The class question: 1.7t vs 3t vs 5t
Compact excavators sold to the trade in Australia split into three workhorse classes: 1.5 to 1.8 tonne (typical: pool work, residential rear access), 2.5 to 3 tonne (typical: footings, small site clearing), and 4.5 to 5 tonne (typical: small commercial). The right class is dictated almost entirely by gate width on the access route.
Of our ten test units, three were 1.7t, four were 3t, three were 5t. The 3t class won on overall versatility but only worked when the access route was over 1.5 m wide. For townhouse and apartment construction, the 1.7t class was non-negotiable.
Boom geometry
Boom geometry is the under-marketed spec that mattered most for trade satisfaction. Zero-tail-swing versus conventional tail is the most operationally relevant choice in tight residential sites, and the spec sheets often hide which a model is.
Zero-tail-swing models are now the dominant trade choice in Brisbane and the Gold Coast for residential work. The five-year resale gap between zero-tail and conventional has widened over the last three years and shows no sign of closing.
Attachment ecosystem
The single largest cost-of-ownership variable was attachment availability and pricing. Two of the four brands tested have wide aftermarket attachment ecosystems with multiple supplier choice in Brisbane. Two have OEM-only attachments with limited supply and 20 to 40 percent price premiums on standard kit (rippers, augers, breakers, tilt couplers).
Over a five-year ownership horizon, the attachment-cost gap exceeded the initial machine purchase price gap on two of our tested units. Cheap excavator with expensive attachments was a worse buy than expensive excavator with cheap attachments.
The cost of the excavator is the cost of the excavator. The cost of running it is the cost of the attachments.
Dealer support in SE Queensland
Brisbane has a healthy dealer market. Most of the trade-recognised brands have proper trade-counter operations within an hour of the city. The Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast are well served. Regional Queensland is patchy and the dealer-network factor matters more the further you operate from Brisbane.
Resale value at 5 years
We tracked observable resale value at the five-year mark for the brand-and-model combinations represented in our test pool. The depreciation gap was wider than most operators predicted: 15 to 25 percent of original purchase price difference at five years between the best and worst residual values in the same class.
If you turn machines over every five years, brand choice on the upside of that gap saves you 15,000 to 25,000 dollars per excavator at trade-in time. That is a buying-decision input most operators do not run the numbers on.
Recommendation
The matrix covers the three workhorse classes and ranks each on initial price, attachment ecosystem, dealer support, and 5-year residual. Available to trade-verified buyers via the contact form.