I am in the market for a mini excavator. I honestly know very little about them and would appreciate some help.
First of all, I will say that I do not do construction for a living and never will. This machine will be used at my home, farm, and rental properties for various tasks. The first need is to excavate a hillside at my home for a retaining wall project. I will then be using it to dig a pool. I will probably use it to get a few stumps up, etc. but overall it will be general miscellaneous use
I have been looking at the compact excavators and would appreciate some guidance. Aside from reach and dig depth, what are the differences I should be looking for when deciding between models? I don't have a specific use like I said above so I am looking for versatility. Within the compact class, do they all dig about equally as well within their reach/depth? Is there a certain horsepower I need? Does horsepower correlate to bucket size I can use? I just need some starting points to narrow down my search.
My next question is new vs. used. I have the means to buy new, but feel silly doing so since I will not be using it very often so chances are I will never wear the machine out. You could argue that I will maintain good value since my machine would have low hours but you could also argue to get a much cheaper machine that even if it has significant hours on it, I will never wear it out.
If I do go with a used machine, how many hours should I tolerate? What is the typical expected lifespan in hours of one of these machines? (I know that will vary) Where is the best place to find used machines? I don't see much on craigslist and the local dealers have a very limited selection. I have found some decent looking machines on machinerytrader.com
Lastly, are there brands I definitely should look for or definitely stay away from? I know everyone will have their favorites and their passions, but are there any agreed upon generalizations about certain brands?
Thanks in advance for your help!
First of all, I will say that I do not do construction for a living and never will. This machine will be used at my home, farm, and rental properties for various tasks. The first need is to excavate a hillside at my home for a retaining wall project. I will then be using it to dig a pool. I will probably use it to get a few stumps up, etc. but overall it will be general miscellaneous use
I have been looking at the compact excavators and would appreciate some guidance. Aside from reach and dig depth, what are the differences I should be looking for when deciding between models? I don't have a specific use like I said above so I am looking for versatility. Within the compact class, do they all dig about equally as well within their reach/depth? Is there a certain horsepower I need? Does horsepower correlate to bucket size I can use? I just need some starting points to narrow down my search.
My next question is new vs. used. I have the means to buy new, but feel silly doing so since I will not be using it very often so chances are I will never wear the machine out. You could argue that I will maintain good value since my machine would have low hours but you could also argue to get a much cheaper machine that even if it has significant hours on it, I will never wear it out.
If I do go with a used machine, how many hours should I tolerate? What is the typical expected lifespan in hours of one of these machines? (I know that will vary) Where is the best place to find used machines? I don't see much on craigslist and the local dealers have a very limited selection. I have found some decent looking machines on machinerytrader.com
Lastly, are there brands I definitely should look for or definitely stay away from? I know everyone will have their favorites and their passions, but are there any agreed upon generalizations about certain brands?
Thanks in advance for your help!