AGT H15R Mini Excavator
Mini Excavator — Hands-On
At the end of September 2025, we moved onto the property full time, living out of the motorhome while we started working the land. By mid-October, it was clear that hand tools alone weren’t going to cut it. We picked up an AGT-H15R mini excavator—a small, roughly 1-ton unit with a gas lawn-engine powerplant.
On paper, it doesn’t sound impressive. It’s a budget, Chinese-built machine meant for light duty. It’s not moving mountains, and I won’t pretend it is. But for what we’re doing here, it’s been a solid, hard-working addition to the property.
So far, it’s handled:
Moving and stacking trees after felling
Grading sections of the driveway
Building walking trails around the land
General cleanup and material handling
More than anything, it’s been a backsaver—and on long days, a lifesaver.
One of the best upgrades I made early on was adding a hydraulic thumb. That single change completely transformed how usable the bucket is, especially when handling logs, brush, and irregular debris. I also picked up a rake attachment for clearing blackberry bushes. I haven’t run it yet, but it’ll be getting installed this summer when brush clearing ramps up.
My confidence took a hit right out of the gate. About 30 minutes into the first real work session after unloading it, I blew a hydraulic hose. Nothing local stocked replacements, so I had to wait a couple days for Leroy at Spikes Hydraulics to come in. He built a new hose on the spot, handed me his personal number, and told me to call him directly next time so he could rush in if needed. Good people matter when you’re working rural—and he delivered.
New hose installed, fresh hydraulic fluid added, and it’s been back to work ever since. I’m sitting just under 100 hours now with no additional mechanical issues.
The only consistent frustration has been the tracks on crushed black rock. Any kind of turning causes rocks to wedge between the track and rollers. Clearing it is simple, though: drop the blade to lift one end, use the bucket to raise the bound side, then run the track forward and reverse until it clears. I’ve only thrown a track once, and it went back on using the same method.
I keep thinking about upgrades and modifications, but every time I start planning, I end up just climbing on and working it instead. That probably says more than any spec sheet.
Tommy is grabbing it this weekend to put it to work at his place for a couple weeks. When it comes back, it’s going straight into a larger project here on the property.
For a small machine with modest expectations, it’s earned its keep.
