Using a mini excavator up a stairwell - GIF

[Frank S]

Back in the 90's I had a customer who owned a Kobelko 007 not the smallest but still small enough to go through a 32" door. Maneuvering them up and down stairs does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how to do it. you descend with both the spade and the boom facing downward that way you can arrest your motion use the spade to hold you in place while you swing the boom around if need be. then let the bucket or attachment be your crutch while you lower yourself or use it to help puse yourself back up the stairs. A good operator can claw his way up a wall up to almost 2/3 rds the max digging depth with 1 of those
That guy in the video didn't know squat about what he was doing.