Width is the first question a rental counter asks, because a machine that will not pass the gate is worthless at any day rate. Hire fleet minis span roughly 28 inches across at the smallest walk beside class up to about 7 feet on a 5 ton machine. Several models retract the undercarriage to squeeze through and widen again to dig.
Retracted and extended are two different figures
Variable width machines quote both numbers on the spec plate. A common 1.5 ton unit narrows to around 30 inches to travel and pushes out past 40 inches to work. Digging on the narrow setting is possible but the machine is far less stable, so treat the retracted figure as a way through the gap rather than a working stance.
Class by class, what the tape reads across the tracks
As a rough ladder: a 1 ton machine reads near 28 to 32 inches, a 1.5 to 2 ton unit near 38 to 46, a 3 ton near 58 to 62, and a 5 ton class near 78 to 84. Attachments and a thumb add nothing sideways, but a wide bucket carried across the tracks does.
Gate posts, side returns and the door frame
Pace the whole route rather than the entrance alone. The pinch point is usually a meter box, a downpipe, a fence post that sits proud of the gate, or the step where a path drops away and the tracks need extra clearance. Take the smallest reading you find and subtract a couple of inches for the operator to steer within.
Width is not the only dimension that stops a delivery
Cab height matters under a carport or a low branch, and weight matters on a paved drive, a septic field or a suspended deck. Tell the yard the surface as well as the gap. A machine that fits the opening and cracks the flags on the way in has still cost you money the hire never covered.
Questions people ask about mini excavator width
How wide is a 1 ton mini excavator?
Most sit close to 28 to 32 inches across the tracks, which is what makes the class popular for back garden work. Confirm the exact model with the yard before you rely on it, since two machines badged the same tonnage can differ by a few inches.
Will a mini excavator fit through a 36 inch gate?
A 1 ton machine will, and many 1.5 ton machines will once the undercarriage is retracted. Measure between the posts rather than the opening the gate leaves, and check the swing of the gate itself does not shorten the gap further.
Does narrowing the tracks change what the machine can dig?
Yes. Retracted, the machine has a smaller footprint and tips more easily when the boom is out to the side. Use the narrow setting to travel in and out, then widen the undercarriage before you start any real digging.