s excavator was an ergonomic and comfort nightmare compared to modern excavators, with operators sitting on a bench and lifting out the front glass of the cab for ventilation. Development was relatively slow at first: Caterpillar didn’t introduce its first excavator until the 1970s. Today, the hydraulic excavator is an electronically sophisticated, powerful piece of equipment with application across numerous industries.

If You’re Buying a Mid-Size or Large-Sized Excavator

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Find specifications and charts for a host of Excavators in our Excavator Specs and Charts section


More than a dozen manufacturers produce mid-size and full-size hydraulic excavators for the North American market. In evaluating them, the primary consideration should be matching a machine to your situation. Some criteria to consider:

1) Digging, Demolishing or Denuding?

The question is, how will the machine be used? Most buyers will crank up an excavator to, yes, excavate. But others will employ it to load aggregate or tear down a brick building or cut away roadside brush and limbs. In addition, excavators frequently are called upon to lift materials. How many of these functions will happen on your job sites? Suggestion: Select a model with enough horsepower and hydraulic flow to accomplish the most demanding task without being way oversized for other jobs you’ll undertake.

2) What features and configuration will best-serve you?

All excavators are not created equally. Some have extra-long booms or sticks while others offer buyers a telescoping boom. Elevated operator cabs? You can get them. Will you be hauling a crawler excavator from job to job on a flatbed? Lots of choices. But if you prefer to drive a rubber-tired excavator across paved areas, you have that option, too. The variety of hydraulic excavator types in the market combines with their versatility to keep these machines a popular choice for contractors.

3) Brands and dealerships worth thinking about.

Link to GRS

The reputations of iconic manufacturers of hydraulic excavators precede them. Newer brands — or new entrants in a marketplace — might require extra due diligence on the part of a buyer to really get a full backstory. Then there are dealers. Try to learn the level of satisfaction of current customers before becoming one yourself. Every machine needs solid dealer support.

4) Size matters.

If you are shopping for a midi or large excavator, you have dismissed consideration of mini and compact models. Even so, some attention to dimensions should be paid. For example, if a worksite is confined, a short-tail swing model might best fit your needs. If access to a working site is limited by height restrictions, a lower profile (telescopic boom) excavator might be best. Wheeled excavators sometimes are narrower than crawler equivalents and could mean the difference between entering a job site or not.

5) Will you transport it?

While a large hydraulic excavator seems a perfect choice, is your flatbed large enough to haul the machine to a job site — including attachments? Transporting heavy equipment means permits must be secured to ensure weight is appropriate for a road, escorts will be provided, routing is appropriate and the machine is properly secured on the trailer. Such regulations can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The larger the excavator, the more demanding transport becomes, so weigh all that before going large.

If You’re Renting/Leasing

Renting an excavator is an excellent way to evaluate a machine model before buying it. It is a hands-on method of learning the difference between an excavator that’s a perfect match for your application and a so-so one. A mediocre match surely is not what you are after. Some pointers:

1) Look for a good fit before a good deal.

If renting an excavator for an extended project is your end-game — you have no plans to invest in one at the moment — don’t get hung up on an enticing rental rate. If you save a few thousand dollars over the course of a rental contract, but mutter daily about the performance of the rented machine, you’ll rue the day you rented it. So, look at your project site, your task, your production timetable and get the model you really need.

2) Look beyond immediate use.

Because the working end of a boom does more than dig, consider all the ways it might be used when fitted with attachments. Is there a barn on the back of the property you should demolish? A landscape berm to be shaped? Trenching needed for a foundation? Overgrown vegetation to clear away? If a rented excavator is too big, or small, for more than one task, consider upsizing or downsizing for better utilization of the machine.

Tips on Inspecting a Used Hydraulic Excavator

As with any other investment, examine the condition of the excavator before signing papers. A visual check and mechanical test of the machine are in order.

1) First, examine the hydraulic components.

These aren’t electric excavators or steam shovels. The excavator’s hydraulic system defines its power and responsiveness. So, look first to the machine’s hydraulics to determine condition. Is there evidence of consistent leaking from pump, hoses, lines or cylinders? This suggests poor condition, but also indicates poor maintenance.

2) A lot rests on the undercarriage.

