How to Compare Mini Excavator Sizes Without Being Sold the Wrong Machine

Two compact excavators can look identical on paper and behave completely differently on site. One will dig to 2.4 m and the other to 2.1 m despite both being sold as "2 tonne". One will run an auger cleanly and the other will stall it. The difference is almost never the badge — it is which numbers you compared, and whether you compared them under the same conditions.

This is a practical method for comparing compact excavator sizes without relying on a seller's summary. It works whether you are comparing two machines from the same dealer or three quotes from different manufacturers, and it takes about twenty minutes per machine.

Start With the Question the Seller Will Not Ask

Before opening a spec sheet, write down your three non-negotiables. For most buyers they are access width, required dig depth and transport weight. Everything else is preference, and preferences are where sellers steer the conversation.

• Access: the narrowest opening you must pass through, minus 100 mm of margin.
• Depth: the deepest recurring task, plus 200–300 mm of margin.
• Transport: the maximum combined weight your vehicle and trailer can legally move.

With those three numbers written down, most of the market is eliminated immediately, and the comparison becomes manageable.

Step 1: Normalise the Weight Figures

Weight is quoted three different ways, and mixing them up is the single most common comparison error.

If a quote gives only one figure, ask which one it is. A machine quoted at "1,750 kg" shipping weight may be closer to 1,900 kg ready to work, which is the number that matters for your trailer.

Step 2: Compare Depth and Reach Under the Same Conditions

Manufacturers quote maximum dig depth with a standard arm, a specific bucket and the machine level. Long-arm variants, tilt buckets and quick couplers all change the real figure. When comparing two machines, check:

1. Whether both figures use the standard arm or a long-arm option.
2. Whether the bucket is the same width — wider buckets dig slightly shallower.
3. Whether a quick coupler is fitted, which adds length but also adds weight.
4. Whether reach is quoted at ground level or at maximum height, since these differ substantially.

A difference of 150 mm in published depth is usually within the noise of these conditions. A difference of 400 mm is real and worth paying for.

Step 3: Test the Hydraulics, Not Just the Digging Numbers

Hydraulic capability is where compact machines of similar size diverge most, and it is the specification most often omitted from a headline comparison. Two numbers matter:

• Auxiliary flow, in litres per minute. This determines which attachments the machine can run and how fast they cycle.
• System pressure. This determines breakout force and how much load the hydraulics can move before relief.

If you intend to run a breaker, auger, tilt bucket or grapple, get the flow figure in writing and compare it against the attachment's requirement. A machine with marginal flow will run the attachment slowly, overheat, or both — and no amount of dig depth compensates for that.

Step 4: Check Stability and Lift at Working Radius

Maximum lift figures are quoted at minimum radius, where the machine is strongest. Real lifting happens further out. Ask for rated lift at the radius you actually work at — typically 2–3 m for compact machines placing pipes or slabs.

Stability also depends on the undercarriage. A machine with a wider extended track gauge will outlift a narrower one of identical weight, particularly over the side. If lifting matters in your work, compare:

• Track gauge in the extended position.
• Whether the machine has a dozer blade, which acts as an outrigger when lowered.
• Whether additional counterweight is available as an option.

Step 5: Compare What You Get, Not Just the Machine

Two quotes for the "same size" machine can differ by a meaningful amount once the package is itemised. Put them side by side:

A machine that looks more expensive until itemised is often cheaper once you add the attachments and support you would otherwise buy separately.

Warning Signs During the Comparison

• The seller cannot produce a written spec sheet. Walk away; verbal figures are not comparable or enforceable.
• Depth is quoted without the arm configuration. Meaningless without it.
• Weight is quoted as a round model number. Ask for the measured operating weight.
• No mention of hydraulic flow. Suggests attachment running was not considered.
• Prices compared without delivery, duty or PDI. The landed figure is the only one that matters.

A Five-Minute Comparison Routine

1. Write your three non-negotiables: access, depth, transport.
2. Get a written spec sheet for each machine, not a summary.
3. Normalise weight to operating weight.
4. Compare depth and reach with the same arm and bucket assumption.
5. Confirm auxiliary flow against the attachments you will run.
6. Compare rated lift at working radius, not at minimum radius.
7. Itemise the package, then compare landed prices.

Run that routine and the correct machine usually becomes obvious. Sellers are not usually misleading deliberately — but they will answer the question you ask, and if you ask "how big is it" you will get a model number instead of a number that means something.

All machines in the mini excavator collection publish full written specification — operating weight, dig depth, reach, hydraulic flow and included equipment — so comparisons can be made properly, including between the SDLE20 and the larger SDLE32.