The table
Under 1 m — a garden gate, a door
Machine: 1 t micro (about 0.7–0.8 m wide, tracks retract)
Digs to: 1.5–1.8 m
Typical jobs: Trenches for water, cable and irrigation; footings for a low wall; a soakaway; levelling a small garden
1–1.5 m — a side passage, a wide gate
Machine: 1.5–2 t
Digs to: 2.3–2.6 m
Typical jobs: Septic tanks, drains, footings for a boundary wall or a pergola, a small pond, clearing a plot
1.5–3 m — a drive, double gates
Machine: 2.5–3.5 t
Digs to: 3–3.5 m
Typical jobs: House extensions, garden pools, basements of a garden room, driveways, bigger landscaping
Over 3 m — a truck gets in
Machine: 5 t mini or a 5–8 t excavator
Digs to: 3.5–4.5 m
Typical jobs: Full-size pools, house foundations, a lot of soil to move — see the excavator
| Narrowest opening | Machine | Digs to | Typical jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 m — a garden gate, a door | 1 t micro (about 0.7–0.8 m wide, tracks retract) | 1.5–1.8 m | Trenches for water, cable and irrigation; footings for a low wall; a soakaway; levelling a small garden |
| 1–1.5 m — a side passage, a wide gate | 1.5–2 t | 2.3–2.6 m | Septic tanks, drains, footings for a boundary wall or a pergola, a small pond, clearing a plot |
| 1.5–3 m — a drive, double gates | 2.5–3.5 t | 3–3.5 m | House extensions, garden pools, basements of a garden room, driveways, bigger landscaping |
| Over 3 m — a truck gets in | 5 t mini or a 5–8 t excavator | 3.5–4.5 m | Full-size pools, house foundations, a lot of soil to move — see the excavator |
The width on the sheet is the tracks retracted. A 1 t machine passes a 90 cm gate with the blade folded and the tracks pulled in; measure the gate between the posts, not the path.
Depth and reach
A mini digger digs to roughly its own length and a bit more: the 1 t to about 1.7 m, the 2 t to about 2.5 m, the 3 t to about 3.2 m. For a trench that is plenty. For a septic tank 2.5 m deep the 2 t is the smallest comfortable machine; for a pool 1.6 m deep plus the base, any 2 t or bigger digs it, but a 3 t finishes in a day instead of two. Reach matters when you cannot stand next to the hole: a 1 t reaches about 3 m from where it sits, a 3 t about 5 m.
Rock changes the size
Above the motorway in Limassol, almost everywhere in Paphos, and on the hills around Nicosia the soil runs out after half a metre and limestone starts. A micro digger with a breaker chips at it; a 2–3 t machine with a breaker makes real progress. When the address suggests rock, go a size up and tick the breaker — the operator brings it on the trailer. On the Mesaoria plain and near the Larnaca coast the ground is clay and sand, and the smallest machine that passes the gate is the right one.
With an operator or self-drive
Self-drive is the usual way on the island for the 1–2 t machines: an ID and a deposit, the operator shows you the controls on delivery, and you dig at your own pace. Half a day of practice and a trench is easy; a neat level base for a patio is not. Take the operator when the job is near pipes and cables, when it is foundations that must be to a line, or when there is rock — a professional with a 3 t machine does in a morning what a first-timer does in a weekend, and the day with the operator often costs less than three days without.
What else to decide
- Where the soil goes. A trench puts it back; a pool or a basement does not. "Needs taking away" in the form, and the operator arranges the tipper and the tip, priced per load.
- Buckets. A narrow bucket (30 cm) for cable and pipe trenches, a wide one (60–80 cm) for footings and levelling, a grading bucket for finishing; say the job and the right ones come.
- Where it stands. A machine on your plot needs no permit; on the pavement of a town street it does, and the operator applies.
- How long. A trench to the gate is a day; a garden with a wall footing two or three; a pool shell excavation one day with a 3 t and the breaker.
What it typically costs
- Self-drive, 1–2 t
- €150–220 a day, cheaper per day for a week
- Self-drive, 3–5 t
- €220–300 a day
- With operator
- €350–450 a day, or €50–70 an hour with a €150 minimum
- Breaker or auger
- €30–60 a day on top
What operators on the island usually quote (open listings and price lists, October 2026), VAT not included unless stated. Your operator confirms the exact price for your job before anything is agreed.
