Your Doosan DX55R-7

Common jobs for the Doosan DX55

The Doosan DX55 sits at 5.5 tonnes and is a solid all-rounder for groundwork, drainage and lighter demolition. On Swedish jobs it runs residential plots, smaller civil works and demolition where you need a bit more force than a 3-tonne machine gives. It is strong enough for real digging yet still easy to trailer between addresses.

On a residential plot the DX55 digs out for foundation and drainage, on a demolition it pulls apart an old wall or slab and loads the debris. On smaller civil works it lays pipe and grades ground. The same machine digs, breaks and loads, which makes it a flexible machine for a smaller firm.

With the S40 hitch you switch between digging bucket, grading bucket, grapple and a light breaker. At 5.5 tonnes the machine carries everyday attachments steadily, but keep an eye on attachment weight when you reach out far. An auger drive is a good complement on fence and deck jobs.

Buckets and attachments that fit the DX55

For a 5.5-tonne machine you choose a digging bucket for excavation, a wide grading bucket for levelling and slopes, and a narrow cable bucket for drainage and services. On groundwork you mostly swap between the digging bucket and grading bucket, with the cable bucket out when you lay pipe or cable.

A sorting grapple belongs on the DX55 in demolition and material handling. It loads stone, pulls apart a wall and sorts spoil without you swapping to a bucket. At 5.5 tonnes the machine carries the grapple steadily as long as you do not reach out far with a heavy load.

All attachments run on the S40 hitch, the standard for mini excavators. With the same hitch you swap quickly between bucket, grapple and breaker without leaving the cab, and you build a set over time.

Hydraulic breaker and heavy attachments for the DX55

A 5.5-tonne machine drives a light hydraulic breaker for concrete and stone. On groundwork and demolition the breaker is good to have when you take apart a concrete slab or hit rock in the drainage trench. At this weight you stick to a light breaker the machine can manage at full reach.

Check the oil flow against the breaker spec before you buy. On a machine this size it is the flow and not the weight that decides which breaker it handles. Match the breaker to your DX55 so it hits right and does not wear the machine.

On demolition where you want to take concrete apart more under control, a demolition grapple is an alternative to the breaker. On a 5.5-tonne machine keep the attachment weight down, but the grapple is useful when you demolish near other buildings and want to avoid percussion and vibration.

S40 quick hitch and fit

The Doosan DX55 runs an S40 hitch, the standard coupler for mini excavators. Check the attachments are listed for S40 before you buy. With a common hitch you build a set of attachments that all fit and that you swap quickly between tasks.

On a 5.5-tonne machine the attachment weight still matters a lot. The main thing is to stick to attachments the machine can lift at full reach, since one that is too heavy far out makes even a strong 5-tonne machine unstable. That is the most common mistake in this class.