Three classes cover nearly every mini excavator hire: the 1 to 2 ton machine that walks through a garden gate, the 3 ton that is the yard's workhorse, and the 5 ton that digs a real footing. They differ in width, dig depth, transport and rate, and access usually decides the answer before the specification does.
The 1 to 2 ton class
Retracting tracks bring these down near a yard wide, which is what gets one through a side passage or a doorway. Dig depth is around six feet and the bucket is small, so a long trench run is slow going. Rate is roughly $200 to $280 a day, and a properly rated trailer behind a pickup can legally move some of them.
The 3 ton class
This is the machine yards hold most of. Dig depth near ten feet, enough weight to lift and carry a full bucket without skating, and a blade that grades and backfills. It still fits most driveways at around five feet wide. Expect roughly $300 to $400 a day and a heavy tandem trailer or a lowboy to deliver it.
The 5 ton class and above
Five tons buys reach, breakout force and a cab you can sit in through weather. Dig depth passes twelve feet and the machine runs a breaker all day without cooking its hydraulics. Around $400 to $500 a day, and access stops being casual: gate width, overhead cables and the delivery truck's turning circle all matter.
What to compare beyond the tonnage
Ask three things the brochure buries: whether the machine carries a thumb, whether the tracks are rubber or steel, and what the auxiliary hydraulic flow is if you plan to hire a breaker or an auger. Two machines of the same weight can be a full day apart on the same job on those three answers alone.
Questions people ask about mini excavator comparison
Which mini excavator suits a homeowner?
The 3 ton class for most projects, because it digs deep enough for drainage and footings and still fits a driveway. Drop to 1 to 2 tons only when access forces it, and accept that the smaller bucket makes every trench take longer.
How deep does each mini class dig?
Roughly six feet at 1 to 2 tons, about ten feet at 3 tons and past twelve at 5 tons. Those are maximum figures with the machine level and the boom fully out, so plan on a little less in real ground.
Which mini classes can I trailer myself?
Only one rated for the machine, its attachments and the trailer itself, with a licence covering the combination. Yards deliver for a charge each way and take that arithmetic with them, which is why most hires arrive rather than get collected.
What is the blade on the front for?
It backfills, levels and gives the machine something to brace against when it lifts. On the smaller classes it also stops the machine sliding on a slope. It is not a bulldozer blade, and minis are not built to push a heavy cut.