Hightop HT12 Zero Tail Swing Mini Excavator vs KT13R and MH12RX
The Hightop HT12 is a zero tail swing mini excavator with a Kubota engine; see its published specs next to the gas KT13R and MH12RX.
The Hightop HT12 is a zero tail swing mini excavator from Hightop Group, with a Kubota engine and an operating weight of about 2,205 pounds. Hightop's own HT12 product page describes it as a zero tail swing machine with a compact body for narrow working areas, and every HT12 number in this post comes from the spec table on that page. This post sets the HT12 next to two gas mini excavators of a similar size, the CFG Industrial KT13R and the AGT MH12RX.
What are the specs of the Hightop HT12 zero tail swing mini excavator?
The Hightop HT12 runs a Kubota engine and digs to about 69 inches, according to Hightop's published spec table. The full list:
- Engine: Kubota
- Operating weight: 1,000 kg (about 2,205 pounds)
- Max digging depth: 1,760 mm (about 69 inches)
- Max digging reach: 2,920 mm (about 115 inches)
- Max digging height: 2,585 mm (about 102 inches)
- Max dumping height: 1,730 mm (about 68 inches)
- Overall width: 930 mm (about 37 inches)
- Track shoe width: 180 mm (about 7 inches)
- Transport length: 2,275 mm (about 90 inches)
- Height to cab top: 2,220 mm (about 87 inches)
- Bucket capacity: 0.02 cubic meters (about 0.7 cubic feet)
- Gradeability: 30 degrees
Hightop's page also says the HT12 can be equipped with buckets, breakers and augers.
How does the HT12 compare with the KT13R and MH12RX?
The Hightop HT12 is the heaviest of the three and the only one with a Kubota engine, while the CFG Industrial KT13R (1,785 pounds) and AGT MH12RX (1,798 pounds) are lighter machines with RATO gas engines of about 13.5 HP.
"Not listed" means the published specs for that machine do not give the figure.
| Hightop HT12 | CFG KT13R | AGT MH12RX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero tail swing | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Engine brand | Kubota | RATO (gas) | RATO (gas) |
| Engine power | Not listed | About 13.5 HP | 13.5 HP |
| Operating weight | About 2,205 lb | 1,785 lb | 1,798 lb |
| Overall width | About 37 in | About 39 in (overall track width) | About 39 in |
| Track width | About 7 in | About 7 in | 7 in |
| Max digging depth | About 69 in | Not listed | About 5 ft 4 in (1.8 m) |
| Controls | Not listed | Pilot joystick | Pilot |
| Auxiliary hydraulics | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
The CFG Industrial KT13R comes with pilot joystick boom controls, an open canopy, a backfill blade, a work light, front-plumbed auxiliary hydraulics, rubber tracks and hydrostatic drive. The AGT MH12RX comes with pilot controls, an open canopy, attachment-ready auxiliary hydraulics, 7-inch rubber tracks, a 1.74-gallon fuel tank and a 4.7-gallon hydraulic oil tank.
Which mini excavator fits your job?
Pick by what the job needs most: the HT12's spec sheet shows a narrow machine with zero tail swing, while the KT13R and MH12RX are lighter gas machines with pilot controls and auxiliary hydraulics.
- Hightop HT12: On paper it is the narrowest of the three at about 37 inches wide, lists a dig depth of about 69 inches, and Hightop builds it with zero tail swing. It is also the heaviest.
- CFG Industrial KT13R: Built for digging, trenching, landscaping, grading and property maintenance on residential, farm and construction jobs, with a 420cc gas engine.
- AGT MH12RX: Built for digging in tight spaces like backyards, farms and light construction sites, with attachment-ready auxiliary hydraulics.
To compare more models, see our mini excavators page.
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