Compact excavator--Compact Excavator Trends

Compact excavators are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment on any jobsite - and in any rental inventory - and they continue to evolve to serve the changing needs of equipment owners. While innovations of the past included such revolutionary advancements as zero tail swing, today's improvements center more on incremental changes that help make operators more comfortable and service techs more effective.

Comfort at any price

While equipment features that increase the comfort level of operators might seem like luxuries in the face of a struggling economy, compact excavator manufacturers know better. In fact, many believe features that improve the operator's experience are more important than ever as they increase the long-term "rentability" of machines.

"Sure there are some buyers who are still looking for the most basic, lowest-cost machine available in order to accomplish their immediate task," notes David Steger, product manager with Takeuchi. "But many are opting to rent, lease or purchase a machine with a higher level of features to allow more productive operation and greater versatility when operating attachments. They also have their eye on maintaining value over the long haul with a full-featured machine."

Mike Boyle, product sales consultant with Hitachi agrees, noting that as more and more contractors discover the benefits of compacts, they are expecting them to have the same features and benefits they're used to having on large machines. "They're looking for things like smooth hydraulics, enclosed cab with heat and A/C, comfortable seat, auto idle, durable construction and shifting from high to low speed," he says.

According to Steger, some rental companies have also begun putting some of these full-featured machines into their fleet, hoping to capture more of the rent-to-sell market. "Everyone has felt the credit pinch in one way or another -- and credit is certainly harder to come by for people in the construction trades -- but what happens when a contractor can justify the machine, has the means to make the payments, but just can't qualify for prime rate financing? Renting certainly becomes a viable option and in this case, the customer may choose a long-term rental of a fully optioned machine with the intent of purchasing the machine at a later time when their cash flow or credit situation allows."

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