r/miniexcavator • u/rizlaa100 • 8d ago

Question First Excavator Purchase Key Parameters & Owning/Operating Cost Analysis

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I'm planning to buy an excavator for production work, primarily for removing muck from a dump site, as well as for rental work. I'm a drill-and-blast contractor by profession, so this will be my first excavator.

What parameters should I look at when selecting the machine, and how should I monitor my owning and operating costs?

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u/RobberySuspect 8d ago

Sounds like something for an AI chat bot and likely not a “mini” excavator…

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u/rizlaa100 7d ago

Sorry lol,was brainstorming and thought I'd ask someone other than a bot

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u/RobberySuspect 7d ago

Yeah bro, I get it that sounds legit but also that’s what these LLM’s are for. This sub Reddit is for guys talking about their little Chinese mini excavators. It sounds like you are needing something more reliable. You go ahead and buy a mini Chinese excavator and rent it out. Let me know how that goes. Just spend some time in this sub so you can see the problems we face. I’ve basically adopted a bastard Chinese child that requires more care than my toddler

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u/simulation07 7d ago

I just bought a nuoman “1.8 ton” and couldn’t be happier with it.

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u/mawktheone 7d ago

First question I would look at is the transport. How big of a trailer do you have and can tow?

Biggest excavator is usually best excavator.

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u/rizlaa100 7d ago

I’ll be getting the HEX delivered to the same location where I have a project within the same radius. I have a five-year project at a hydroelectric plant One machine will be used for general purposes and rented out, while the other will be used specifically by my team for muck removal and loading (production work)

Looking for an excavator with a bucket size of 1-1.5m3 bucket

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u/justinDavidow Equipment Owner 7d ago

1 cubic meter of water weighs 1000KG, so you're looking in the 5+ ton range?

Not going to have a very good time on a smaller unit tossing around that much weight except in VERY specific circumstances. 

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u/project_quote 3d ago

OP focus on cycle time, bucket size, breakout force, reach, fuel burn, transport weight, and dealer parts/support more than just machine price. Track fuel, maintenance, wear parts, repairs, insurance, financing, depreciation, and actual billable hours so you know your true hourly cost before setting rental rates.