An excavator is one of the most versatile pieces of heavy equipment used in the construction and demolition business. In addition to being used in the demolition of old houses and buildings to make way for new construction, excavators are also employed to dig trenches, foundations and holes, for tree stump removal and other forestry applications, for heavy lifting and pipe placement, for cutting brush, for landscaping and grading, for dredging rivers, digging and moving stones and driving piles.

In order to operate an excavator's boom and bucket through the use of hydraulic fluid, the operator sits inside the cab or house of the machine which is situated atop gigantic tracks or wheels which slowly move the equipment forward or backward. Excavators come in a range of sizes to suit the assignment topdon artilink200, from compact or mini excavators featuring 19 hp to gigantic models weighing more than 100 tons.

When searching for available excavators for sale, there are three different styles of machine to consider. Excavators with mono booms can only move in an up and down fashion. Excavators featuring a Knuckle Boom can also handle movements from left to right in addition to up and down. The third configuration is a hinged boom base which allows the boom to pivot up to 180 degrees.

Depending upon your budget, used excavators can still have plenty of life left in them and save you considerable money as an option to investing in a brand new machine. Most excavators are built to perform up to 10,000 hours before any major maintenance or repair is necessary, so find out the history of the machine and how long it's been in service, its repair and maintenance record and expected longevity.

It's best to invest in a machine that is relatively easy and uncomplicated to use, so make sure that the person who will be operating the excavator is able to inspect the cab and test the ease of working the controls. Take a pass on a bargain priced used excavator if it's difficult or complicated to operate, because you will be losing time and money doing any project using that machine.

Know what sort of space you will be using the excavator in to determine the amount of room the cab or house of the machine will need in order to make its turns. If you are confined to a space, a compact excavator might be your best option.

As with purchasing any other mechanical equipment, make sure you check under the hood. Find out how easy it is to access the excavator's engine and the hydraulic system that operates the boom. There may be times when you will have to perform maintenance on the machine on the job and you don't want to have to waste time trying to repair a unit with parts that are difficult to access or replace.

It may be worth investing a bit more to obtain an excavator that includes a depth monitor as one of its features. This will enable any digging projects for which the excavator is used to be more efficient and cost effective.