Types of Excavators

Last updated January 27,

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Xiangyao.

Excavators are crucial at worksites as heavy construction vehicles equipped with arms and buckets for digging and earth-moving tasks. Excavation equipment comes in a variety of sizes and models for jobs that include construction, demolition and residential property improvements.

This guide reviews the different sizes and types of excavators as well as how to choose an excavator.

RENT EXCAVATING EQUIPMENT TODAY

Table of Contents

1. Factors to Consider When Choosing an Excavator

2. Excavating Equipment Classifications

3. Types of Excavators

4. More Tools. More Products. More Perks.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Excavator

Before choosing a digging machine for a job, determine the tasks you need to accomplish such as excavating trenches or lifting different types of material. Choose your excavator based on the following specifications.

• Bucket capacity: Determine the size of the bucket based on the weight and volume of material you will need to move for the job.
• Lift capacity: Determine the excavator’s safe lift capacity based on the material weight and how high you need to lift it.
• Digging depth: Determine the maximum depth the job requires the excavator to dig, as well as the reach provided by the parts of the excavator.
• Engine power: Make sure the engine and hydraulic systems are large and powerful enough for heavy-duty jobs.
• Vehicle weight: Confirm that the excavator has the right weight for both the job and the site conditions. Excavators that are too light can increase safety risks when moving large loads, while ones that are too heavy can damage your worksite.
• Worksite location: Crowded residential properties may need smaller, more maneuverable vehicles. Flat vs. uneven terrain also require different types of equipment.

Pro Tip: When determining the bucket and lift capacity for a job, be sure to consider if the type of materials makes a difference, as a fine material such as sand may have different requirements than large chunks of concrete. Choose attachments with right specifications for the job.

Excavating Equipment Classifications

A useful way to classify excavation equipment is by size. These are the different excavator sizes.

• Compact and mini excavators are smaller models that can both weigh up to 13,000 lb. and are suitable for tighter, more confined spaces. Mini excavators tend to be smaller and lighter than compact models. Both are fuel efficient but neither have the reach, lift capacity or digging depth of larger equipment.
• Mid-sized or “midi” excavators weigh between 15,400-22,000 lb. and have greater reach, power and digging depth than smaller versions.
• Standard excavators, also called “crawlers,” weigh between 22,000 and 99,000 lb. and are the most common excavators in construction. Unlike smaller models they can have hydraulic attachments but need more space to move.
• Large excavators can weigh up to 200,000 lb. and are designed for the most heavy-duty jobs. They require oversized trailers and trucks for transportation and can potentially damage a less durable worksite surface.

The following are the different types of mini excavators:

• 1-ton mini excavators have a maximum width of less than three feet, making them ideal for small job sites with narrow entrances.
• 1.5-2-ton mini excavators are used for heavy-duty landscaping and demolition jobs. With a maximum reach of up to 14 feet in select models, they can work on a large area without having to adjust the position of the equipment.
• 2.5-3-ton mini excavators can take on such tough jobs as foundation and demolition work. They come standard with a 24-inch bucket.
• 3.5-4-ton mini excavators are able to reach a maximum dig depth of 11 feet and provide significant support to most jobs.

Pro Tip: Before transporting your excavator to the job site, check all relevant local laws and regulations regarding the vehicle’s weight, width, length and height.

Types of Excavators

Most excavator models have a full range of rotation and buckets that face toward the operator. The following are the major types of excavators.

• Crawler excavators run on tracks, making them better for jobs on softer surfaces, hills or uneven terrain. They are slower than other models, but their balance and stability make them effective for landscape grading.
• Wheeled excavators are faster and more maneuverable on asphalt and other flat surfaces, allowing them to finish jobs more quickly. They are effective for roadwork but are less secure on uneven terrain.
• Dragline excavators use a long boom arm and cables to drag a bucket across a surface and gather materials. This larger, specialized excavator is primarily used for road excavations, pile driving and underwater jobs.
• Suction or vacuum excavators use a high-pressure suction pipe to remove soil or debris in cleanup applications. They are useful for delicate digging jobs such as excavating near buried utilities, but the narrow pipe makes them impractical for larger jobs.
• Skid steer excavators, also called skid steers, have booms and buckets that face away from operators, giving them more precision in narrow areas. Their maneuverability makes them ideal for crowded residential worksites.
• Long-reach excavators have arms that can reach 40-100 feet, making them ideal for digging in locations that are otherwise inaccessible. They are also common in demolition jobs but are difficult to use in tight places.
• Backhoe excavators, also called backhoe loaders, are designed with a digging bucket and arm on one end and a front loader for pushing on the other. Backhoes can be fitted with more attachments than standard excavators.

Pro Tip: Most wheeled excavators can be driven on city streets and do not need separate transportation to the job site. However, always consult your local city and county codes.

More Tools. More Products. More Perks.

Be more competitive and boost your bottom line with Pro Xtra, The Home Depot’s loyalty program built for Pros. Sign up today to access the enhanced Pro Online Experience, built with the online business tools and time-saving features Pros need.

Use our large equipment rental services for access to heavy-duty equipment for construction jobs.

Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, arm, bucket, and cab on a rotating superstructure atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. These machines are used mainly for digging purposes as well as various lifting and carrying tasks in various applications. Together with special tools such as hydraulic breakers, cutters, shears, grapples, couplers, etc. at the end of the various boom and arm configurations, excavators can complete a wider range of jobs. They vary in size depending on what you’re using them for and what you're aiming for, such as productivity, fuel efficiency, and multi-functional purposes. Each size has its own purpose, and some are highly specialized.

