Since its invention over 60 years ago, the Mini Digger, also known as a Mini Excavator, or Compact Excavator, has revolutionised the world of excavation. It has enabled the speeding up of excavation projects in confined environments, otherwise inaccessible to most plant equipment. As such, they are a popular piece of machinery for various construction and engineering jobs and even domestic projects. In this article, we’ll explore the main advantages of Mini Diggers, and situations where they can come into their own.
Mini Diggers can be manoeuvred in areas where large excavators simply won’t fit
Perhaps obvious, but their ease of manoeuvrability is one of the principal advantages of a Mini Excavator over larger diggers. Mini Diggers weight of anywhere between 0.8 tonnes and 8 tonnes, with some going up to 10 tonnes. Bucket sizes generally vary between 12 and 24 inches wide. Some are actually to fit through a doorway. This allows for the possibility of them being used to speed up interior building renovations, where it’s unlikely a full-size digger could be safely operated (or even gain access to begin with). For the same reason, it also means that they are easier to use in underground environments.
Mini Diggers can be fitted with a range of attachments
As with larger excavators, Mini Diggers can be customised with different tools and attachments to suit the requirements of a given job. These include buckets, post-hole augers, flail attachments, rock breakers, and hedge trimmers.
Mini Diggers don’t take up much storage space
Whether you’re looking to accommodate your own Mini Digger or simply safely store on while on hire, Mini Diggers have a much lower footprint than full-sized plant machinery and as such are much easier to store without taking up much space. Their ease of manoeuvrability also means they can be safely put into nooks and crannies that larger vehicles won’t fit.
Transporting a Mini Digger is easy
Transporting a large excavator usually requires the use of a large flatbed truck. Mini Diggers can simply be transported on a suitable flatbed trailer by a driver with the appropriate license and appropriate vehicle. This makes moving them from site to site a lot more flexible and without requiring a large lorry and driver.
Mini Diggers are easy to use
All machinery should be handled with care and proper training, however, when it comes to Mini Diggers there is a lot less training involved than with standard-sized excavators. Mini Digger controls are easy to use, being a lot less complex than those on larger machinery.
Mini Diggers can be used for more than just digging
Despite their name, Mini Diggers can be used for a variety of applications beyond excavating. They can be used for lifting, allowing them to double as small cranes or forklifts in some situations. With suitable attachments (as referred to earlier), Mini Diggers can also be used for rock breaking, pole installation, brushing, and hedge trimming.
Mini Diggers create less noise
Noise pollution is a big concern for site works these days. By their very nature, Mini Diggers create less noise than larger diggers. This makes for a more pleasant working environment, particularly in situations where the Mini Digger is being used in a residential area or close to offices.
Mini Diggers can be used on domestic projects too
Mini Diggers can really come into their own on domestic projects, such as a garden renovation, or even building interior renovations in some situations.
Mini Diggers are available for hire
Depending on your project, you may not require a Mini Digger full-time. That’s ok, Mini Diggers can be hired out at very affordable fees for as long as you require, after which you simply them return to the hiring company, such as ourselves at Power Plant Hire.
We hope that this article has given you some insight into the world of Mini Diggers and their many applications and advantages. As mentioned, Power Plant Hire can provide Mini Diggers for your project; we can supply Mini Excavators from leading brands such as Yanmar, Caterpillar, JCB, Kubota, and Hitachi. Our experienced team will be happy to advise on the best Mini Digger to suit your needs. Call us on 053 923 5003 or drop our team an email at sales@powerplant.ie.
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