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Mini digger hire with operator
A mini digger and the person who drives it, for footings, drainage, patios and garden work. The smallest machines pass through a side gate, so back gardens with no vehicle access can still be dug by machine.
Jobs we do with a mini digger
If your job is close to one of these, say so on the quote form. It helps us pick the machine and bucket before we price it.
Strip footings dug to the line and depth on your building control drawings, ready for inspection.
Trenches for new drain runs, soakaway pits and connections to the existing manhole.
Old slabs, tarmac or turf lifted and the ground taken down to the depth the new sub-base needs.
Stumps, rubble and old structures removed, and sloping ground cut back or levelled.
Ground dug out and levelled for a concrete slab or screw-pile base.
Trenches for water pipes, power cables and ducts out to an outbuilding or the boundary.
Mini digger sizes
The narrowest gap on the way in usually decides the machine. Measure it at its tightest point, including gate posts and downpipes.
| Machine | Width | Dig depth | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro digger, 0.8 tonne | 720 mm | 1.7 m | Side gates, small gardens, inside an extension shell |
| Mini digger, 1.5 tonne | 990 mm | 2.2 m | Most footings, drainage and driveway dig-outs |
| Mini digger, 3 tonne | 1.55 m | 2.8 m | Larger gardens and deeper trenches with open access |
Sizes are for planning. We confirm the machine in the quote once we know the access.
What happens on the day
A typical first day on a garden or extension job. Longer hires repeat the middle steps.
- ArrivalThe machine is unloaded
The operator unloads at the kerb and tracks the digger to the work area. Boards over paving where needed, to confirm.
- Walk roundYou show the operator the job
Where to dig, how deep, where any known pipes and cables run, and where the spoil goes.
- DiggingThe work is done to your direction
Spoil goes to the skip, a dumper or a heap on site, as agreed in the quote.
- End of hireThe machine leaves
Trenches left open for inspection or backfilled, as agreed. Collection arrangements to confirm.
What to tell us before we quote
The more of this we have, the closer the quote is to the final bill.
- The narrowest accessGate, passage or gap, measured at its tightest point.
- The size of the digLength, width and depth, or the drawings if you have them.
- The groundLawn, soil, slabs, concrete or tarmac, and anything to break out.
- Where the spoil goesA skip on the drive, a grab lorry, or a heap kept on site.
- Pipes and cablesAny you know about, and whether you have the utility drawings.
- Parking for the deliveryWhere the transport can stop to unload, and any permit needed.
Mini digger questions
Can you send paperwork for a site induction?
Yes. If the site needs the operator's card, the hire terms or an insurance certificate, say so on the quote form.
Will a mini digger fit through my side gate?
A micro digger passes through a gap of about 750 mm. Send the measurement with your quote request and we will tell you which machine fits.
Will it mark my lawn?
Rubber tracks mark grass, more so when the ground is wet. The operator lays boards on the route where they help. Ground mats on request, to confirm.
Can you take the spoil away?
To confirm: whether Copperworks arranges skips or grab lorries, or the customer does.
Also hired with an operator
We bring mini diggers to jobs in Swansea, Gower, Llanelli, Carmarthen, Neath and Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire.
Request a mini digger quote
Tell us about the job and the access. We reply with the machine we would send, the days we expect it to take and the price.