Excavators do more work on a job site than any other machine. They dig, lift, break, sort, load and grade. One well-chosen unit can replace three specialised machines. That is why contractors treat the excavator as the first purchase and everything else as support equipment.
Shanghai Yonggong Trading Co., LTD has exported used excavators for more than 20 years. Over that time the questions buyers ask have stayed the same. How many tons do I need? How many hours is too many? Will it fit through the gate? This guide answers those questions with numbers instead of marketing language.
What Makes an Excavator Different From Other Earthmovers
An excavator has a rotating upper structure, a boom, a stick and a bucket that pulls material toward the machine. A loader pushes. A dozer shoves. A backhoe loader splits the difference and does neither job very well.
The rotation matters more than most buyers expect. A tracked excavator can dig a trench, swing 180 degrees, load a truck and swing back without moving its undercarriage. That cuts cycle time and saves fuel on every pass.
Most machines you will see on a site are crawler excavators. Steel or rubber tracks spread the weight, so the machine works on soft ground where wheels would sink. Wheeled versions exist for municipal work on paved roads, but the used export market is dominated by tracked units from Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, Kobelco, Volvo, Doosan, Hyundai, Sany and Kubota.
Weight Classes That Decide Everything Else
Operating weight is the first number to check. It sets digging force, bucket size, reach and the trailer you need to move the machine.
Mini and compact, 1 to 10 tons. These machines handle residential work, French drains, pump installations, indoor demolition and landscaping. Many models offer zero tail swing, so the counterweight stays inside the track width during rotation. Micro units such as the Kubota K008 or KX15 have retractable undercarriages that shrink below one metre wide, which lets them pass through a standard doorway. A used Kubota KX35 sits around
Medium or standard, 10 to 30 tons. This class does most of the world’s construction work. The 20-ton group covers the Caterpillar 320, Komatsu PC200, Hitachi ZX200 and Volvo EC210D. They balance power, reach and transport cost. A 2020 Komatsu PC200-8 with 1,700 hours sells near $35,000. Buyers in this bracket should look closely at boom options. A standard boom gives stronger breakout force. A two-piece articulating boom works better in tight urban streets.
Large, 30 tons and above. Mining, quarrying, dredging and heavy demolition need this size. A CAT 336D moves roughly 1.5 m³ per pass and weighs 36 tons. A Hitachi ZX650 hits 65 tons with a 2.93 m³ bucket. Transport becomes a project of its own. Counterweights, booms and sometimes track shoes come off to meet highway limits.
Before you commit to a class, check the physical envelope of the machine against your site. Gate widths, bridge limits and overhead cables all matter. Our excavator dimensions guide lists transport length, width and height by model so you can plan the delivery.
Specs Worth Reading Twice
Four numbers tell you most of what you need to know.
Engine net power. A CAT C7.1 at 275 HP behind a 33-ton machine gives comfortable cycle speed. The same tonnage with 145 HP will feel slow under load.
Maximum dig depth. Foundation and utility work drives this figure. A 20-ton machine reaches about 6.5 m. A 45-ton machine reaches 7.8 m.
Bucket capacity. Mini machines carry 0.1 to 0.3 m³. Standard 20-ton machines carry 0.8 to 1.0 m³. Large machines carry 1.5 to 2.9 m³.
Transport dimensions. A 33-ton excavator measures roughly 10.4 × 3.1 × 3.2 m. A 6-ton unit measures 5.3 × 1.9 × 2.5 m.
Pair those figures with output expectations. Bucket size alone does not tell you how much dirt moves in a shift. Swing angle, soil type, operator skill and truck availability all cut into theoretical numbers. The hourly capacity breakdown shows how to calculate realistic volume per hour before you bid a job.
Attachments That Widen the Job List
The bucket is only the starting point. Auxiliary hydraulic lines turn one carrier into several machines.
Hydraulic breakers handle concrete and rock. Grapples sort scrap and demolition debris. Augers drill fence and pile holes. Compaction plates finish trench backfill. Thumb attachments hold pipe, logs and boulders.
Large machines usually carry high-flow hydraulics as standard, which they need for demolition shears and heavy breakers. On a used machine, always test the auxiliary circuit under load. A weak pump shows up here before it shows up in normal digging.
Machine Choices by Industry
Mining and quarry work needs 30 tons and up, with reinforced undercarriages and rock buckets. Fleet operators in Chile, Peru and Colombia often run the CAT 345D, Komatsu PC450-7 and Hitachi ZX470 for this reason. Our excavators for mining listings group machines that suit blasted rock and long duty cycles.
Urban utility crews prefer 6 to 14 tons with short tail swing. Roadwork favours 8 to 20 tons with plate compactors and grading buckets. Forestry work needs high-and-wide undercarriages plus cab guarding. Dredging asks for long-reach booms and sealed slew bearings. Landscaping and agriculture stay in the mini class, where ground pressure and gate width matter more than raw power.
Price Bands in the Used Market
Used pricing follows tonnage, hours and production year in that order.
| Budget | Typical machines | Weight range |
| Under $20,000 | Kubota KX40, Doosan DH55, Hitachi ZX60, Komatsu PC56 | 2 to 8 t |
| 30,000 | Hitachi ZX120-6, Kobelco SK130, Sany SY135C, CAT 313C | 12 to 15 t |
| 50,000 | Komatsu PC200-8, Volvo EC250D, CAT 320DL, Hitachi ZX230LC | 20 to 25 t |
| 80,000 | CAT 336D, Komatsu PC350-8, Hyundai 385LC-9T, Volvo EC480D | 30 to 48 t |
| 105,000 | CAT 349E, Hitachi ZX650, CAT 336 (2022+) | 36 to 65 t |
Low-hour machines from 2021 and later carry a premium of 20 to 40 percent over 2017 units of the same size. Buyers on a tight budget often do better with a well-maintained 2018 machine than a neglected newer one. If your ceiling is firm, the under $20,000 selection shows what that money buys today.
Inspection Points Before You Pay
Start with the undercarriage. Track chains, idlers, rollers and sprockets can account for 15 percent of the machine’s value. Measure link pitch wear if the seller allows it.
Move to the pins and bushings. Push the bucket sideways and watch for play at the stick and bucket joints. Slop here means shimming or replacement.
Check hydraulic cylinders for scoring and weeping seals. Look for fresh paint near cylinder rods, which sometimes hides leaks.
Run the engine cold. Blue smoke suggests worn rings. White smoke that clears slowly suggests injector or head gasket trouble.
Then test cycle times. Full boom raise, full stick out, full swing left and right. Compare against factory figures. A machine that runs 20 percent slow usually has a tired main pump.
Finally, read the hour meter against the physical wear. A 2019 machine showing 600 hours with polished pedals and a torn seat is telling you something.
Why Buyers Source From Shanghai Yonggong
Yonggong holds ISO 9001-2000 and 3C certification and has worked with global contractors for two decades. Stock covers Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, Kobelco, Volvo, Doosan, Hyundai, Sany and Kubota, plus bulldozers, road rollers, wheel loaders, graders, cranes, forklifts, dump trucks and mixer trucks.
Every unit is inspected before listing, with hours, production year and operating weight published on the product page. After-sales support covers parts sourcing and technical questions once the machine lands. That combination of documented specs, tested machines and long-term service is what keeps repeat buyers coming back.
