How to Read a Mini Excavator Spec Sheet

A spec sheet lists twenty numbers. Six of them decide which machine you buy.

1. Operating weight

The machine ready to work: full tank, standard bucket, operator. It sets breakout force (heavier digs harder), stability, ground pressure, and what you can tow. It is the number that defines the class: 1.5 tonne, 2 tonne, 3 tonne. Everything else follows from it. See the comparison table for the range.

2. Minimum width

The narrowest the machine gets, on adjustable-undercarriage models with the tracks pulled in. It decides whether the machine gets down the side of a house. Rippa's R06 (747 mm) and R13 PRO (750 mm) are the narrow specialists; the R10, R15 and R18 PRO adjust between roughly 900 and 1,300 mm.

3. Maximum dig depth

The deepest the bucket teeth reach with the machine on level ground. Practical depth is 300 to 500 mm less. Soakwells and footings want 1.5 to 1.8 m; pools 1.8 to 2.4 m; dams more. The R18 PRO's 2,420 mm is the standout in the 1 to 2 tonne class.

4. Reach and dump height

Reach at ground level sets how far you dig from one position; dump height sets what you can load into. Compact machines dump around 2.2 to 2.3 m, enough for a plant trailer or ute, not a truck.

5. Hydraulic flow and pressure

Flow in litres per minute drives attachment speed; pressure drives force. They decide whether a breaker, auger or tilt bucket works properly. Rippa sizes attachments to each model's circuit, which is why the attachment finder lists them by model.

6. Engine

Make, model and power. Kubota across most of the Rippa range, which means parts and mechanics everywhere. Power in kilowatts is a rough guide to fuel burn (roughly 0.2 litres per kilowatt per hour at load).

Numbers that matter less than they look

• Bucket capacity: useful for comparing buckets, not machines.
• Travel speed: every mini excavator is slow.
• Swing speed: rarely a limiting factor.
• Blade width: matters only if it is narrower than the tracks.

Numbers that are often missing

Rated lift capacity over the side, tail swing radius, and ground pressure. Ask for them if lifting, working beside walls or working on soft ground is part of the job.

Using this site

The comparison table lays the range out, the head-to-head pages settle the close calls, and the machine finder scores every model against your access, towing and budget.