Trust me on this one: get your questions answered before you hand over a deposit. I've been handling equipment purchases for a mid-size excavation contractor since 2017, and I've personally made (and documented) seven genuinely expensive mistakes—roughly $38,000 in wasted budget. I keep a checklist now so our team doesn't repeat them, and honestly, the list grows every year.
These are the Liugong questions I get asked most, answered from experience instead of a brochure.
A backhoe loader is the machine with a loader bucket on the front and a digging arm on the back—one unit that loads, hauls, and digs. Strictly speaking, the "backhoe" is just that rear digging arm, but everyone calls the whole machine a backhoe. You'll also hear "backhoe loader" or "loader backhoe."
Liugong's lineup includes several backhoe loader models, and they shine on mixed jobsites: light trenching, utility repair, site cleanup. It's a jack of all trades. If you need serious production digging every day, get an excavator. But if you're a general contractor doing a bit of everything, the backhoe loader is hard to beat for the money.
One safety note: OSHA excavation rules apply once a trench is 5 feet deep or more, and that includes sloping or shoring. A backhoe digs fast. It doesn't make the trench safe. That's your job.
The honest answer is: it depends, and the number you're quoted isn't the number you'll pay.
On quotes I've seen in early 2025, a Liugong 3-ton diesel forklift runs roughly $15,000 to $25,000 depending on mast height, side shift, tire type, and whether it's a standard or pneumatic setup. Electric models cost more upfront, but they make sense if you're working indoors a lot.
Here's what I've learned the hard way: ask "what's NOT included?" before you ask "how much?" The dealer who lists delivery, rigging, and attachments upfront—even if the total looks higher—usually costs less in the end. The low advertised price is a starting point, not a final answer.
I once bought a forklift because it was $6,000 under every other quote. It still ended up costing $2,800 in freight and another $900 to get it off the flatbed because our site crane was busy. Nobody asked who unloads it. That's the kind of question that makes you feel stupid for a week.
Also, if your crew runs it, OSHA requires documented operator training for forklifts (29 CFR 1910.178). That applies to a Liugong just like any other brand. Get your guys certified before you put the machine to work.
New units go through authorized Liugong dealers. Used ones show up on equipment marketplaces, auction sites, and dealer lots. The mistake I made early on was shopping by price alone and ignoring local support.
Here's something vendors won't tell you: the "dealer price" on a new mini excavator includes setup and prep. You're not just buying a machine; you're buying the dealer's ability to get parts fast when something breaks. A machine you can't get parts for is just an expensive sculpture.
For reference, I've seen the Liugong 9018F—the 1.8-ton mini—quoted between $16,000 and $22,000 depending on options. The 9035E, a 3.5-ton model, tends to land around $35,000–$45,000 before delivery and attachments. Those are rough numbers from quotes in my region, so treat any online price as a hint, not a fact.
And get the spec in writing. In September 2022 I approved a mini excavator with an auxiliary hydraulic thumb over the phone. Verbal agreement. The machine arrived without it. The dealer didn't recall the conversation. Retrofitting cost $3,200 and a week of schedule delay. Trust doesn't survive a paperwork error.
First, make sure you're actually talking about drill bits. Most people who ask this are really using a hydraulic breaker, and that needs a breaker chisel or moil point, not a drill bit. Concrete drill bits are for drilling holes—dowel holes, anchor holes, or core drilling. On an excavator, that's an auger or a rock drill attachment.
Everything I'd read said buy the cheapest chisel because it's a wear item. In practice, that advice cost me. I ran two cheap chisels in one week. The first snapped on a rebar hit. The second mushroomed and seized inside the breaker. Downtime plus replacement ran about $1,100. The dealer-brand chisel cost more but lasted eight months of heavy use. Cheap steel isn't a deal when it takes your machine out of service.
The same logic applies to drill bits. Carbide grade and bit geometry matter more than the brand. But a good bit is only as good as the person running it. I wrecked a brand-new core bit in thirty seconds by running it dry. That one's on me.
If the rear end sits obviously low, you've got a squatted truck. Some squat is normal when you drop two tons on a trailer, but there's a difference between a slight dip and a truck that corners like a Carolina squat build.
I learned that the hard way. I used to haul our mini excavator with a half-ton pickup that was, according to the spec sheet, "rated" for it. It squatted, but it handled okay around town, so I ignored it. Then a 60-mile highway trip turned into white-knuckle steering at 55 mph. I hit the scales: I was over the payload rating by about 600 pounds once I counted trailer tongue weight and gear. That realization cost me $1,900 in shocks, leaf springs, and a trailer brake controller.
What I should've done from day one: check the door sticker payload rating, weigh the rig, and upgrade the truck or trailer until the combination stops better than it squats. A great Liugong mini excavator price looks a lot less great when you can't safely get it to the jobsite.
For our operation, yes—but for reasons that might surprise you.
When I compared a bigger-name mini excavator against the Liugong side by side, I expected the Liugong to be the weaker machine. The opposite turned out to be true for our situation: the Liugong had a simpler hydraulic layout, parts cost less, and my local dealer answered the phone. The other brand had a nicer cab and slightly smoother controls, but the Liugong won on total cost of ownership.
I've watched two contractors drive three hours to save a few thousand on a machine, then complain about parts delays. The machine wasn't the weak link. The distance was. Check who services Liugong in your area before you commit.
After nine years and $38,000 in documented mistakes, my rule is this: buy the machine with the best support within reach, not the one with the best spec sheet. A machine that works is worth more than a machine that impresses.
Our application engineers can provide project-specific advice based on your equipment needs.
Ask an Expert