If you have a business within the trade, construction or mining sector you will understand the need for increased optimisation This often translates into the right equipment for a particular job – whether that be big or small. Mini excavators fill a specific niche that should not be underestimated for the overall benefit of your business.

Here’s how a mini excavator equals increased productivity and efficiency in the enterprise sense.

Multitasking like a boss

If you are looking for an excavator for sale there are undoubtedly many choices on the market, but why should you go with a mini variant, you may ask? Well, it may be mini by name but it will prove a multitasker by nature – these versatile and compact machines are capable of performing the workload of a dozen or more skilled manual labourers.

They say ‘many hands makes light work’, but a mini excavator really ups the ante on this old chestnut by multiskilling like a boss. Most importantly, they drastically reduce the toll and expenditure associated with paying the extra wages that your business really can’t afford.

Swiss army knives of the construction world

Using the Kubota K008-3 as the perfect example of a mini excavator for sale, we have a piece of machinery that is capable of being fitted with multiple attachments all at once. By swapping out the regular scoop for forks, hydraulic rock grabbers skid steer buckets, sieves and brush cutters you have the versatility to tackle a massive array of tasks.

Also, by using different blade attachments mini excavators can actually perform in a similar fashion to a bulldozer. They can easily level out a site by utilising their hydraulic arm. In this way, mini excavators are akin to the swiss-army knives of the construction world.

A beast with less of a thirst

The thing about mini excavators is that they are amazingly fuel efficient. Contrast this to the massive gas guzzlers that are heavy duty excavators and you have an obvious advantage, particularly when it comes to your hip pocket. A mini excavator is your ‘beast with less of a thirst’ as they don’t require massive quantities of diesel fuel, like most other machines.

They are also much lighter and have the ability to be transported to and from building sites on most standard sized trailers. Most modern models are equipped with auto-idling technology to reduce fuel consumption and have been refined by technological advancements to make them more responsive, intuitive and user-friendly.

Cycle time is king

This brings us to the next point, that getting to grips with your mini excavators features is key to enhancing your productivity. It is a common rule of thumb with excavators that cycle time is king. This refers to the total time from beginning to end in your process – how long it takes you to use the machine for a task before you can get onto the next one.

To get the best performance from your machine and to operate at the most optimal level, you’ll need to aim for the fastest of cycle that you can possibly achieve. And, that is limited by your choice of equipment. Naturally, smaller machines have shorter cycle times as a heavy duty mass really slows things down.

For example, a 20-tonne machine normally will correspond with around a 10 second cycle time as contrasted with an 85-tonne machine that will usually result in a around an 18 second cycle time. So, being able to swap out to a mini excavator when the job is right can make a significant difference to your processes overall, as shorter cycle times reduce cost in line with production being enhanced.

But, first comes safety

It’s a crucial caveat to remember that all this talk of productivity and efficiency is nothing without ensuring you put safety first. Selecting reliable equipment that is in good repair and that is suitable for the task at hand is what it all comes down to when using a mini excavator.

Legal responsibilities and regulations take into account the safe operation of machinery and equipment, alongside other facets of the bigger picture – often related to the responsibilities and accountability of suppliers/installers and owners/managers/supervisors. This is all about managing risks in the workplace. Without this element, other considerations such as yields/capacity/costs can and should never prevail.

This is where the importance of quality assurance comes into play, be that in the form of reputable suppliers, regular and rigorous servicing and testing, solid warranties, extensive on-the-job training – basically whatever it takes to reduce the likelihood of incidents and injuries happening to your people.

Maverick machines

After reading this article, you may be wanting to rush out and get your hands on that next mini excavator for sale. And, we say ‘who can blame you?’ In reviewing the points above, do your research, understand attachments and features and always put safety first – in order to to really make the most of such a versatile piece of machinery.

In optimising capacity and reducing unnecessary expenditure we should acknowledge the critical role that equipment, tools and technology play in making this a reality. At the top of the list of maverick machinery is the mini-excavator, the very essence of which equals increased productivity and efficiency for your business.