l The Core Arguments: Buckets are brute force and lever-based and Hydraulic Thumbs are precise and grab-and-go efficient.

l The Right Tool: When you are doing simple trenching a bucket suffices. A hydraulic thumb is the only way to go when it comes to clearing land with mixed debris (roots, rocks, logs).

l Machine Fit: Mini Compact MEC12 is doing really well in this area since its retractable tracks (34.5") can fit in backyards since the big machines cannot.

l Cost Reality: When most seek the lowest priced mini excavator, the reality of the matter lies in the standard of the mini excavator such as Kubota engine and the hydraulic plumbing included that will save them labor hours.

l Technique: Stumps should be done by the "Clock Method," to prevent the hydraulic fittings from being strained.

1. Introduction: The Backyard Battlefield.

Let's be real for a second. Nothing--nothing--is more exasperating than to look at an obstinate oak stub in the back yard, and know that a shovel cannot cut it. You've got a project timeline. You've got a budget. And you have you a big great stick of wood that does not want to move.

The Mini Compact conversation tends to begin here.

Freelance contractor or DIY warrior, the task is simple, get to the dirt, tear up the roots and clear land without straining your back, or your wallet, when looking at a Mini Compact Excavator Kubota powered machine. However, the question that most buyers and renters stumble over is here:

Is it going to be dug out with a bucket, or is one going to require the skill of a hydraulic thumb?

It seems like a small detail. It's not. The distinction between these two approaches will mean three hours or three days at work. In this manual we are not only discussing theory, we are actually dissecting the physics of stump removal using a machine such as the MEC12, discussing the how much the mini excavator costs factor in to efficiency and assisting you in making decisions on which process best wins.

2. The Bucket Only: Brutus Strategy.

Decades ago, operators did not have fancy hydraulic thumbs. They possessed a bucket, teeth and physics. Removing a stump with the help of a bucket is an art. It is the displacement, not only digging.

The Mechanics of the Dig

When you are using a Mini Compact machine without a thumb, you are now being totally dependent on the curve strength. In the case of the MEC12, it would be approximately 1960 lbf of bucket digging force. Power, that is a lot of power, but directional. You may haul in but you may not get hold.

The "Clock" Technique:

You must think of the stump as the clock in order to remove it using nothing better than a bucket.

1. 6 o'clock: Burrow in the soil right before the stump.

2. 3 and 9: incise the lateral roots. That is where the Bucket Strategies are involved. You must have some sharp bucket teeth (tiger teeth are the best) to serve like a saw.

3. 12 PM: Excavate behind the stump and loosen up the taproot.

The flaw here is this: When that stump is loose how do you get it on? You contraindicate having no thumb, and must put that clumsy, misshapen root ball on your bucket like a waiter transferring a tray of drinks under a hurricane. It falls off. You pick it up again. It falls off again.

When does the Bucket Strategy Suffice?

A standard bucket will do just fine in case you are strictly excavating utility lines or shifting around loose soil (loam/sand). But for clearing land? It's inefficient. You are half asleep in the ground and half asleep in the rubbish, trying to stack the stuff so that you can drag it to a burn pile.

Pro Tip Because you are digging with a bucket only, make sure you are capitalizing on the break-out force of your Mini Compact excavator by placing the boom cylinder at a 90-degree angle to the dipper arm. Such is your geometry pet area.

3. The Hydraulic Thumb: The Ultimate Game Changer.

Now we will speak about the modern time. A hydraulic thumb is similar to the opposite finger. Consider how difficult it is to pick up a basketball using one hand (bucket) or two hands (bucket + thumb).

The reason as to why the Thumb Wins on the Mini Compact Machines.

You can simply crush things on a huge 20 ton excavator. On a Mini Compact device such as the MEC12 that measures in at approximately 2700 lbs, you are required to be finely skilled rather than rough and tough.

The thumb allows you to:

l Clamp and Rip: You do not simply dig but strike the stump with your teeth and tug with the traction of the machine.

l Shake the Dirt: This is huge. Pulling a stump leaves 500 lbs of dirt on it. You can take the stump with a thumb and shake it. The filthy stuff drops down into the hole (you fill it in afterwards), and you carry only the timber.

l Precision Placement: Piles of logs or a trailer? You have to come in with a bucket to do that.

Hydraulic Plumbing: Concepts.

This is one of the reasons why people hesitate to use thumbs. They are concerned with hydraulic fitting mini excavators.

Is it complicated? Not really.

The MEC12, which is an example, has the plumbing fitted and a thumb. It has a pilot controlled system. You are not working with rusty gears; you are working with smooth flowing power. The auxiliary hydraulics is the one that the thumb runs off.

Here is the question to ask yourself, Does it save you $500 on the front end of a machine that does not have a thumb worth the additional 20 hours of work you will put in clearing away the debris?

4. Case Study of 18 Inch Pine Stump.

To put this into perspective, let us take a real life example scenario.

The Task: A backyard of a residential home, with a narrow entrance (the gate to the fence is 40 inches). It is aimed at an eighteen inch pine stump.

The Machinery: MechMaxx MEC12 (Mini Compact Excavator).

