10 Jobs You Can Do Smarter With a Hire Digger

Hiring a digger or excavator may seem like a big deal, but it can be a much more time-efficient and safe way to get your project done. Whether you are pulling something down or doing prep work on site, at Hirepool, we have a wide range of excavator sizes available to suit your needs. 

In this guide we’ll cover the benefits of hiring an excavator from us and the 10 jobs you can do smarter with your hire digger.  

The benefits of using a digger or an excavator from Hirepool 

The cost associated with hiring labour to do manual work can actually be significantly more expensive than just hiring equipment like diggers, plus it makes sense to minimise that kind of back-breaking work on your project. 

Here are some other great benefits of hiring:

• The gear is ready to go when you are 

As soon as you have committed to taking on a job that needs to get done efficiently, hiring a digger is as simple as heading online, selecting the right excavator for your job and ordering your gear, or just heading down to your local Hirepool branch.  Our team will help you get the gear when you need it. 

• Huge range of sizes  

Whether you are tackling a small residential project or something bigger, you can find the right digger size for what you need. Getting the right size is important in order to ensure you have the right gear for the job and materials you will be working with, as well as help keep your costs on track and not overspend if you don’t need to. 

• Gear is regularly maintained by our expert team 

Using a digger is convenient, but safety should still be front of mind when using one. Hirepool ensure all equipment is regularly serviced to make sure it’s safe and functioning well before anyone takes it away.

• Delivery to the site can be arranged 

If getting to a Hirepool branch to collect isn’t going to work for you, our team can help you organise transport to site for a fee. If you’re hiring a mini excavator we have a range of specialised equipment trailers for hire that can help you get gear to site easily.

Here are 10 jobs you can do smarter with a hire digger:

1. Breaking down small structures

Tearing down an old shed at home or anything that is in the way of a new project on site can be a dangerous task. Falling construction material always has the danger of landing on workers causing injury, so being able to stay back and let the digger do the work is a much safer option and can make quick work of your demolition project. 

Here are some examples where hire diggers or excavators can come in handy: 

• Job site demolition
  
  Many job sites require the demolition of small structures before any new work can begin. Clearing the site can be a time consuming job, so hiring gear will help to turn things around quickly so the rest of the work can begin.

• Garden sheds and sleepouts
  
  With sheds and sleepouts being so exposed to weather elements, it’s not uncommon that they wear faster and need to be pulled down. Rather than taking them apart piece by piece with power tools, hire a digger for the weekend and get it done smarter.

• Tight site access
  
  If you are working in a tight space with limited access, you have the option of using a mini excavator. At only 980mm wide they are a great compact option.  

Hirepool top tip: You can hire a trailer to easily transport gear to and from the site and remove debris

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2. Digging holes, tunnels and trenches 

Whether you are tackling a hole, tunnel or trench, a digger is of course the best option. 

Here are some things to consider when using a digger: 

• Prepare 
  
  Getting stuck in with a digger can be a great thing, but it’s important to prepare before you start. Make sure you understand fully how the machine works, and get familiar with all controls and features so you can stay safe during your project. The team will give you a run down before you take the gear away and are Hirepool are just a call away if you get stuck. 

• For safe and productive digging, it’s important to consider: 

• Where the pile of whatever you are digging will go

• Where pipes or other equipment will be staged

• The location of other utilities like overhead or underground power lines, water and gas mains

• If extra supports will be required to prevent collapse

For specialised excavation and shoring equipment, get in touch with our team at Excavation Shoring specialists

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3. Digging out a swimming pool or pond

If you find yourself upgrading a backyard or commercial property with a water feature, you’ll want to get the job done the smart way (and safe way) with an excavator. 

Any preparation work you can do yourself such as removing existing turf or shrubbery from a garden will help to save costs if you are getting a specialised landscaper in to finish the work. 

Make quick work of carving out the space you need to create room for water features or pools. If you’re a keen DIY’er, you may even want to hire an excavator to dig a pool yourself. 

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4. Demolition

Demolition can be hard and time-consuming work, not to mention dangerous. For every day spent on manually taking something apart, you could hire a digger to do that work and use labourers or your own time more wisely. 

Here are some ways you can utilise a digger when doing demolition:

• Use special attachments
  
  Use your excavator with the right attachments to make light work of demolitions

• Breaking concrete 
  
  Use a hydraulic breaker to suit your excavator and job site 

Hirepool Top Tip: For more precise and careful demolition on smaller sections or check out our wide range of concrete breaking and cutting tools. 

5. Landscaping with a digger

Landscaping work is hard graft especially if the ground you are working with is dense with rock, roots or even clay soil. Ditch the shovel and power through faster with a digger or excavator. 

Here are some ways a digger or excavator can be used for landscaping:

• Plant removal
  
  Excavators can be used for helping in the removal of tree stumps and debris, digging out rooted flax plants and roots.

• Garden design
  
  Make quick work of digging soil for a retaining wall project, creating a levelled garden and more.

6. Grading and backfilling

Grading and backfilling is an essential part of making sure the ground in question is prepared properly to avoid things such as bad drainage on the site. 

While you may opt to use specialised equipment for this job on a large site, if your site is relatively small or you want to get more out of your excavator hire, this job can be done with an excavator. Achieve a level site with a wide or cleaning bucket attachment. Make use of a rake bucket attachment to remove vegetation but leave soil behind.

Breaking up and delayering tough, rocky surfaces

Clearing a site with an excavator sounds simple in theory, but extra steps may need to be taken to ensure the site can be cleared effectively. 

On hard ground, rocks, shale and hard clay where normal bucket penetration is difficult, a single tyne ripper attachment may be required.

Moving and loading large objects

In many construction projects, a standard breaker and digging bucket are sufficient for demolition and construction, but there are some cases where large, odd shaped objects need to be moved. 

Boulders, piles of concrete or construction debris, tree stumps and other items can be moved the smart way with the help of a clamp bucket attachment and an appropriate excavator. 

9. Boring post holes

Boring post holes is tough work, even with the best handheld post home borer tools available.

For large construction sites, a Hydraulic auger can come in handy for boring post holes and other holes.

10. Compacting

We’ll always recommend the right gear for the job - so when it comes to compacting, a purpose-built compactor for soil, gravel, sand and other materials is a good idea, and we have a huge range.

In some cases though, it’s appropriate to use a hydraulic plate compactor fitted to an excavator to get the job done. e.g. if you’ve just finished digging a trench or hole and need to compact the bottom of it, but access is difficult for a traditional compactor

It can be used to compact a variety of surfaces, as well as help drive fence posts in with the right attachment.

Get it done with Hirepool

We have a variety of excavators available for hire throughout New Zealand. Easily book gear online or get in touch with your local branch to talk about selecting the right gear for your next project.