Avid readers of this ng will know that I am on the lookout for a cheap
digger but I remain undecided as to the type to buy and could do with
some impartial expert advice on the subject. The more I think about it
the more I think a mini digger will best suit what I have to but I still
have some doubts on various aspects.

I have decided to up my budget to £3000 but that is still very much the
bottom end of the market, particularly for a mini digger.

With a full size digger the choice is really which particular JCB but
there is a bewildering range of mini diggers from a considerable number
of manufacturers so I would like to know which manufacturers have a
reputation for reliability or perhaps more pertinently which
manufacturers to avoid.

I don't suppose the machine will ever be used outside my smallholding
and my neighbours farm but even that might require moving the machine
half a mile so is it realistic to expect a mini digger to travel such a
distance under its own power or do I need to budget for a trailer as
well?

And then there is the question of stability on steep ground. Most mini
diggers seem to have no stabilisers and some of them have a very narrow
track so is a certain minimum track advisable? And if so what?

And finally any particular recommendations.

--
Roger Chapman