Rotating an excavator’s upper structure puts tremendous stress on the slewing ring that connects superstructure to undercarriage. To determine if wear is occurring in the ring, look for metal particles in lubricant and excessive play. Operate the machine and try to discern wobbly movement and grating sounds. A failing ring can be a costly fix.

3) Know signs of wear and abuse.

Cracks are worrisome, especially in metal structures and welds. If the boom or stick of an excavator has cracks in connecting-point welds, it strongly suggests the integrity of the mechanism is at risk. If the cracks in a machine are compounded with denting and possible twisting of the framework, a potential buyer probably should not proceed.

4) Don’t get attached to attachments.

You are buying an excavator, not the tools fitted onto the boom, so concentrate on the base machine. Still, any attachments coming with the excavator deserve some attention. Is the leading edge of a bucket scalloped (worn down)? Does a breaker show evidence of hydraulic leaks? Is a rotary cutter dented and rattling? Don’t count on them working well.

What You Can Expect to Pay

Hydraulic excavators continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, yet their effectiveness and reliability are proven. New and used models are widely available at widely ranging prices.

New

Prices for new models depend on brand, power and capacity, optional features and general market demand, which varies by region. Looking at prices from dealer to dealer or region to region is worth the trouble. Hereafter are some categories of pricing:

  • Mid-size crawler hydraulic excavators ranging in engine size from 100 hp to 275 hp sell for $180,000-$300,000.
  • Larger crawler excavators with 300-500 hp engines will cost $350,000-$850,000.

  • Used

    For used machines, comparing value is more difficult because of additional variables including the year of manufacture, number of engine hours and general condition. Hereafter are some general pricing guidelines for conventionally outfitted second-hand crawler excavators with 2,500-4,000 operating hours:

  • Mid-size crawler excavators in good condition are priced at $100,000-$175,000
  • Full-size crawler excavators generally well-maintained sell for $175,000-$250,000

  • Rent

    Prices are determined by size of machine, local demand and the volume of rental competition in an area — with coastal areas of the United States generally charging more. An online survey suggests the rental price for a mid-size crawler excavator ranges widely — from $800 to $1,500 a day, $1,800 to $3,100 a week, and $5,200 to $7,000 a month. Some rental companies give corporate and fleet customers a lower rate. Equipment rental sources include independent and national rental houses as well as equipment dealerships.

    Some Financing Options

    Buying a piece of heavy equipment usually involves financing the investment. Leasing a machine with an option to buy can lower upfront costs for customers wanting eventual ownership of an excavator. If owning a hydraulic excavator outright is your choice, companies have structured programs to make it happen.

    Specs and Features to Consider

    1) Weight and horsepower

    Machine weight and engine size are wide-ranging in the midi-to-full size category of excavators. The manufacturing industry includes machines weighing from six tons to almost 100 tons and with power units rated as small as 50 hp and as large as 530 hp. Somewhere along that spectrum is a hydraulic excavator for every buyer. Example: If a machine mostly will excavate, get one with the power (and base weight) to provide sufficient breakout force, reach and digging depth. If it mostly will be lifting, calculate how much it will be able to lift and how high. Match weight and horsepower to function.

    2) Hydraulic flow/pressure

    Along with horsepower and weight, hydraulic capacity is a major consideration. A hydraulic excavator can accomplish wide-ranging tasks when fitted with one attachment or another, but only if hydraulic fluid flow and pressure are up to it. For example, a brush cutter attachment capable of cutting a 42-in. swath needs 10-20 gpm of flow to perform up to speed, whereas a cutter with a 60-inch swath may require 30 gpm. While a shears attachment can do a job with relatively low flow, if the host machine’s PSI is too low, shearing force is reduced. Match attachments to hydraulic capacity.

    3) Strength and reach

    A buyer deciding on an excavator with a boom and stick — as opposed to one with a telescopic boom — still has decisions to make. Boom assemblies can be heavy-duty, extra-heavy-duty and extra-long and are sized for digging, carrying particularly heavy attachments, or extreme reach. The sticks attached to the boom are similarly sized for function. So, a buyer should know if breakout force is more important than reach or vice versa and the weight of a preferred attachment. The size of a bucket, for example, must be considered in tandem with the sturdiness and length of boom and stick.

    4) Tracks or tires?

