Are you in need of trench digging services and are struggling to decide which type of trenching excavator would best serve your needs? You might be surprised to discover that it's a commonplace predicament in which a lot of our clients find themselves. At Wombat Hire, we decided to do a test to try and see which excavator was the most efficient at carrying out mainstream trench digging services. This test was conducted with our two most popular sized excavators; the 1.7 tonne mini and the 5 tonne mini.

The Wombat Hire trenching excavator challenge

The challenge that we decided to test our two contenders with was simple. Each machine would be allocated 60 minutes to dig a straight 450mm x 450mm trench in hard clay ground conditions. When the time had elapsed we would measure the length of both trenches and see which machine fared the best. 

The 5-tonne excavator went first and managed to dig an impressive 50 metre long trench, while the 1.7 tonne excavator was only able to follow up the larger model’s performance with a modest 22 metre trench being produced after the 60 minutes had passed. 

Whilst this comparison only emphasises productivity in relation to digging 450mm x 450mm trenches, it does show that on average the 5-tonne excavator is more than twice as fast as the mini 1.7-tonne excavator.

However, we can’t just assume that because the 5-tonne excavator was able to dig faster, that makes it the best choice for your project. As the experts in providing quality trenching excavators and services, we always encourage our clients to take into account other factors that could impact their decision. We have outlined some of the more common considerations, which include the following:

Access to site

The first thing you need to think about is whether your chosen excavator will actually be able to access the work site. This might not be an issue for some clients, but if space is tight then it's definitely something that should be taken into account. In this instance, the mini 1.7 tonne excavator can effortlessly fit through a gate 950mm wide and under obstacles 2300mm high, while the 5 tonne excavator needs 2590mm height and 2120mm width to access sites.

Plant hire costs and minimum hire times

Although the 5-tonne excavator will no doubt complete your job quicker, it's important to remember that this also comes at a cost. The 5-tonne excavator is likely to be more expensive to hire than its 1.7-tonne counterpart. You would also need to factor in minimum hire periods, which are likely to be much higher for a 5-tonne excavator, meaning you may need to pay for a large chunk of time in which the machine will not be required.

Fuel consumption

You should also consider fuel consumption when making your decision. As you would expect, the 5-tonne excavator is going to require more fuel than the 1.7-tonne excavator. Even though it may take longer to complete a job, the smaller excavator may get the work done with a dramatically reduced fuel consumption compared to the larger model.

Transportation

The transportation of the 1.7-tonne is much easier as there is the flexibility of transporting with a truck and dog or a trailer. Whereas the 5-tonne will require the negotiation of prices with a transporting company.

Ground conditions

Last but not least, you need to think about the ground conditions that you will be working in. If the ground is particularly hard then you might find that the 1.7-tonne excavator will struggle whereas the 5-tonne excavator will be able to power through.

Contact Wombat Hire today

Reach out to Wombat Hire today to hire a trenching excavator for your next project. We have excavators for hire ranging from 1.7 tonnes to 35 tonnes. Speak with a member of our team now about our full range of trench digging services by giving us a call or filling out our online form.