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Excavator · specs & buyer's guide

Hitachi ZX17U-5 Excavator Price Guide

The Hitachi ZX17U-5 at a glance — full manufacturer specs, buying guidance, what it's used for and what drives its resale value. Verified used-price ranges publish here as our data clears the sample-size gate.

Engine
10.6 kW Yanmar 3TNV70
Dig depth
2.19 m
Tail swing
Short tail swing, 755 mm rear swing radius
Undercarriage
Retractable, 980–1,280 mm track width
Operating weight
1,760 kg (canopy)
Used pricing Being rebuilt

We don't have a verified used price range for the Hitachi ZX17U-5 right now.

HeavyBook publishes a market range only once it clears our sample-size gate — and every verified range carries the observations behind it. Without a sourced basis, we show no used figure.

Know what one of these sold for? Send us the price — it's how the guide gets rebuilt.

The ZX17U-5 sits at the compact end of Hitachi's mini-excavator range, bought mainly by owner-operators, landscapers and plumbers who need a machine that fits through a house gate and travels on a light trailer. Australian-delivered units are canopy machines with a retractable undercarriage and rubber tracks, usually offered with a set of general-purpose buckets and sometimes a hydraulic hitch or ripper. The used pool is thin — only a handful of examples tend to be on the market at once, concentrated in New South Wales and Victoria — and most are late-model builds, which keeps asking prices in a fairly narrow band. Weigh hours and attachment inclusions over age, inspect track and pin wear closely, and expect limited room to negotiate while tidy low-houred examples remain scarce.

What a Hitachi ZX17U-5 is used for

The Hitachi ZX17U-5 is a short-tail-swing mini excavator suited to confined urban and residential earthworks.

  • Landscaping and site preparation in tight yards
  • Service trenching for drainage and utilities
  • Pool and footing excavation
  • Retaining-wall and path works
  • General hire-fleet earthmoving where access is the constraint

What Moves the Price

Adds the most

Hitch + bucket set

A hydraulic hitch with a proper bucket set is the single biggest add. Machines sold bare consistently land at the low end of the range.

Clear premium

Low hours for age

Well under average annual hours reads as a weekend machine. Buyers pay a visible premium over the same year at contractor hours.

The floor

Auction vs dealer

Auction is the floor of the market. Dealer and private sales recover most of the gap — at the cost of time and effort.

Priced off the top

Tracks & condition

Worn rubber tracks and tired pins get quoted straight off the asking price — buyers price the fix before they price the machine.

Need it for one job, not the yard?

Dry-hire day rates for a Mini Excavator 1.7t are published city by city — every rate with its source count.

Brisbane$218/day · 4 sources · verified 5 July 2026Melbourne$220/day · 5 sources · verified 5 July 2026Perth$300/day · 3 sources · verified 5 July 2026Sydney$227/day · 3 sources · verified 5 July 2026
See hire rates →

Estimate Finance for a Hitachi ZX17U-5

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▤ Free checklist

Pre-purchase inspection checklist

The checks that separate a good buy from a money pit — pins and bushes, tracks, service history red flags. Requests are reviewed and emailed manually.

ZX17U-5 Price FAQ

What is a Hitachi ZX17U-5 used for?
The Hitachi ZX17U-5 is a short-tail-swing mini excavator suited to confined urban and residential earthworks.
How much does a Hitachi ZX17U-5 weigh?
The Hitachi ZX17U-5 has an operating weight of 1,760 kg (canopy).
What engine is in a Hitachi ZX17U-5?
The Hitachi ZX17U-5 is powered by 10.6 kW Yanmar 3TNV70.
How deep can a Hitachi ZX17U-5 dig?
The Hitachi ZX17U-5 has a maximum dig depth of 2.19 m.
How much is a new Hitachi ZX17U-5?
New Hitachi machines like the ZX17U-5 are usually sold price-on-application rather than at a published list price, so a new Hitachi ZX17U-5 depends on spec, options and dealer. Once you have a quote, our equipment finance calculator estimates the monthly repayment.
Where do used Hitachi ZX17U-5s sell in Australia?
Only a handful of used ZX17U-5s tend to be listed at once, and they cluster in New South Wales and Victoria rather than spreading nationally. Scarcity shapes everything that follows. Most come from owner-operators — landscapers and plumbers trading up. Because the pool skews to late-model builds, the usual buyer advantage of picking through a deep field simply does not exist, and there is little room to negotiate on a tidy machine. Patience, or a willingness to buy interstate, is what earns the discount.
What makes one ZX17U-5 worth more than another?
Hours for age matter most, then attachments — a hydraulic hitch with a proper bucket set lifts the price, and machines sold bare sit at the low end. Track condition, service history and where it sells (dealer, private or auction) move the rest.

Buying a Hitachi ZX17U-5

What to check before you buy

  • Rubber track condition and roller wear across the retractable undercarriage
  • That the undercarriage extends and retracts cleanly under its own power
  • Pin and bush play at the boom, dipper and bucket
  • Whether the hydraulic hitch and bucket set are included in the sale
  • Auxiliary circuit function if a ripper or breaker is fitted

Check it is not encumbered

A search shows whether someone else has registered a security interest over the machine — a financier who can repossess it after you have paid the seller — and whether it has been reported stolen or written off. It does not tell you what is owed, and it is not a valuation.

Tracked excavators sit right on the boundary of the motor-vehicle test, so do not rely on a serial search alone. Run both searches — by serial or chassis number, and against the seller.

Search the Personal Property Securities Register. The register publishes a case study on buying heavy construction equipment privately.