So you found a great deal on a cheap "no name" mini excavator at an auction house and are now wondering: What's the catch!? 

Here are some things you should know and watch out for.

Engine

Cheap auction mini excavators are typically sold with air-cooled 10hp gasoline engines. 

Beware of knock-off engine brands. They rarely have the durability and reliability of a name-brand engine. 

If you are lucky, you may find some with name-brand engines such as a Briggs & Stratton which will also be EPA-certified. If you are really lucky, or are willing to pay a bit more, you may find one with a diesel engine from Kubota or Yanmar.

Gas engines are typically air-cooled so they tend to run hotter and louder (high pitch noise) while diesel engines are typically water-cooled so they run cooler and quieter (low pitch noise). 

Oil cooler

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have a hydraulic oil cooler. 

An oil cooler is a critical component if you intend on running long hours on a hot summer day. If your machine is not equipped with one, you may find yourself stopping the machine after only 30 minutes of use because the hydraulic oil is too hot to perform. This is especially bad on the gas-powered air-cooled engines.

Most buyers of these cheap auction gas machines end up running the excavator without engine bay covers to help with cooling in order to squeeze a bit more machine runtime. The savvyer ones retrofit an oil cooler onto their machine.

Diesel machines not only run cooler in the engine bay but are also typically outfitted with hydraulic oil coolers since they are sold at a premium over gas-powered machines. But double-check to avoid unpleasant surprises!

Swing Boom

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have the swing boom feature.

If you intend on doing any excavation work along a wall, such as when doing a french drain, you will wish you had this useful time-saving feature, which allows you to dig parallel to the wall and get a clean cut vertical trench next to the wall.   

Telescopic Chassis 

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have the Telescopic chassis feature.

The telescopic chassis (or variable width tracks) feature allow the track width to be adjusted wider/narrower. This allows you to have a narrow machine to get through door opernings or tight spots and to make the machine wider for a more stable footing while excavating or operating other attachments.

Side Mounted Joystick Controls

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have side-mounted joystick controls. They are typically outfitted with front-mounted controls.

Side-mounted joysticks allow you to be seated ergonomically and comfortably for long hours of operation. They are also typically hydraulically piloted joysticks, which allow great modulation and smooth operation. Beware of mechanically-actuated side joysticks as they do not offer the smoothness benefit.

Front-mounted joysticks cause you great strain as you typically crouch over to reach the joysticks. This front control station also takes away much needed leg room. So if you are prone to back pain or if you are a taller or larger person, keep it in mind!

Quick Hitch

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have a quick hitch (or quick attach or quick coupling) to allow you to quickly and easily change between buckets or attachments.

If you want to change from a narrow digging bucket to a wider ditching or cleaning bucket or to another attachment type, you will need to remove the pins and change out the buckets manually, potentially with great effort. 

A manual or mechanical quick hitch is a must if frequent changing of attachments is a reality for you.

Hydraulic Thumb

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have a hydraulic thumb.

If you have a need to pick up branches or rocks, you will want to have a thumb. 

A mechanical thumb is manually pinned in place, typically in two or three potential positions and the bucket is actuated such that the rocks or branches get wedged between the bucket and the fixed thumb. The range of motion is very limited.

A hydraulic thumb is independently controlled so you may conveniently grab/clamp the rocks or branches in whatever position the bucket is. (within thumb range limits)

Auxiliary Hydraulic Circuit

Cheap auction mini excavators may not have an auxiliary hydraulic circuit.

If you are thinking of getting a hydraulic attachment such as a hydraulic thumb, a hydraulic breaker (hammer) or an auger, an auxiliary hydraulic circuit is a requirement.

Retrofitting another hydraulic circuit may not be easily achieved and will be costly. Get a machine with this option already included to save some headaches!