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Rostberg explains that compact excavators have many other advantages over larger construction equipment, such as being highly maneuverable and compact in size. They also have a larger range of motion, attachment-carrying versatility, excellent visibility of the surroundings and attachment, and better fuel economy. And compact excavators only require a small trailer and truck to transport.

“More and more customers are realizing these advantages,” he says. “The market has become more open to the idea that such a small machine can perform the same tasks as their larger equipment — and sometimes perform even better.”

Compact excavators may be small, but operators still expect productivity, versatility and dependability from them. As Mark Wall, product marketing manager with John Deere, says, “Customers won’t sacrifice these things simply to get into a smaller, more compact piece of equipment.”

Wall explains how versatile a compact excavator can be on a concrete jobsite. “A contractor can use a compact excavator to break up old concrete with a hammer or breaker, then load a truck utilizing a thumb attachment and bucket, spread base with the standard blade and compact the base with a compactor attachment. The unit could also be used to backfill around the concrete once it has cured,” he says.

So how did compact excavators rise above the name-calling and become one of the most productive machines on the jobsite?