7 Ways to Compare Excavators Before You Buy

Dealers are not dishonest, but they answer the question you ask. Ask "is this a good machine" and you will get a yes. Ask the seven questions below and you will get information you can actually use to choose between machines — including from competing sellers.

These are seven practical ways to compare excavators before you buy. None of them requires specialist knowledge, and all of them work on a phone call or an email before you ever see the machine.

1. Compare the Written Spec Sheet, Not the Brochure

A brochure sells. A spec sheet states. Before comparing anything, insist on the full technical specification for each machine you are considering, in writing, from the manufacturer rather than the reseller.

Check specifically that it includes: operating weight, transport width in both track positions, transport height, maximum dig depth, reach at ground level, dump height, auxiliary hydraulic flow, and rated lift. If any of those is missing, the comparison cannot be completed properly.

2. Ask for Depth With the Arm You Will Actually Get

Many compact machines are offered with a standard arm and a long-arm variant. Published depth usually refers to the standard arm, but quoted stock is sometimes the long-arm version — which is deeper, and weaker in breakout.

Ask which configuration the quoted machine has, and get the depth figure for that configuration specifically.

3. Test the Hydraulics Against Your Attachments

This is the single most useful comparison question, and the one most buyers skip. List the attachments you intend to run, find each one's required flow, then compare against the machine's auxiliary hydraulic output.

• Augers and light breakers need modest flow.
• Larger breakers, tilt buckets and rotating grapples need considerably more.
• If the machine's flow is marginal, the attachment will run slowly and generate heat.

Ask whether the auxiliary circuit is single- or double-acting, whether it is proportional, and whether it can be switched from the cab. These determine how pleasant the machine is to work with, not just whether it functions.

4. Get Lift Figures at the Radius You Work At

Manufacturers publish maximum lift at minimum radius, where the machine is strongest. Real work happens further out. Ask the seller for the rated lift at 2 m and at 3 m radius, over the front and over the side.

The side figure is usually well below the front figure, and that asymmetry is what catches operators out. If you regularly place pipes or slabs beside the machine, the side rating is the one that governs your work.

5. Compare the Package, Line by Line

Two quotes for similar machines can differ substantially once equipment is itemised. Make the seller list, in writing:

1. Buckets included, and their widths.
2. Whether a quick coupler is fitted, and whether it is hydraulic or mechanical.
3. Which auxiliary circuits are fitted.
4. Warranty period, and what it excludes.
5. Delivery, duty, and pre-delivery inspection.
6. Whether operator training or handover is included.
7. Spare parts stocked locally, with lead time for common wear items.

Then compare landed totals. A machine that appears more expensive is very often cheaper once buckets, coupler and delivery are added to the other quote.

6. Ask What Fails, and How It Gets Fixed

Every model has known weak points. Sellers who service what they sell know them. Ask directly:

• Which parts fail most often on this model?
• Which of those parts are stocked locally, and which have to be ordered?
• What is the typical lead time on a hydraulic hose or a track set?
• Is there a service engineer within reasonable distance?

A seller who answers these confidently and specifically is usually a better long-term proposition than one offering a marginally lower price. Downtime costs more than the discount.

7. Run a Paid Demo, or Hire Before You Buy

The best comparison is the one done on your own work. If the seller will not demo, hire the same class of machine for a week from a rental fleet and run it on a real job.

What you learn in a week of real work that no spec sheet tells you:

• Whether the machine fits through the gates you actually face.
• Whether it reaches far enough to avoid constant repositioning.
• Whether the controls suit the people who will operate it.
• Whether visibility is adequate for the sites you work on.
• Whether your vehicle and trailer handle it comfortably.

A week's hire is a small fraction of the machine's cost and eliminates most of the risk of choosing wrongly.

Questions That Should Raise Concern

Putting the Seven Together

Run all seven on each machine you are seriously considering, write the answers down in one table, and the comparison largely makes itself. Most buyers find that two of the seven eliminate machines outright, and the remaining five narrow the field to one.

Every listing in the mini excavator collection publishes the written specification these questions require — operating weight, dig depth, reach, hydraulic flow and included equipment — including on the SDLE12 and the SDLE30.