FREE PRELIMINARY ACCESS CHECK
Will a mini excavator fit through your gate, side access and route to the work area?
Enter the narrowest usable width, any fixed overhead clearance and the route conditions you can see. The checker compares your measurements with four configured Digger2Hire excavators and flags anything that needs confirmation. It is a preliminary access screen, not a site inspection or access guarantee.
Your preliminary result
Physical access screening
Take accurate measurements
Printable access measurement worksheet
Record the delivery point, actual gate opening, narrowest path, overhead restriction, corner, level changes, surface and work-area notes before checking.
Need help choosing a machine for the actual excavation? Use the Mini Excavator Size Calculator.
Understand your access-check result
Pass
Your measurements show no obvious straight-route width or fixed-height conflict for that machine.
Conditional
The dimensions may fit, but tight clearance or another route or site factor needs confirmation.
Fail
The configured machine width or height conflicts with the fixed clearance you entered.
A Pass does not prove that a machine can negotiate tight turns, slopes, steps, supporting surfaces or the unloading area. It also does not confirm there is enough room to operate or that the machine suits the excavation.
Before you use the Access Checker
Follow the complete route from the proposed unloading point to the work area. Enter the narrowest actual usable opening after allowing for posts, hinges, latches, the open gate leaf and fixed protrusions, plus the lowest fixed overhead clearance anywhere on that travel line.
Also identify tight or approximately 90-degree turns, slopes, steps, kerbs, sensitive finishes and surfaces whose support is uncertain. Check there is practical room to unload, reach the work area and travel back out.
For the full measuring method, diagrams and checklist, read the side-gate measuring guide. You can also use the checker’s Print blank worksheet button to record each checkpoint.
Digger2Hire mini excavator access dimensions
These are the configured dimensions used for preliminary access screening. Always measure the complete route and read the configuration and source notes below.
| Machine | Narrow or stated width | Access height | Access configuration | Digger2Hire availability and context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kubota K008-3 0.9T | 700 mm | 2,230 mm | Tracks retracted; raised ROPS | Northern Rivers/Tweed first; selected longer Brisbane hires may be available by arrangement |
| Kubota U17-3 1.7T | 990 mm | 2,405 mm Digger2Hire screening height | Tracks retracted; canopy fitted | Check current availability for the selected region |
| Kubota U25-3S 2.5T | 1,500 mm | 2,420 mm | Stated machine width and canopy height | Check current availability for the selected region |
| Yanmar ViO55-6B 5.5T | 1,990 mm | 2,540 mm | Stated machine width and canopy height; suitable flatbed delivery required | Northern Rivers/Tweed Digger2Hire availability only |
Dimension sources reviewed 15 September 2026. Manufacturer-published figures: Kubota K008-3, Kubota U17-3, Kubota U25-3S and Yanmar ViO55-6B. Kubota publishes a 2,340 mm canopy height for the U17-3. Digger2Hire screens its configured U17-3 at 2,405 mm because it adds 65 mm for the fitted flashing beacon. That adjustment is a Digger2Hire machine-specific figure, not Kubota’s published canopy height.
Machine width is not the required access width
A 990 mm machine does not make a 990 mm opening an acceptable pass. The opening must be measured at its genuinely narrowest usable point, including fixed hardware and protrusions, and there must be room for normal measurement variation and travel.
Digger2Hire preliminary screening rule
- 0 mm or less spare: dimensional Fail.
- 1–99 mm spare: Conditional — tight clearance that needs confirmation.
- 100 mm or more spare: that straight width or fixed-height component can Pass.
This is Digger2Hire’s preliminary screening rule. It is not Kubota or Yanmar guidance, a universal safety clearance or a guarantee that the complete access route is suitable.
Worked screening example: a 1 metre usable opening
1,000 mm usable width − 990 mm U17-3 = 10 mm spare → Conditional/tight, not Pass.
The 700 mm K008-3 has more dimensional clearance, subject to the complete route. Confirm that “1 metre” means the actual usable opening, then use the full side-gate measuring guide for turns, surfaces and other checkpoints.
Check overhead clearance along the whole route
The lowest fixed point controls. Check carports, eaves, pergolas, pipes, awnings and other fixed obstructions from the unloading point to the work area. Measure vertically at the actual travel line, not only where the route begins.
Overhead electrical wires and other service infrastructure need separate confirmation. This checker does not calculate electrical exclusion zones and does not approve travel beneath services.
Why some routes remain Conditional
The checker can compare straight usable width and fixed overhead height, but it cannot prove a swept path through a tight or 90-degree turn. Slopes, steps, kerbs and abrupt transitions can change machine attitude and clearance, while pavers, tiles, covers, decks, soft or wet ground and unknown support may require protection or separate assessment. These inputs remain Conditional because published gradeability or ground-pressure figures do not approve a particular route. See the full route-checking method.
Access is different from choosing the right excavator
Access Checker
Can a configured machine physically reach the work area using the route you measured?
Size & Project Calculator
Which excavator size may suit the excavation, project dimensions, ground and spoil plan?
Plan delivery and unloading separately
The access route begins at the proposed unloading point, but suitable delivery and staging space is a separate check. Restricted or uncertain unloading needs confirmation. The ViO55-6B requires delivery by a suitable flatbed truck.
Access Checker limitations
Why does the checker require extra clearance beyond machine width?
Real openings include hardware, protrusions and measurement variation. Digger2Hire uses a 100 mm preliminary allowance before a straight width or height component can Pass.
Can the checker tell if an excavator will make a 90-degree turn?
No. A straight clearance cannot establish the swept path through a tight corner, so a tight or uncertain turn requires confirmation.
Does a Pass guarantee the excavator can access my site?
No. Pass means no obvious straight-route dimensional conflict was found from the measurements supplied. It is not a site inspection, safety approval or guarantee.
Share the checker with your readers
The compact checker can support practical landscaping, renovation and DIY, fencing and gates, pools and spas, drainage and plumbing education, building/site-preparation and equipment-hire content. Open Share this checker on another website below for the responsive embed code and optional editorial citation. The embed is free, requires no account and does not contain a lead form; its visible Digger2Hire attribution must remain intact.
Choose your next step
Choose the right machine
Use the Mini Excavator Size & Project Calculator to match the excavation, ground and spoil plan.
Confirm a Conditional route
Use the location-aware SMS option shown in your result to discuss the measurements with Frank or Rick.
Check details, delivery or pricing
Review the K008-3, U17-3, U25-3S or ViO55-6B; read Delivery & Pickup; or get an instant quote. A quote is not a booking confirmation.