    Saying “hydraulic excavator” usually conjures up a mental image of the ubiquitous digger on steel trucks. That is the most common configuration, but not an exclusive one. Crawler excavators are a first choice for good reasons: They can function in soft or wet ground conditions, hug the ground stably, and ride smoother on rough terrain than wheeled excavators. On the other hand, excavators on tires can be driven on pavement without damaging it and are easily maneuvered in tight spots. Outriggers give them working stability. Contractors have good reason to consider a wheeled excavator.

    Excavator Attachments

    Most excavators excavate. Yet attachments have been developed to take advantage of the machine’s reach and robustness so they can be employed for other tasks. Some attachments require higher hydraulic flow to power them. Other attachments — thumbs and shears, to name two — require a third-function hydraulic circuit to operate. A buyer should know if an excavator’s hydraulic capacity and versatility will be sufficient for a desired attachment. Here are some popular attaching tools:

    Auger — Drilling holes for fence posts, pilings or other structural members is made easier when the auger is fitted to the end of an excavator boom-stick. Hard-to-reach drill spots are easily reached and several holes can be drilled without moving the excavator.

    Breaker-Hammer — These are the tools that pound a hardened bit through hard materials to split or rubblize them. They do this with downward force applied by the excavator and an internal reciprocating ram that delivers hundreds of blows per minute.

    Bucket and Thumb — A bucket is the workhorse, the fundamental attachment. It comes in narrow, general purpose and broad widths as needed. When a moveable “thumb” is added, it gives an operator means to scoop up and grasp oversized or ungainly material.

    Vibratory Compactor — This boxy attachment with a flat bottom is employed to firm loose soil or aggregate. It rapidly delivers short, vibratory blows. Example: On a 15-ton excavator, a 2,000-lb model delivers 2,200 cpm with a vibrating force of 16,000 pounds.

    Coupler — This attachment connects an excavator to tools. Hydraulic quick-couplers are hands-free. Mechanical models can require an operator to climb from a cab. Tilt-rotating couplers give a tool wrist-like dexterity in handling material or for slope-sided digs.

    Crusher-Screener — Buckets scoop up material, but some also crush or screen the material. Bucket screeners and crushers process aggregate and debris. The buckets often employ hydraulic-driven churning shafts that chew up concrete and brick.

    Demolition Tools — Hydraulic excavators can dismantle structures and reduce scrap. With attachments, they snatch brick, rip welded material and shear steel beams. Example: The jaws of a steel-cutting shear on a 20-ton excavator have 280,000 lbs of cutting force.

    Drum Cutter — Grinding through rock or concrete material is easy (if loud) with this attachment. Torque, weight and RPMs do the trick. A 150-hp excavator needs at least 55 gpm of flow to spin a 3,000-lb cutter’s hardened fingers and carve a 46-in. wide path.

    Forestry Tools — Various excavator attachments have been developed to speed the harvesting and handling of timber products. Attachments include shears and saws, wood splitters/sectioners, and stump grinders and stump extractors.

    Grapple — This is a relatively simple tool used in a host of applications from forestry to demolition to construction. Two moving jaws reach out like thumb and finger and clamp together. In larger models, the jaws are wider and can resemble buckets.

    Magnet — Putting magnetism to work, this attachment is commonly used in scrap yards for moving irregularly shaped steel material. It also is employed on demolition and construction sites for clean-up. A midsized round magnet is about 40 inches in diameter.

    Mulcher — These chewing tools can reduce a 30-ft.-tall tree to a stump in less than a minute as the mulcher rides down on the upright trunk, shredding it. The tool can be six feet in width, with larger models requiring 70 gpm hydraulic flow or more.

    Pile Driver — Mounting this attachment on an excavator gives it the ability to sink and extract piles, girders, casings and similar permanent or temporary structures. High-speed vibrations help propel a pile into the ground and also help loosen it during extraction.

    Rock Saw — A vertical rock saw dangling from the end of a boom-stick is a formidable tool. It can slice through asphalt, concrete, and granite, among other materials. A 100-hp machine with 75 gpm flow can spin a 5-ft. blade and cut 25 in. deep.

    Some Excavator Brands

    Bobcat — This legacy American equipment-maker is known for its compact equipment including skid steers (which it invented) and CTLs, but also for compact excavators. It continues to grow the size of its excavator line - and the size of its equipment.

