Mini ex sizes are quoted by operating weight in tons, and that single number predicts three things at once: how deep the machine digs, how much it lifts, and whether it fits the access you have. The one to two ton class squeezes through a garden gate, the three to four ton class is the general purpose machine most jobs want, and five to eight tons is footing and basement work.
Weight, width and the gate it has to pass
The smallest machines retract their tracks to around thirty inches and go through a side gate; a three ton unit needs roughly five feet and a five ton one considerably more. Measure the narrowest point on the route, including gate posts, meter boxes and the overhang of a fence, before the class is chosen. Access decides the size more often than the digging does.
Dig depth, and the harder question of reach
As a rough ladder, a one to two ton machine reaches around six to eight feet, a three ton around ten, and a five to eight ton machine twelve to fifteen. Depth is the easy check. Reach is the harder one, because a machine loses lifting capacity as the arm extends and a trench at the far side of a footing may be out of range.
Zero tail swing and working against a wall
A conventional machine's counterweight swings past the tracks, which means clearance behind it or a damaged wall. Zero and reduced tail swing units keep the rear inside the track width and cost a little more. Along a boundary, inside a garage footprint or beside a parked car, the reduced swing machine is the one that finishes without an incident.
A class up is often cheaper overall
The next size usually costs a modest amount more a day and moves considerably more material an hour, so on any job measured in yards the larger machine can work out cheaper. The exceptions are access, transport and ground damage, where the smaller unit wins outright. Settle the access first, then take the biggest size that fits it.
Questions people ask about mini ex sizes
What size mini excavator digs a footing?
For a residential strip footing at ordinary depths, a three to four ton machine with a two foot bucket is the common choice, and it can load spoil into a dumper as it goes. Deeper or wider footings, and hard ground, are where the five ton class earns the extra.
Will a mini ex fit through a 36 inch gate?
Only the smallest class. Machines around one to one and a half tons retract to roughly thirty inches with the blade folded and the tracks drawn in, and the counter can confirm the exact figure for that model. Anything at three tons will not pass without a fence panel coming out.
How deep can a three ton machine dig?
Around ten feet on most models, though the useful number is depth reached while standing on ground you can actually park it on. Trench walls at that depth need protection too, so the machine's reach is rarely the only limit on how deep you go.