In this article, we are going to dig a little deeper into the different excavator types and what their respective purposes are.

Types of excavator

1. Crawler excavators

Also known as general-purpose excavators, they have a bucket, boom, and arm to the front of the machine. This kind comes in a variety of sizes. It’s an all-around excavator which means it can be used to dig sites, demolish structures and surfaces, carry out trenching, and lift heavy objects.

2. Wheeled excavators

Wheeled excavators are general-purpose excavators. The main difference is that instead of running on tracks, they run on wheels. An advantage of a wheeled excavator is that it can be driven from one job site to another even on a road, while crawler excavators running on tracks are usually carried on a trailer for long-distance travel. This way is much more convenient, and it saves more time and cost for the company.

3. Short swing radius excavators

This is one more variation on a general-purpose excavator, with the same level of performance and usage but a short swing radius superstructure, which offers many benefits in urban and confined areas. Both crawler and wheeled types are available.

4. Long-reach excavators

Long reach excavators are the last general-purpose excavators in our series. These machines have an extended boom and arm which give a longer working range for tasks quite away from the machine that is hard to reach such as underwater digging, deep trenching, and the location of utility pipes at such a depth as to resist freezing temperatures.

5. Backhoe loaders

Another machine that you would commonly see on construction sites is the backhoe loader. It is also often used for landscaping and mining. A large bucket or blade is attached to the front of the machine and a boom, arm, and bucket at the back. The bucket or blade of the backhoe loader is used to level or push surfaces with miles of materials such as soil. The boom and arm at the back have the same purpose as a general-purpose excavator, but instead of being able to rotate 360 degrees, it only rotates about 205 degrees.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Used Hyundai Excavator. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Type of excavator attachment tool

Before we identify the different excavator sizes, we must know the different attachment tools first.

Attachment tools are used with excavators to maximize work performance and utilization depending on the type of task that needs to be performed.

Bucket

This is the most common tool for excavators. Different types of buckets have different purposes: a slim bucket is typically used for digging, while wide or smooth ones are ideal for scooping or carrying objects.

Thumb

This attachment increases the capacity of an excavator bucket. Thumbs help secure and strengthen the grip while excavating larger objects.

Augers

This attachment is usually used in landscaping and construction. Augers are supported by hydraulic spiral blades and allow the excavator to dig holes quickly and more conveniently.

Hydraulic breaker

Hydraulic breaker attachments (also known as hammers) are used to break or demolish structures, pavements, or other solid surfaces. This can be used to make the demolition quicker.

Shears

Shears are the ideal tool for demolishing buildings and steel structures, as well as for scrap and recycling applications, such as cutting metal beams, sheets, and wires.

Hydraulic quick coupler

Hydraulic quick couplers are used for efficiency. This attachment enables the excavator to switch from one tool to another, without the help of a crew to change it manually.

Ripper

Similar to the hydraulic breaker, this speeds up the demolition of structures. Rippers are what you can use to tear through strong materials. This attachment can be used in all conditions. It can even be used to tear through frozen surfaces.

Tilt-rotator

Traditionally tilt-rotators have only been used in Nordic countries but now they are becoming popular globally. It is a connection between the end of the arm and the attachment tool that enables it to rotate 360 degrees and tilt +-45 degrees. A grapple function is also included. This enables the excavator to complete a broad range of tasks in various conditions.

Now that we’ve discussed the different types and attachment tools of excavators, let’s identify the different sizes of excavators and what they’re used for.

Excavator size classifications

1. Compact excavators- Mini/ Midi size

Also known as mini excavators, compact excavators are typically used for projects in tight or small areas. These machines can move around in small spaces and perfect for landscaping projects such as digging holes for trees. They have little to no tail swing, which makes this machine easy to manoeuver around buildings or structures. Compact excavators are good for precise digging.

• Mini excavators - Weighing less than five metric tons, they are much easier to transport, requiring less fuel for the truck or trailer, and since they are lighter and smaller in size, they can be used in softer terrain without tearing the ground or damaging pavements. These may not be as powerful as standard excavators, but they are much more convenient for smaller projects that require a small amount of lifting or hauling, and greater precision.

• Midi excavators – These usually weigh between five and ten metric tons. The difference between mini and midi excavators is the power and capacity. A midi excavator tends to have a little bit more of both compared to a mini excavator.

2. General-purpose excavators - Medium

This is the most common size of an excavator. Most medium excavators are suitable for any task, and they usually support any type of attachment tool. They are powerful machines, more than enough to lift or haul large materials for any project.

 Weighing between five and twenty-five metric tons, they are still easy to manoeuver but could damage the soft ground or already finished projects. Depending on the size, some general-purpose excavators may also have problems when used in confined areas because of their tail swing. These usually weigh between ten and twenty-five metric tons. Medium excavators are typically used on most construction sites.

3. General-purpose excavators - Large

Large excavators are heavy-duty machines fit for projects that require a lot of power and a larger hauling capacity. They are often used on commercial construction sites and large demolition projects such as shopping malls and large-scale buildings.

Weighing more than twenty-five metric tons, large excavators can be difficult to deal with when it comes to transporting and storing, but if you usually have large projects that need heavy lifting or have big demolition projects, then this is the most appropriate size for you to use.

These are the things you need to consider before purchasing an excavator. Each size and type of excavator has its individual purpose, as well as the attachment tools. Whether in landscaping, hauling, or construction projects, this complete guide will help you identify what kind of excavator you need for your upcoming projects.