RH Digger & Driver HireA Hay & Co company 07545 265075
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Which Machine Does Your Job Need?

Excavators from 1 to 14 tonnes, dumpers, rollers and telehandlers - every one supplied with an NPORS operator. Pick the machine by the job, not the other way round: this guide matches common jobs to the right size, explains what iDig 2D machine control does for your budget, and links to every published rate. Not sure? Ring Rory on 07545 265075.

Match the machine to the job

Your jobThe right machineDay rate with operator
Tight access, gardens, internal works1t / 1.5t micro and mini excavatorsfrom £320 + VAT
Driveways, drainage runs, garden landscaping, footings for walls3t excavator with iDig 2D laser controlfrom £355 + VAT
House footings, ponds, land drainage, soft or wet ground6t excavator with iDig 2D laser controlfrom £405 + VAT
Forestry works, farm tracks, access roads, sewage treatment plants9t excavatorfrom £425 + VAT
Demolition, bulk excavation, earthmoving, lakes and lagoons14t excavatorfrom £475 + VAT
Materials handling, loading, bale and pallet movingTelehandlersfrom £355 + VAT

Rules of thumb: if access is under 1.5 metres, it's a micro. If the job is measured in skips, it's a 3t. If it's measured in lorry loads, it's a 6t or 9t. If it's measured in weeks of muck shifting, it's the 14t - and the bigger machine is usually the cheaper job, because capacity beats day rate. Dumpers, rollers, breakers and attachments run alongside at the published add-on rates.

iDig 2D machine control - digging to the number, not by eye

A number of our excavators carry iDig 2D dual-grade laser level control: sensors on the boom, dipper and bucket show the operator live dig depth and gradient in the cab, referenced to a laser on site.

What that means for your money: formations and falls are cut to the figure on the drawing first time, so there's no over-dig. Every 100mm dug past the level is concrete, stone and muck-away you didn't need to buy - on a footing run it adds up faster than most people expect. It also means drainage falls run true the first time, no re-work, and no second person stood with a staff checking levels. It's included in the rate, not an extra.

iDig 2D dual-grade laser level display showing live dig depth in the excavator cab

The machines

Two Volvo EC27D 3-tonne excavators with tilting grading buckets

3-tonne excavator

iDig laser control, rubber tracks, tilting grading bucket and a full attachment set - the domestic and drainage workhorse.

from £355 + VAT / day

Volvo EC55C 6-tonne excavator with selector grab on low-ground-pressure tracks

6-tonne excavator

iDig laser control on low-ground-pressure tracks - footings, ponds and winter drainage on ground that swallows lesser machines.

from £405 + VAT / day

Large tracked excavator working a haul road and site strip

9 & 14-tonne excavators

Forestry, tracks and treatment plants on the 9t; demolition, bulk dig, lakes and lagoons on the 14t.

from £425 + VAT / day

Giant G2700 HD+ pivot-steer telehandler with forks raised

Telehandlers

Road-registered agri telehandlers and pivot-steer loaders for farms, sites and yards.

from £355 + VAT / day

Sizing questions, answered straight

What size digger do I need for a driveway?

Usually the 3t - efficient to dig and load, compact enough for most domestic access. Under ~1.5m access it's a micro; big gravel drives and farm entrances suit the 6t.

Is a bigger digger more expensive overall?

Often the opposite - the 14t costs more per day but moves several times the material, so bulk work finishes days sooner and costs less by the job. Judge the total, not the day rate.

What is iDig machine control?

Laser-referenced depth and grade sensors showing the operator exactly what the bucket is doing, live. Formations to the number, falls true first time, no over-dig.

Does every machine come with an operator?

Yes - every machine, every size, always. No self-drive.

Describe the job to Rory on 07545 265075 and you'll get a machine recommendation and a price, usually the same day - and if a smaller, cheaper machine will do your job, that's the one we'll send.

NPORScertified operators
SMSTSsite management
CDMprincipal contractor experience
LOLERcertified lifting kit
NFU Mutual£5m public liability