Compact or Mini Excavators are perfect for Confined Job Sites

Compact or mini excavators are light and powerful, convenient for contractors who need to have work done in restricted or narrow environments. They operate on tracks or wheels and offer a tight tail swing, designed to ensure great performance for both customers and the operators. Retro-fitting attachments for additional functionality add to their convenience.

Five core benefits of using Compact or Mini Excavators

The five attributes being considered when selecting this kind of excavator are:

1. Comfort
   The housing on the compact excavator contains the operator’s compartment, the engine compartment, hydraulic pump and distribution components. The house structure is attached to the top of the undercarriage via a swing bearing and, contrary to a conventional backhoe, is able to rotate (or slew) upon the undercarriage without limit. This is due to a hydraulic distribution valve which supplies oil to the undercarriage components. Komatsu is proud of the first-class comfort in the housing of their mini-excavators – just because the site may be small, this powerhouse need not be cramped.

2. Controllability
   This is an important feature for both experienced and novice operators alike. Equipment needs to have meticulous performance executed from the controls – this kind of excavator provides a finely-tuned response from the operator’s actions, allowing precision movements and sufficient power when excavating and digging. Because of the frequent use in space-limited conditions, excellent controllability is a major benefit.

3. Reliability
   Compact/mini excavators are perfect for residential and light commercial projects, as the machine can not only operate in a physically restricted area, but when it comes to breaking concrete, digging, grading, compacting and even picking/placing tactically, compact excavators offer more ways to complete the job. They are well used for landscaping, plumbing projects and general utility work.

4. Easy to Maintain
   Most yellow metal equipment these days provides on-board computer systems which have indicators for hours worked, scheduled maintenance and so on. Komatsu mini-excavators offer their KOMTRAX™ software, which allows owners/renters to monitor all the essential information about their Komatsu equipment directly on computer, smartphone or tablet. When the system is activated on a machine, the information collected by KOMTRAX™ is transmitted on a regular basis and is accessible through special access on the KOMTRAX™ website.

5. Performance
   Compact excavators, which vary between 5.8 and 8.2 tons of operating weight, offer impressive manoeuvrability and versatility, so that they can be used to adapt to numerous job requirements. For example, the primary function of the boom’s swing is to enable balanced digging around obstacles or along foundations or walls. A secondary use is moving in areas which may be too narrow for cab rotation. Independent boom swing is one of the major advantages of a compact excavator over other excavation equipment.

Using a compact excavator under special conditions

Compact or mini-excavators offer a great deal of benefit in a small ‘package’. Owners can provide more wide-ranging services because: 

1. this type of equipment has admirable versatility;
2. they will get more ‘bang for their buck’;
3. when contractors have to work in between large buildings or houses, the mini excavator comes into its own.

In addition to size being an advantage over larger, heavy-duty excavators, the compact or mini versions can work in complex areas. Their lighter footprint is perfect when one needs to be mindful of the physical impact equipment may have on roads, private areas or ecologically sensitive sites.

Ultimately, this type of hydraulic excavator is limited only by its dig depth and lifting capacity. They are renowned for being able to work all day, every day and as a general rule, projects requiring, for example, a trench approximately 3,5m deep or less are typically a good fit for compact excavators.

Mini-excavators can handle most jobs on a construction site, provided that the limitations of the excavator are not exceeded: load capacity should be established, as well as ensuring that the correct attachments are used.

Komatsu’s Mini-Excavators

With operating weights from 5.8 and 8.2 tonnes, Komatsu’s mini-excavators are remarkably versatile. Compact, light, and very powerful, they work anywhere, particularly in tight spaces. Perfectly suited to both end-users and rental companies, these machines offer excellent comfort and controllability for both seasoned and novice operators. Easy maintenance, and KOMTRAX™ standard on almost all models, guarantee a reduced total cost of ownership and an increased resale value.

Optional extras on these units include:

• Road liners, which combine the merits of rubber and the strength of steel in the new road liner shoes.
• Optional blade, which has a bolt-on cutting edge that enables a grading and dozing facility on one machine.
• Additional counterweight to assist with increased lifting capacity which is easy to install.

Compare Komatsu’s compact/mini excavators to make the best choice for the job at hand.