A mini excavator runs from about 28 inches wide in the 1 ton class to roughly 90 inches at 8 tons, with the popular 3 to 4 ton machines sitting near 66 to 72 inches. Width, not weight or dig depth, is what usually decides which machine you can actually have, because a machine that cannot reach the work is no use however well it digs.
Class by class, in inches
A 1 ton micro narrows to roughly 28 to 36. A 1.5 to 2 ton machine sits near 39 to 45. The 3 ton class, the one most yards default to, runs about 60 to 66, and 4 to 5 ton machines land near 70 to 78. At 8 tons you are near 90 inches and no longer fitting through anything domestic.
The tightest point is rarely the gate
People measure the gate and forget the rest of the route. Meter boxes, downpipes, a gas riser, an air conditioning condenser, a low branch, a wall that leans, a gate post set out of square: any of them can be the narrow point. Walk the whole path with a tape and write down the smallest number you find.
Retractable undercarriage buys a few inches
Machines in the 1 to 2 ton range usually have tracks that draw in for travel and spread for work, and the spec sheet quotes both figures. Use the narrow one only to pass the obstacle. Digging on retracted tracks with the boom out to the side is how these machines end up on their side.
Three more dimensions that stop a machine
Height over the canopy or cab, typically 90 to 100 inches, catches carports and low garage openings. Stowed length decides whether it can turn a corner in a side passage. Tail swing decides whether it can work against a wall at all, which is why zero and reduced tail swing machines exist.
Questions people ask about how wide is a mini excavator
What is the narrowest excavator I can hire?
Around 28 inches, in the 1 ton micro class with the tracks retracted. Below that you are into walk behind trenchers and hand tools. If your access is narrower than that, plan the job around a machine sitting outside and reaching in.
Does the bucket make it wider?
It can. A digging bucket is usually narrower than the tracks, but a grading or ditching bucket often is not, and it is fitted crosswise on the machine as it travels. Ask for the machine to arrive with the narrow bucket on and the wide one loose.
Will a 3 ton fit down the side of a house?
Only where the passage is comfortably over 66 inches clear, which is wider than most. A typical side passage takes a 1.5 ton machine and not a 3 ton. Where the job needs 3 ton reach and the access is tight, the usual answer is a smaller machine and more days.
How wide does the gate need to be for a 1.5 ton?
About 45 inches of clear opening is comfortable, and 42 is tight but done every week. Measure between the posts with the gate removed, and check the ground at the threshold, since a step or a raised edge costs you clearance the tape did not show.