[pastor1189]

Friend has to replace his drain-field. Has a 36" wide gate chain link fence
Do you think a Mini Excavator could pass through?
I have been told many are 27" wide?

[smoothy]

I view a mini escavators as something like a bobcat with a backhoe attachment. And those are WAY wider than 36 inches.

A trencher might just barely fit but it doesn't dig a ditch nearly wide enough for a drain field. Someone is going to be taking down a section of fence.

[smearcase]

The CAT 300.9D according to this site is 29 inches wide, and there may be other makes as small or smaller. Finding one to rent or finding a contractor who has one may be the first big challenge. The next problem will be whether or not it can do the desired work. I would be looking at removing the gate, or possibly removing one fence post and some of the fencing. I have a similar problem (need to excavate a pipe trench in my case) and I know I will have to remove my gate, gate posts and some fencing on either side of the gate. Also depends on soil type your friend is digging into. Mine is hard digging in PA and a mini machine simply could not do the job, let alone finding the smallest model to rent.
Mini Excavators | Landscaping | Cat® Resource Center

[pastor1189]

Thank You