A recent survey conducted by Off-Highway Research revealed that a whopping 365,000 mini-diggers were sold worldwide in 2023, with sales increasing 5-6% every year over the past two decades. Mini diggers actually see the highest volume of sales of machinery in Europe, along with other territories. People may wonder why this relatively humble piece of plant equipment is proving so popular on a worldwide scale—as experienced players in the plant hire world, we thought we’d offer a few thoughts on why mini digger sales continue to rise year on year.
Some Mini Diggers Can Be Used on Indoor Projects
By their very nature (clue is in the name!) mini excavators can traverse areas simply too tight for their larger counterparts. This means them ideal for use on home and garden renovations (some are actually small enough to enter houses) so they can find themselves deployed on interior rebuilds as well as external ones. This means that not only are they a useful piece of plant equipment for commercial developments, but they can also have domestic use, in ways a full-size excavator cannot. Since Covid, more and more people have begun home and garden refurbishment projects and this may be a contributing factor to their popularity.
Going Underground—Mini Diggers and Subterranean Use
Another advantage to be gained from the small size of mini diggers is that they can be used to good effect on underground projects, being able to fit into nooks and crannies that their bigger brothers cannot.
Mini Diggers are Extremely Versatile Pieces of Plant Equipment
There’s more to a Mini digger than, well, digging. Mini excavators are customisable with attachments and tools to take on other tasks too. For example, mini diggers can be used as rock breakers and hedge trimmers, to give to examples. We’ve already discussed their ease of maneuverability and compact size, so when you add this extra versatility, they really can do the work of many larger types of machinery in a small space.
Ease of Use is Key to Mini Digger Popularity
The easier something is to use, the more likely people are to use it. Makes sense, right? Mini Diggers require significantly less training than larger machines and also have less complex controls. It should follow, therefore, that with more people able to use them, their popularity is going to be higher than that of more complicated plant equipment and machinery.
Mini Excavators are Easy to Transport
Full-size diggers require large loaders or similar-sized vehicles to transport them from site to site. Mini diggers, however, can be transported on a domestic trailer, without the need for rigorous loading and unloading. Once again, the word ‘easy’ is at play, no doubt contributing to their continued growth in popularity across both domestic and commercial markets.
Mini Diggers are Less Obtrusive Than Larger Plant
We’ve already discussed how mini excavators take up less space than full-size diggers, and this has attractive benefits beyond being easy to manoeuvre. For one thing, their smaller nature means their impact on the environment around them will be significantly less than that of larger plant equipment. They’re also quieter, which may be another factor behind their popularity in domestic, garden, and residential projects.
These are just a few thoughts on why mini diggers are Europe’s most sold piece of plant equipment. Certainly, in our years of hiring them across Wexford, Waterford, Wicklow, Kilkenny, and Carlow we’ve seen customers of all types and sizes enjoy great success from using them. If you’d like to know more about our mini digger service please do contact the Power Plant Hire team today. Simply call 053 923 5003 or send an email to sales@powerplanthire.ie.
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