Mini Excavators can be used for various purposes such as digging holes, home renovating tasks, gardening, moving debris, and much more. You can use this mini digger for various purposes and tasks. But how much mini excavator can dig in a day?
An average mini excavator can dig around 153 to 229 cubic meters (200-300 cubic yards) daily. A mini digger of about 3000-4000 Ibs. can dig to almost 8ft. The 5-ton machine can dig around 15 ft.
But, there are a lot of factors that impact the digging capacity of your mini digger. These factors are the type of soil, excavator’s size, operator’s experience, and the actual time you give to digging.
Factors Impacting the Digging Capacity of Mini Excavator:
You can get a rough idea of how much your mini digger can dig in a day by considering various factors. You should keep these factors in your mind while buying or renting a mini excavator.
- Soil Type:
If your soil is soft and loose, your machine can dig easily into it. It will dig more swiftly on soft ground than on the hard or rocky ground. If your ground is hard, wet, muddy, or has rocks; your machine digging capacity will be less there. It will take more time and effort to dig on such ground.
For hard ground, it is best if you will soften it by using some other tools before digging it through a mini excavator.
- Mini Excavator Bucket Size:
A bucket is one of the mini excavator attachments that are used to dig and move the soil from one place to another. It is attached to an arm and has teeth for digging purposes. The arm helps to move the bucket to the place where it has to dump the soil.
Different mini diggers have different bucket sizes and they have different capacities to dig and move the soil. The size of the bucket is directly proportional to the size of a mini excavator.
Some machines have a bucket capacity of 0.5 cubic yards, and some hydraulic mini diggers have a 0.7 cubic yards capacity.
- Mini Excavator Engine Power:
The engine power does matter whether you are digging in soft soil or hard soil. If the engine has more power, the digging capacity of a mini excavator in a day will be more.
On average, the micro excavator has an engine power of 10-19 kW. But, some can have more powerful engines for hard soil.
- Mini Excavator Size:
The size of the mini digger also affects its digging capacity. For example, a small 2.7 to 3 tons machine can be ideal for some DIY projects, while 8.1 to 14 tons are best for bigger projects and digging deeper.
Also, the length of your mini excavator arm can decide how much deeper your machine can dig. The longer arms can dig deep, say 2 to 3 feet more, than the short arms.
- Operator’s Experience:
An experienced operator can dig double that of a non-experienced operator. New or non-experienced operators will find it difficult to understand the machine’s operating system, and it can impact the digging capacity of the mini digger.
To find out how much time a mini excavator will take to dig the hole, you have to estimate how much time it will take to complete a cycle. Some experienced operators can complete the cycle in two minutes, hence enhancing the productivity of mini diggers.
- The time you give to Digging:
Time also impacts the digging capacity of micro excavators. If you give 6 hours to digging in a day, you can easily dig around 250 cubic yards. Of course, other elements also matter in it. If the whole situation is favourable, your 6-hour timing to digging will give you great results.
Does the Digging Capacity of a Mini Excavator vary by excavator type or brand?
The digging capacity of excavators varies more because of their types than due to their brands.
We have seen that the mini excavator digging capacity varies because of the size and engine. Different excavators are designed for different purposes. They vary from each other because they differ in types, not due to their brand specification.
For example, mini diggers are designed for small or home-based projects. If you want to attain a bigger project, you should have large excavators.
Different types of excavators have almost similar brand specifications, so they don’t affect the excavator’s digging capacity much.
How can you Dig more with a Mini Excavator?
There are various tips that you should keep in your mind if you want to enhance the digging capacity of your mini excavator. If you want to dig more with your mini excavator in a day, you should keep these safety tips in your mind.
- Follow the Safety Techniques:
When you rent a compact excavator, you should know how to operate a mini excavator. There is a safety manual and warning stickers on the mini excavator which you should read before operating it.
You should also avoid going too close to the soil you are digging. Avoid digging in the hard soil which is not getting soft with your bucket. Avoid overloading your bucket. Keep these points in your mind to dig more in a day.
- Follow Digging Techniques:
Every mini excavator has its capacity and you should use it according to its operating capacity. You should load the bucket as much as your machine can bear.
Overloading the bucket will impact your excavator’s speed. Also, you should know how deep your excavator can dig. With some practice and experience, you will be able to know the digging capacity of your machine. Dig that much deeper that your excavator can execute. Trying to dig deeper than its capability will impact the machine and your digging project.
- Use the right excavator:
Every excavator works differently. You should know which type of excavator you need for your digging project. Assess your work and the digging capacity of each excavator before renting or choosing the excavator for your project.
As we have already discussed, different types of excavators are manufactured for different projects. You should know which type of excavator is for which type of project. In this way, you will be able to select the right excavator.
How to choose the right Mini Excavator for your digging project?
You are going to rent a mini excavator for your digging project. There are certain elements you should keep in your mind before renting the machine.
- Hole’s depth:
You should know your digging depth before choosing the compact excavator. If you want to dig deeper, you should need a heavy machine with a heavy engine and more bucket size.
But if you want a mini excavator for simple projects, you can have a small and lightweight mini digger.
- Mini Excavator’s Operating Weight:
From the excavator’s information plate, you can know the mini excavator’s operating weight. This weight will determine how much load your machine can take and how much pressure it will place on the ground.
For example, if your machine’s operating weight is 3 tons, it can only lift 3 tons or less weight in its bucket. So, you should know what type of weight you want your machine to lift before choosing it. If you think that your mini digger’s operating weight is suitable for your digging project, then take it.
- Area:
Your area does impact the digging capacity of your mini excavator. If you want your digging project to take place in a compact place, you should take a machine that has a small size and reduced “boom and tail” swing.
If your micro excavator’s swing is zero, your boom will not move beyond your machine’s tracking. And if the swing is less, the arm will extend only a few inches.
You should choose the type of mini excavator that will not smash things around you while you are digging.
- Bucket Dump Height:
The bucket dump height will impact the force a mini excavator can exert on the ground. It also determines how much a bucket can lift and dump the soil.
Compact excavators with more bucket breakout force are suitable for bigger digging projects. They can lift a lot of soil and can move them to other places too. It will also exert more pressure on the ground, making the digging speed increase.
You should choose the bucket height according to your digging project. If your project is large, you should go for a standard excavator rather than a mini excavator.
- Arm’s Reach:
Mini excavators with long arms can extend up to 20 ft. This will be helpful if you want to dig deeper. In your large projects, you can dig deeper into the ground while remaining on a surface level.
This is also suitable for those types of projects in which you have to dig one hole and have to refill the other hole at the same time. So, determine your arm’s reach according to your digging project.
Wrap Up:
Mini Excavators are amazing machines that have a long lifespan, they are cheap, easily available, and suitable for different digging projects. They can dig deeper and for a long time if you will choose the right micro excavator for your digging project.
Various factors impact how much a mini excavator can dig in a day. You should keep those factors and elements in your mind while digging the hole and choosing the excavator for your project. There are certain safety measures that you should take to enhance the productivity of your machine.
If you want to know more about compact excavators or want to rent any for your digging project, you can contact us for details. We will be happy to assist you.