The Compact Excavator Boom: The mini excavator market sphere has grown exponentially over the past 5 years and is still growing as these compact work horses have rapidly become the preferred choice for project managers managing urban construction and residential projects across Melbourne, Australia. Much of the market growth according to construction equipment rental companies that offer a range of tools including standard and mini excavators for hire is attributed to the technological advancements that have been incorporated into these machines.
Apart from the high-tech inclusions into these machines, the latest compact models released by top manufacturers such as Kubota, Komatsu and Hyundai for example are also fitted with much more powerful fuel efficient and environmentally friendly engines. Given the surge in demand from inner-city infill housing, tight residential block developments, and domestic home improvement upgrades, compact excavators currently dominate both equipment sales and hire fleets market throughout Victoria, especially compact models that are below 6T.
The driving force behind the demand for compact excavators is multi-tiered with much of it being linked to Melbourne’s rapid suburban expansion and inner-ring densification through new projects that may be observed throughout the city, especially in suburbs such as Brunswick, Richmond, and Ringwood which are being faced with challenges related to space as these construction sites are not just confined, but congested.
The latest compact excavator models that are easily available for hire are slim and designed with zero tail swing meaning that these machines are capable of rotating within the boundaries of their tracks and are able to navigate through narrow paths between modern townhouses or tackle backyard renovations easily. The fact that most of these models are also designed with retractable tracks, they are able to squeeze through the tightest of spaces between project points.
Another factor that makes these compact models popular is the low ground pressure they exert and given the fact that the soil type for the most part of Victoria is sticky clay which bog heavy machinery easily, these lightweight compact crawlers slide over these surfaces effortlessly increasing productivity significantly. To add, for home improvement projects these machines are also better to reduce the amount of damage to established lawns.
Within the compact excavator categories according to fleet managers, the frequency of demand is highest for the 1.5 to 2.5-tonne compact in both the sale and the hire spheres, in essence these particular categories of excavators are the sweet spot for contractors in Melbourne and even Geelong. The fact that these machines can be easily loaded and transported via towing behind standard utility vehicles, cheaper maintenance and lower fuel consumption reduces ownership costs of these particular classes of excavators significantly as well.
Lastly, an additional factor that has contributed to the compact boom is that these excavators emit low noise which makes them perfect for small-to-medium residential projects. Al in all, compact models have in general become practical for urban and residential projects as standard excavators literally have no room to perform effectively nor efficiently in such congested project environments.