    Case — This Wisconsin equipment manufacturer dates from 1842. It introduced its first excavator in 1967. Today, its full-size crawler excavators range from a 102-hp 15-ton model to a 532-hp 90-ton model. Its “intelligent” hydraulic system maximizes efficiency.

    Caterpillar — The Illinois company was formed in 1925 and is an icon in the heavy construction equipment industry. Cat offers eight mid-size and six full-size hydraulic excavators as well as seven wheeled excavators, the largest a 169-hp model.

    Doosan — The South Korean firm began manufacturing heavy machinery in 1937, turning out its first crawler excavator in 1978. Today, Doosan builds 12 crawler models and three wheeled models. Its largest excavator on wheels is a 24-ton unit boasting 186 hp.

    Gradall — In 1944, this Ohio company introduced an innovative wheeled excavator with a telescoping rigid boom. The unique rotating-boom engineering has been translated into highway speed, rough terrain, crawler and railway models, powered by Volvo engines.

    JCB — For 66 years, this British manufacturer has marketed finely engineered machinery. It offers seven full-size crawler and seven wheeled excavators. It classifies its hydraulic excavators as high-reach demolition, long-reach, mass excavation, and extra heavy duty.

    John Deere — This Illinois company, founded in 1837, markets 14 mid-size excavators and three full-size, the largest a 512-hp model. One example: Model 300G LC is a 15-ton, 223-hp unit that digs 25 ft. deep and boasts several operational efficiency systems.

    Hitachi — The Japanese firm built its first excavator in 1957. Its products available in the U.S. include four mid-size models and six large (mining) excavators, the largest with paired 1,900-hp engines. The smallest mid-size unit has 100 hp and digs 19 ft. deep.

    Hyundai — A South Korean company established after World War II, Hyundai builds both wheeled and crawler mid-size excavators with Perkins, Cummins or Scania engines. A 150-hp wheeled model can whip along on pavement at 24 mph.

    Kubota — The Japanese company started as a foundry in 1890 and continues to expand its product line. Its excavator models now are small but are expected to grow as the line matures. One of Kubota’s strengths as a manufacturer is the popularity of its engines.

    Komatsu — The Japanese firm’s roots go back 99 years. It builds hydraulic excavators, from compact to mining machines, including a dozen mid-size crawler models and a half dozen wheeled. The units incorporate numerous “intelligent” automated control systems.

    Kobelco — The company formed in 1930 and built its first excavator in 1963, a tri-cycle rubber-tired model. Today it manufactures a full range of crawler excavators - compact to large - plus three long-reach and four “high and wide” specialty models.

    Liebherr — The German company, begun in 1949, markets seven wheeled excavators, 10 crawler models and five pontoon units engineered for dredging operations. In addition, the company is launching a new “8th-generation” series of hydraulic excavators.

    Link-Belt — This company with American roots dates to 1880, but it didn’t build its first excavator until the 1980s. It now offers 11 full-size or mid-size hydraulic excavators, 13 forestry-oriented models and four designated for material handling.

    LiuGong — A Chinese firm started in 1958, LiuGong introduced its first hydraulic excavator in 2001. Though it is a fairly recent addition to the excavator-manufacturing industry, the company now offers eight mid-to-full-size crawler models in the U.S.

    SANY — Formed in 1989 in China, SANY entered the U.S. market in 2006. Three years later, it built the largest excavator in China, a 200-ton model. It offers two mid-size and two large excavators in the U.S., the biggest a 400-hp unit that can dig down 27 feet.

    Takeuchi — Founded in 1973, the Japanese company introduced the first compact excavator eight years later. It continues to grow the line and today has a true mid-size excavator, the TB2150, which weighs 17 tons and is powered by a 114-hp diesel engine.

    Volvo — Founded in 1906, the Swedish firm began to offer hydraulic excavators in 1991. Today, the manufacturer’s product line-up for North America includes eight large crawler excavators (the biggest a 600-hp model), six mid-size units and six wheeled excavators.

    Brief Summary

    The secret of hydraulic excavators’ global popularity is in its variable reach, its hydraulically powered digging and lifting capacity and its swiveling base. Together, these engineering features are the basis for efficient excavation, construction, material-handling, demolition, and logging operations. Specialty models and attachments extend the excavator’s versatility across numerous markets. To call them “excavators” is something of a misnomer. They are everything-ors.

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