When undertaking a landscaping project, excavators can be incredibly useful pieces of machinery to have at your disposal. Of course, most people don’t just have a micro digger stored away in their garden shed; instead, you’ll most likely need to look at digger hire. But, how do you know what size you should hire?
Read on as we discuss the considerations you should make to help you determine which size digger will be most suitable for your landscaping project.
What is an Excavator Used for?
An excavator, also known as a digger, is a large piece of construction equipment consisting of a boom, bucket and a cab on top of a rotating platform (known as the ‘house’), which itself sits on top of an undercarriage with wheels or tracks.
They are primarily used for digging purposes, such as digging holes, trenches, foundations and levelling land.
Questions to Ask Yourself
There are different sizes of diggers available, from micro diggers and mini diggers to 14 or 20 tonne diggers. In order to determine the size you may need for your project, we’ve listed some helpful questions to ask yourself when deciding.
How deep do I need to dig?
Before choosing your digger, think about how far you actually need to dig for your project. For example, if you simply need to dig some holes to plant trees in or level the ground, then you will likely only need a 1-1.7 tonne excavator. Alternatively, if you’re planning on digging out space for a swimming pool, then you’ll likely need at least a 3-tonne digger.
Are there any access restrictions?
It’s all very well hiring a larger digger that you think will help you complete your project faster, but this is no good if it doesn’t fit through any access points to get to the area of your property where it’s required! This will most likely be an issue if you’re planning on undertaking landscaping work in your back garden as opposed to at the front of your home.
If there are any height or width restrictions when accessing your garden, then your only option may be a micro or mini digger.
Is the load weight suitable for my terrain?
There are two things you need to consider here. First, think about how much weight your digger will need to lift; if you need to excavate heavy or dense materials, then ensure that it’s able to withstand the necessary load weights to meet the demands of your projects.
Next, you’ll want to think about the terrain the digger will be working on and how the weight of it, along with the load weight on top of this, may affect the ground beneath it. If the ground is soft and weak, then a mini digger may be the safer option to avoid damage to the ground surface.
If you’re looking to hire a digger for your next project, then look no further than us here at Rocket Rentals Ltd - if you’re unsure about which size may be the best suited to your project, then don’t hesitate to ask and we’ll be sure to help.
We also offer a range of additional plant hire services, including forklift, roller and dumper hire. Get in touch today to enquire.
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