The Problem: Accessibility and Density.

Phase 1: Access

This is the area that the Mini in Mini Compact comes in. MEC12 has an undercarriage which can be retracted. You press a lever and the tracks are reduced to a 34.5 inches instead of 43.2 inches.

l Outcome: You pass through the normal gate. No fence removal required. You would have ripped the fence off, had you hired a run-of-the-mill 3-ton machine. How wide is a mini excavator? In this instance, too small to give you a headache.

Phase 2: The Extraction

Bucket Only: The operator excavates a huge crater so that the roots can be reached. It takes 45 minutes. The hole is huge.

Using Hydraulic Thumb: The operator digs the front, bends the side roots then bends over, clamps the top of the stump and pulls it out using the boom lift.

l Time taken: 20 minutes.

Phase 3: Cleanup

The bucket only operator rams the stump to the curb and in the process destroys the lawn. The Thumb operator picks the stump and floats it above the grass and then puts it in the truck bed.

5. Economics: Cheapest vs. Best Value.

We must bring out the elephant in the room. Everybody is seeking the lowest price mini excavator. It's natural. You will find prices of between 50,000 to 5,000.

However, in the heavy machinery industry, cheap is usually costly in the long run.

On viewing a bare-bones unit, inquire:

1.Does it possess a name-brand engine? (The MEC12 is based on the Mini Compact Excavator Kubota D722, a legend in the diesel workhorse).

2.Does it include the thumb? To buy an aftermarket thumb and weld it on would cost over 1500 hard cash not including the labour.

3.Are the parts standard?

What is the actual cost of a mini excavator? It is equal to the purchase price and the downtime.

When you purchase a generic machine with an unknown engine that overheats, then you have saved nothing. The MEC12 strikes that chord: it is offered at an aggressively low price in DIY/Small Biz market, yet it retains the "expensive" guts (Kubota engine, Eaton motors, Pilot controls).

6. Hydraulic tools require maintenance that is very important.

The choice between the bucket or the thumb does not make a difference, your Mini Compact machine operates on fluid power.

l Look at the Hoses: You are adding more moving parts when you are using a thumb. Make sure that your hydraulic fittings mini excavator connections are not over-torqued. The leaks normally occur in the pivot point of the thumb.

l Grease is Cheap, Steel is Expensive: When you are grabbing and ripping those pivot pins are highly stressed. Grease them daily.

l Warm Up: The kubota D722 is tough, though you do not rush and over speed the hydraulic fluid throughout its circulation before you end up overloading the system on a cold morning.

7. Conclusion: What Strategy is Right in Your Business?

Then who is the winner of the Battle of the Backyard?

You can find it easy to save the weight and just use Bucket Strategies in case you are strictly digging trenches to install PVC pipes. But when you want to Clear Land and Removing Stumps, the hydraulic thumb is something you cannot do without.

The capability of seizing, lifting, shaking and dropping debris changes a Mini Compact excavator into a robotic shovel.

Final thought for you:

When you read the specifications of the MEC12-2700 lbs operating weight, 65.7 inches digging depth, and that Kubota heart, you can see that it is introduced to perform on the next level. Please, do not cripple such a machine with that of a bucket.

Are you ready to put an end to digging and begin clearing? Watch MEC12 Mini Compact Excavator and observe how hydraulic thumb is a bonus to make your life easier.

8. FAQ

1. What is the 5 4 3 2 1 trench rule?

An official 5-4-3-2-1 standard excavation safety rule does not exist. This is easily confused with the following OSHA safety numbers:

5 Feet: When a trench is 5 feet or greater, some type of protection (such as shoring or sloping) against cave-in must be provided.

2 Feet: When stones (spoil) are excavated the minimum distance between the edge of the trench and the excavated soil should be 2 feet to avert falling up of the soil.

These safety distances should always be considered to prevent accident.

2. R I need a license to use a mini excavator?

No, there is no need to have a license to use a mini excavator to work in the private premises, as an individual (in DIY projects). Nonetheless, in case you are representing commercial business with the machine, you might be required to have safety certifications. In case you have to push the machine on a busy highway, you must have a valid driver-license.

3. Should a mini excavator be purchased?

Yes, in case you have long-term projects. Mini excavator rental charges run between 300 and 500 dollars on a daily basis. When your project is not completed within a few weeks, or you have a maintenance work of some sort (such as on a farm), it can be more economical than renting. Also, excavators that are well maintained are resold at a good price.

4. What is the maximum depth of a mini excavator?

The depth of excavation is normally about 5.5 feet (approximately 66 inches) on small 1-ton class excavators (such as the MEC12). This is sufficient enough to go over most utility lines, drainage systems and even the stumps. Cases Larger 3-5 ton machines are capable of digging 8-12 feet deep.

5. How long is the life of a mini excavator?

A good mini excavator has a life span of 5,000 to 10,000 hours of service provided it is well maintained. The critical ones are the engine (as in a Kubota diesel) and hydraulic pumps. Rubber tracks are wearable components and tend to be replaced within 1, 200 -1, 600 hours per terrain.