Smaller, more agile and more nimble than a traditional mini excavator – but with less power too - the micro resembles little more than a motorised teaspoon.

But it’s an expanding market place, recently fuelled by renovation projects where the need for more versatility from compact equipment has become a necessity to avoid back-breaking manual labour and provide a useful level of productivity.

Driven by space limitations, access and the need for productivity, the micro excavator is typically under one tonne in weight, and will easily fit through a 76cm (2ft 6in) doorway.

Versatility comes from using the machine with a host of attachments including post augers and hydraulic hammers in addition to the usual array of buckets.

But at what cost? Typically, hire rates are broadly similar to what you’ll pay for a mini excavator, given there’s little technical difference in the machinery. But expect to be paying a small premium for the convenience that such a compact excavator will afford – and depending on where you’re based geographically, it could be anywhere from £200-£250/week. And those who are looking to buy could hammer out a deal on a new machine for around £10-11,000.
So what’s available? Builders Box looks at some of the micro excavator models that are out there.

Bobcat (www.bobcat.co.uk)
Bobcat’s 316 micro excavator has an operating weight of just 820kg and offers a diminutive set of dimensions – an overall width of 750mm, a length of 2913mm and a height of 2052mm.
As the smallest model in Bobcat’s range of mini excavators, the 316 is arguably designed for narrow spaces. Running on 180mm-wide rubber tracks, the 316 is powered by a 10hp water-cooled Kubota D722 diesel engine, which musters a bucket digging force of 8.3kN across its 350mm-wide bucket. Boom and arm dimensions give a maximum digging depth of 1550mm and a dump height of 2010mm.

An engine-driven, two-section gear pump offers 10.2 litres of oil flow, with 20.4 litres/min available for auxiliary attachments such as post-hole augers and hydraulic hammers.
Like the firm’s larger 1.3 tonne 319 and 1.5 tonne 321/323 mini-excavators, the 316 has an undercarriage that can be hydraulically adjusted to make the machine narrow for access through restricted spaces, then expanded to create increased stability in work.

In its narrowest setting, the 316’s undercarriage measures just 700mm wide – 25mm narrower than the upper structure. Once the undercarriage has been expanded, its width measures 900mm, which increases machine stability when working over the side of the tracks.
It’s offset boom function allows the bucket to be slewed 87 degrees to the left and 47 degrees to the right of the upper structure, allowing the machine to dig parallel to its chassis, but outside the width of its tracks.

JCB (www.jcb.com)
JCB’s recent move into the micro-excavator sector is in direct response to builder’s requests for a mechanised alternative to manual labour. But the firm is not content with offering just one ultra compact model, but three.

These are the Micro 8008, the Micro and the Micro Plus. All three share an 11.5 litre fuel tank, and are said to use less than 1.5 litres of diesel per hour.

The smallest model is the 950kg 8008. Powered by a 762cc diesel engine and rated at 12.7hp, JCB claims that the 8008 is the most powerful in this sector, with a best-in-class hydraulic pump flow of 11.2 litres/min.

The JCB 8008 has a variable width undercarriage, allowing it to travel through a standard doorway. The track width is reduced to 700mm when retracted, which is slightly wider than the 695mm-wide upper structure. Once extended, the track width becomes 865mm.

At the working end, a tubular main boom conceals all of hydraulic hoses, mirroring a design found on the firm’s latest JCB 801 range of mini excavators.

The heavier JCB Micro, which comes with an 18hp engine, features an extending undercarriage that widens from 700mm to 1000mm giving a broader footprint for this heavier, 1108kg machine.
Where width is not quite as tight but height is a working restriction, the third machine in the range, the 1250kg JCB Micro Plus, could be one to consider. Also powered by an 18hp engine, it offers a larger reach, greater digging depth, full compatibility with existing JCB mini 801 series attachments and an undercarriage width of 970mm that extends to 1370mm.
Dig depths extend from 1.69m through to 2.09m depending on model.

