You have a Mini-Shovel and need to move it ?
Regardless of the weight or size of the machine, moving a Mini-excavator can quickly become a headache. When moving these machines, the most complicated part is not necessarily the transport but the loading of the Mini-excavator. We explain how to load your Mini Excavator safely.
There are two main ways to load your Mini Excavator:
My Mini Excavator weighs less than 1,000kg, it can usually fit easily into a van.
For Mini-excavators weighing over 1 tonne, it is often more complicated to transport them in a van, however you can use a trailer or truck.
To load your Mini Excavator into a van, make sure you have the handbrake on correctly and that you are parked on a flat, unobstructed surface.
Check the height of your van as well as the height of your excavator to avoid any damage to your equipment. If your Mini Excavator is too high to fit in your van, you can remove the roof: most Mini Excavators offer a solution to unscrew or tilt it.
Check the floor height of your van, generally 2m10 aluminium loading ramps allow you to load 2500 kg at 60 cm, for more information on the height of the ramps to choose, you can consult our table of correspondence between the loading height and the size of the ramps " How to choose a pair of aluminium loading ramps".
Once all these checks have been made, you can make sure that the ramps are securely fastened to prevent them from slipping when loading. Then position the mini-excavator in front of the loading ramps, then at low speed and keeping a fixed trajectory you can load the mini-excavator into your van.
Before handling the trailer or mini excavator make sure that the area is clear to avoid any accidents. Once the trailer is hooked up to a vehicle, you can attach the aluminium loading ramps to your trailer using the brackets supplied with the pair of ramps.
In order to secure the load of the mini excavator on the trailer, we strongly recommend the use of chocks or crutches to block the coupling. This will also prevent the mini excavator from falling off the loading ramps when climbing on or off the machine.
If you are loading the machine on a trailer, pay attention to your choice of aluminium loading ramps. Depending on the height of the trailer and the weight of the machine you wish to transport, you will not need the same ramps.
Indeed, weight is an important factor when choosing your pair of ramps. Taking a pair of loading ramps with too low a permissible weight may cause them to break. In order to avoid any risk of accident, we recommend that you check the technical parameters of the ramps to choose the right model for you.
You can refer to the comparative table of our ramps available "how to choose your aluminium loading ramps".
Once the loading ramps have been fixed, position the machine in front of them. Begin the ascent maintaining a reduced speed and a straight trajectory in order to avoid the machine falling during the manoeuvre.
When the machine is stopped on the trailer bed, you can secure your mini excavator with straps or chains to prevent it from tipping over during transport.
Before leaving, remove your aluminium loading ramps from the trailer and strap them to the Mini Excavator, this will prevent it from slipping during transport !
To load a Mini Excavator onto a lorry, longer ramps of at least 3 metres in length are often required.
If you have any questions or need more information, please call us!
The RHINOCEROS XN 10 Mini Excavator is ideal for home use. Its small size and light weight allow it to work without damaging the ground. This mini-excavator is easily transported on a trailer, making it an ideal asset for small jobsites.
The Mini Excavator XN 12 is equipped with a KUBOTA 3-cylinder engine with 14 horsepower. Its power and its KUBOTA engine guarantee its longevity and make this excavator a key asset for earthmoving, construction or demolition work.