Mini Digger Running Costs: What You Pay For After You Buy

Mini digger running costs come down to six things: fuel, routine servicing, tracks and undercarriage, wear parts such as bucket teeth and pins, insurance and inspections, and transport. The purchase price is only the start. A cheaper machine with tired tracks, worn pins and no service history can cost more to own over a few years than a dearer one that has been looked after. This guide explains what drives each cost and how to keep it down. You can browse current used mini diggers for sale on Plant And Tractor Trader.

What makes up mini digger running costs?

Think of the cost of owning a mini digger in two parts. Fixed costs you pay whether the machine works or not: insurance, finance repayments if you have them, storage and any statutory inspections. Variable costs rise with the hours you put on it: fuel, oil and filters, grease, tracks, bucket teeth, pins and bushes, and repairs.

The hour meter is the best guide to variable costs. Service intervals are set by engine hours, and tracks and pins wear in line with the hours worked and the ground worked on.

Fuel

Fuel is usually the biggest cost that rises week to week. How much a mini digger uses depends on engine size, the work and the operator. Heavy digging, breaking and long idling all burn more. Switch off rather than idle, use auto idle if fitted, keep the air filter clean and pick the right size machine for the job.

Servicing and service intervals

Routine servicing covers engine oil and filters, fuel filters and water separators, air filters, hydraulic oil and filters, coolant, and greasing. The exact intervals are in the operator’s manual for your model, so get a copy if the machine does not come with one.

Daily checks cost little and save a lot. Before work, check engine oil, coolant and hydraulic oil levels, look for leaks under the machine, grease the pins on the boom, dipper and bucket as the manual says, and check the tracks and the track tension. A dry pin wears its bush far faster than one that gets grease every day.

When buying used, a service record or folder of invoices shows the oils and filters were changed on time. Read our guide to buying a used excavator for the full set of checks.

Tracks and undercarriage

On a mini digger, the undercarriage is one of the larger costs of ownership. Rubber tracks, sprockets, idlers and rollers all wear, and they wear faster on demolition rubble, sharp stone and when the machine counter rotates on hard surfaces. Tracks run too slack can come off, and too tight wears the sprocket and idlers.

Before you buy, look at the tread depth, check for cuts that expose the steel cords, and look at the sprocket teeth for hooked or sharp tips. If the tracks are near the end of their life, factor replacement into the price you offer. Our guide to mini digger rubber tracks, sizes and when to replace them shows how to read the size on the track and spot when it is time for a new pair. You can also find replacements in our rubber tracks section.

Wear parts: teeth, pins, bushes and buckets

Bucket teeth and cutting edges wear on every job. Change teeth before they wear back into the adaptor, or you end up replacing the adaptor as well. Pins and bushes wear over time, and play in the boom, dipper and bucket linkage makes the machine less accurate and puts extra strain on other parts.

To check for wear, rest the bucket on the ground and gently move the controls while someone watches each pin for movement. Worn pins everywhere suggest poor greasing. Spare and second-hand buckets are in our used buckets and attachments sections, and general spares under parts.

Insurance, inspections and finance

A mini digger needs insurance whether it is owned outright or on finance. Our article on insuring owned and hired-in plant covers the main types of cover.

If you use the digger for lifting, for example with a lifting point on the bucket linkage, the lifting equipment needs thorough examination under LOLER. See LOLER inspections and plant repairs for what that involves. If you are spreading the cost of the machine, our asset finance guide explains the options in plain English.

Transport and storage

Moving a mini digger between jobs is a running cost that is easy to forget. Towing your own means a plant trailer that needs servicing and the right licence entitlement; otherwise you pay a haulier each time. Secure storage, an immobiliser and a tracker also help with security and insurance. Plant trailers are listed under trailers.

How to keep mini digger running costs down

• Buy on condition and history, not just on the lowest price.
• Get the operator’s manual and follow the service intervals for your model.
• Grease every day the machine works, and check track tension regularly.
• Change bucket teeth before they wear into the adaptor.
• Keep receipts and a service record. It protects the resale value when you sell.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main running costs of a mini digger?

The main running costs are fuel, routine servicing with oils and filters, tracks and undercarriage, wear parts such as bucket teeth, pins and bushes, insurance and transport. Fuel and wear parts rise with the hours worked.

How often should a mini digger be serviced?

Service intervals are set by engine hours and vary by manufacturer and model, so follow the operator’s manual for your machine. Daily checks of oil, coolant, hydraulic levels, greasing and track tension should happen every working day on top of the scheduled services.

Is a cheap used mini digger cheaper to run?

Not always. A low-priced machine with worn tracks, sloppy pins and no service history may need money spent on it soon after you buy it. Check the condition, ask for the service record and factor any obvious repairs into your offer.

Find your next mini digger, or sell yours

Browse mini diggers, such as this 2019 Kubota KX016-4, and excavators from UK and Irish dealers, and set up stock alerts so you hear when the right machine is listed.

Selling? Dealers can list unlimited machines for £100 + VAT a month with unlimited listings, or book a single listing for £150 + VAT for 8 weeks. See all options on our advertise page. We also build dealer websites from £750 + VAT.

Questions? Call or WhatsApp Glyn on 07470 093663.