Looking to purchase a used small excavator with a hydraulic thumb to move and stack granite boulders and move downed trees around a house. Some of the boulders are as big as 24x24”. I am not familiar with their lifting capacity of the different machines. Looking for a capable machine without breaking the bank
My u25-3 (2.5Ton)will handle and stack that size boulder easily. If you are moving boulders all the time a machine which is not zero swing would be better. A smaller machine can probably lift that size boulder but the smaller track width of the machine would mean you could not reach out far before the machine became very unstable.
My Bobcat E42 can lift about two tons but lift capacity is variable depending on a number of factors - you need to check a chart for each machine and its options.