Neuson (www.neuson.com)
Neuson has arrived late to the micro excavator party, but being fashionably late can bring some advantages too, says the Austrian firm, which has offered its 803 model in the UK for the last 12 months.

With an operating weight of 935kg, a dig depth of 1.73 m and the ability to slip through doorways with its 700mm maximum width, this is another machine that should appeal to tool hire centres, builders and the DIY fraternity.

Two years in the making, the 803 brings several innovations to the sector. It has a telescopic undercarriage that shifts its maximum width from 700-860mm taking advantage of a reduced width for access through doorways, while giving a wider footprint for improved stability.

The machine’s boom is a tubular construction with hoses routed through the inside for protection, and the boom hoist cylinder is mounted above the boom and kingpost offering better protection against accidental damage.

It’s a design that makes the machine as simple, robust and easy to work with as possible, says Neuson, adding that a tubular boom offers high strength without excess weight.

Such a design does little to detract from the 803’s capabilities – it is still possible to clean right up to the blade, using the bucket, without having to get off the machine and reach for a shovel.
Joystick controls sit above the machine’s hydraulic valve block for direct control through short linkages. A 2mm lockable steel bonnet supports the operator’s seat, and the entire seat/bonnet structure hinges rearwards to give access to the engine compartment and fuel filler, where a three-cylinder Yanmar engine delivers 12.8hp. Service intervals are every 250 hours.

Takeuchi (www.takeuchi-mfg.co.uk)
Takeuchi’s TB108 has become one of Japanese maker’s most popular machines as builders and landscapers look for a compact, highly portable but powerful excavator.

At 835kg operating weight and powered by a 9hp, two-cylinder Yanmar engine, the TB108 develops 1020 kg of bucket breakout force. And when fitted with a TKB51 breaker, weighing 32kg, it packs an equally powerful punch, says the firm.

Hydraulic hoses are secure and well protected, and available with single and dual flow functions, depending on attachment requirements.

Said to be robustly built with 100 per cent use of steel through out – there’s no plastic on the bodywork – and a main boom produced as a one-piece fabrication for added strength and fewer weak points, the TB108 has been produced with durability in mind.

This mini excavator now comes with its own trailer and three buckets, making it an excellent all rounder for building projects.

And at just 740mm – combined with compact dimensions - it easily passes through standard doorways, but can dig to a depth of 1680mm. With folding ends on the dozer blade, the operator can take full advantage of the machine’s wider footprint when the undercarriage is extended, as the blade is adjustable from 680-900mm.

Komatsu (www.komatsu.co.uk)
Also worth a closer look is Komatsu’s 880kg PC09-1. This diminutive machine uses a tubular boom design that can cleverly include an integral demolition hammer, as art of the dipper stick.
When driving a micro excavator through an internal doorway, every millimetre is critical says the Japanese maker. Which is why firm’s PC09-1 micro excavator is proving to be such a hit with companies who have to operate in narrow spaces.

By reducing the overall width by 100mm on this version, and increasing the travel speed by almost 50 per cent, the PC09-1 is small enough to pass through spaces as narrow as 700mm wide, but still packs more than enough power to handle a wide variety of jobs from its 522cc, 8.5hp diesel engine.

180mm wide rubber tracks offer a 3.5psi ground pressure and afford travel speeds from 1.5-3km/h.

The hydraulic hoses for the arm and bucket cylinders are contained within the tubular boom and are extremely well protected from accidental damage. And similarly, the one-piece, cast-iron slewing frame affords protection to one of the most vulnerable areas on this type of machine.

Digging depth for this model is 1465mm, with a 2025mm load-over height at ground level. Two gear pumps provide 11 litres/min of oil flow from each, offering enough power for attachments too and the ability to deliver over1000kgs of breakout force. Where the integral demolition hammer is chosen, the blow frequency is 800 per minute with an impact energy level of 108 joules.