Why might you hire a digger?
Whether you’re undertaking an ambitious home extension or gardening projects, clearing ground or digging trenches for drainage, the use of a digger is certain to shave hours off the project and save you some back pain.
Although we often think of excavators as being reserved for professional construction projects or road works, over the years different types of excavators have been developed to suit smaller, residential projects.; and their operation is simple enough for the domestic digging enthusiast to have a go.
The Covid-19 lockdowns spurred-on an unprecedented increase in home improvement projects, with relative DIY novices finally finding the time to tackle those more time consuming projects head-on: micro-digger in the driveway and You-Tube tutorial on the smartphone.
The past couple of years have seen people finally dare to turn their back gardens into chill-out zones, install pizza ovens, create tropical suburban paradises with jacuzzis and saunas included, and create back garden skate parks. The only limit? People’s imaginations.
What types of diggers are available for hire?
Although there are numerous types of excavators available for all sorts of construction, mining and general earth-moving purposes, we’ll focus on the types of diggers you may want to hire for a residential project.
Diggers are categorised by their weight. The weight difference will suit these machines to one sort of job or another, so within the micro digger and mini digger categories you will find:
Micro diggers:
These diggers are compact and narrow. They frequently feature retractable tracks which allow them to fit through a standard garden gate. They are often used for landscaping projects, digging fishponds, working on foundations and other residential projects.
Micro diggers are designed with the residential user in mind and are easy to operate, yet still offer a lot of the functionality and features of larger machines.
Mini Diggers:
1.5 tonne mini diggers are compact and versatile, ideal for landscaping, garden projects, ploughing snow or digging trenches. Some 1.5 tonne mini diggers offer the option of offsetting the main arm to enable digging alongside a wall or fence.
3 tonne mini diggers are compact but powerful. These diggers offer a digging depth of up to 3 metres, making them suitable for large garden landscaping projects as well as digging foundations or even swimming pools.
5 tonne mini excavators are still compact, although at around 2m wide these machines will not fit through narrow garden gates. 5 tonne mini excavators achieve 4 metre digging depths and are ideal for large projects such as digging foundations, large pits and for earth clearance.
Will I need any attachments?
There are a number of mini digger and micro digger attachments you may choose to hire, and your hire company will help you select the best attachment for each purpose. As a brief overview, typical mini digger attachments include:
1. Excavator Bucket Attachment
This is the most common digger attachment. Excavator buckets come in a range of sizes and are used for ploughing into, digging up and moving soil or other materials.
2. Auger Attachment
Auger attachments are spiral, drill-like attachments used for making holes in the ground for placing poles or pipes.
3. Breaker Attachment
Breaker attachments or hydraulic breakers are generally utilised for breaking up large sections of concrete or asphalt, and are regularly seen in use on roadworks.
Will I need a special licence to operate a digger?
Don’t worry. There is no need to hold any particular permit to operate a mini digger providing that it is for private use on private property.
If you have any doubts or concerns regarding this point, speak to your digger hire company for clarification. If you are not confident about hiring a self drive digger, some companies will be able to offer you the option of hiring a digger with a machine operator to carry out the work for you.
Hiring the right digger may be confusing at first, but Central Plant Hire’s friendly staff are always on hand to walk you through the process and help you find the right machine to suit your needs.
We have a 33-year history in the industry, specialising in the self-drive hire of mini diggers, dumpers and plant equipment in the Sussex and Surrey area.
If you’re considering digger hire for your next project and would like to talk to someone about the different types of digger available for hire, speak to Central Plant Hire on 01293 851 320 or email us on emailing hire@centralplanthire.co.uk.
Central Plant Hire can offer expert advice and the best machines for each job, so get in touch today!