What to consider when hiring machinery

There are many options when it comes to hiring a digger, so how do you know what one to use? You should ensure you’re hiring from a company that have plenty of experience and know their products well. When you contact plant-hire companies for advice they should be able to advise you on what type of digger to use for the works required. It may seem like a waste of money to pay for an operator on top of the digger price, but this could be saving you money. It can take a lot of practise to use the machines efficiently therefore paying for an operator who knows the machines well may finish the job more efficiently than yourself.

Stay Local

It may sound obvious, but the further away from the supplier, the higher the cost of plant-hire. The plant hire companies charge delivery and collection fees and if the machinery experience any faults or issues it will be fixed more efficiently if you’re closer to the machines base.

Hire the right size digger with correct attachments

When hiring machines, you must ensure you’re getting the right machine for the job. You shouldn’t go for the largest machine because you are unsure what size to get, always check with an experienced member of staff, and select the bucket sizes needed for the machine. Some companies bring a few sizes of buckets with the machines, but clarify before the delivery. Machines can have 4 sizes of buckets (depending on what the company stocks).  Some machines allow the tracks to fold away to get through gateways/ small spaces, so always consider the specification of machine if you have smaller spaces. You may also want to consider the attachments needed for the works being completed for example, with concrete demolition you may want to consider a breaker/ pecker attachment.

Estimate a time-frame for length of hire

Always have an estimate of how long you need the machine for and inform the company. The plant-hire company may have cheaper rates the longer the hire, therefore the price of a 3-day hire may cost the same as a week’s hire.

Plan the hire around the weather conditions

There is nothing worse than being equipped with machinery and staff but it’s impossible to carry out the works due to the weather conditions. The plant-hire company will not give you a free hire due to the weather. Keep an eye on the forecast!

Considering the deposit

Most plant-hire companies will charge a deposit before confirming the hire due to the valuable nature of the tools being hired. The deposit is then refunded once the hire has finished minus the goods used. Although you only pay for what you use, this is can be a substantial amount to begin with, the average deposit is around £500-750.

What plant company do JVB use?

We use a company called Easy Plant hire Ltd. They are based in Horley and take pride in looking after their machines. They have a head office in Redhill and are happy to advise on what machines to use, and an estimated cost before the hire. The machines are full of fuel on arrival, clean and ready to use. They have Kubota, Slanes and Thwaites machines available and smaller items such as Wacker Plates and hand-held breakers. The staff are very friendly and always helpful if any issues arise.