Technologies associated with construction equipment have come a long way and in the current era, excavators do not just come in different sizes, but they also come with a range of technological features that have transformed these machines into the “Swiss Army Knife” for project managers. This ‘term’ is given to the excavator due to the versatility that these machines bring to construction sites as they are used for more than just digging earth and moving earth, they are also used to prep foundations, drill deep holes for foundation setting, handle material, flatten earth, excavate, grade, demolish or even crush concrete when required.
The sizes of these latest excavators in the market do not matter, as all of them are capable of these tasks regardless mini, small, standard or large excavators, the only difference is the volume and scale of the task cycles differ. This article examines a specific excavator which is the mini hydraulic excavators that have become immensely popular based on the volume of mini excavators that are taken for hire by project managers from construction equipment rental companies. The demand for mini excavator hires according to statistical reports has risen significantly over the last decade since their commercialisation and introduction into the construction sphere.
Mini hydraulic excavators are not only taken on rentals or hire by construction companies that need smaller sized excavators to manage ‘space issues’ in congested sites or urban areas where the close proximity of buildings and utility fixtures render larger excavators impractical. Mini excavators that range between 1 and 10 ton offer a series of advantages that range from efficiency, transportability and even manoeuvrability which is a critical element when construction projects do not have the luxury of space or in other words, limited space.
Mini excavators are able to access through very narrow paths and be able to work in confined spaces easily, this is possible due to the smaller frame of these mini hydraulic excavators and also the fact that some of these models are able to retract the tracks into the frame making them ‘thinner’ in terms of width to move through narrow or congested path. Other factors that make these machines advantageous includes their lower maintenance, lower operational costs in terms of consumption, purchase price and rental price in comparison to the rental prices of standard excavators or larger excavators.
With regards to the option of buying a mini hydraulic excavator and renting a mini hydraulic excavator, for small and medium sized enterprises, it is more practical for these companies to take these machines on hire. Hiring mini excavators lowers project costs in the long run as these machines cost an approximate $200 per day and given the fact that excavators are used sporadically within a project schedule, it is possible for construction companies to save on asset utilisation and be prudent with their project costs as opposed to buying an excavator and the transport required to move the excavator from one site to another.
Construction equipment rental companies generally provide transport via their drop off and pick up services which are standard.
