Operated Plant Hire — 3.5T & 8T Digger Hire with Operator in East Sussex & Kent
If you need an excavator with an experienced operator for a farm track, pond, drainage, or site clearance project, our operated plant hire service provides exactly that — a 3.5 tonne or 8 tonne tracked digger with a skilled, NPORS-certified operator, delivered to your site across Kent and East Sussex. You get the machine and the operator as one package, with no separate plant hire costs, no waiting for delivery, and no need to source your own driver.
Based in Battle, East Sussex, we own all our own plant and machinery. That means we can mobilise quickly, work efficiently, and keep costs down — no subcontractor delays, no plant hire coordination, no inflated hire charges. Whether you need a 3.5 tonne machine for a pond desilting job in a tight spot or an 8 tonne digger for building a farm track from scratch, we have the right machine and the right operator for the job.
Why Operated Plant Hire Beats Bare Plant Hire
When you hire a digger from a plant hire company, you get the machine — but you still need someone to operate it. If you're operating it yourself, you need a CPCS or NPORS ticket, experience with that specific machine, and an understanding of excavation safety. If you're hiring a separate operator, you're paying for both the machine hire and the operator, and coordinating two separate services.
With our operated plant hire, you get the machine and the operator as one service. Our operators are NPORS-certified, experienced, and bring their own excavators. They understand the ground conditions across Kent and East Sussex — the Wealden clay, the chalk downland, the coastal alluvium — and they know how to dig to specification for drainage, foundations, farm tracks, and pond works.
For farmers and landowners, operated plant hire means you can get a farm track built, a pond desilted, or a ditch cleared without investing in your own plant or taking on permanent operators. For builders and developers, it means you can get excavation and earthworks done on your site without the overhead of plant ownership or hire coordination.
Our Operated Plant Hire Fleet
Our 3.5 tonne tracked excavators are the workhorses of our fleet — versatile machines that deliver plenty of digging power while still being compact enough for many farm and estate access situations. They're ideal for pond desilting, ditch clearance, farm track repairs, drainage trenching, and general earthworks where you need more than a mini digger but don't have room for a big machine.
For larger projects, our 8 tonne tracked excavators provide the power and reach for deep excavation, heavy earthworks, farm track construction from scratch, pond and lake excavation, and site clearance on bigger sites. These machines handle the demanding work — deep drainage runs, large-scale cut and fill, and heavy material handling.
All our operators are NPORS-certified and experienced across the full range of groundworks — farm track construction and maintenance, pond construction and desilting, land drainage, ditch clearance, site clearance, and general earthworks. We provide the machine, the operator, the fuel, and the expertise as a single service. We're also licensed waste carriers, so we can handle muck-away as part of the job — no need to arrange separate waste collection.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What size diggers do you offer for operated plant hire?
We offer 3.5 tonne and 8 tonne tracked excavators with experienced NPORS-certified operators. The 3.5 tonne machines are versatile and compact enough for many farm and estate access situations — ideal for pond desilting, ditch clearance, and farm track repairs. The 8 tonne machines handle larger excavation, farm track construction from scratch, pond and lake excavation, and site clearance on bigger sites.
Do you provide the operator as well as the machine?
Yes. Our operated plant hire service provides the machine and the operator as one package — you don't need to hire a digger separately or source your own driver. All our operators are NPORS-certified and experienced in farm track construction, pond works, drainage, site clearance, and general earthworks across Kent and East Sussex.
What areas do you cover for operated plant hire?
We're based in Battle, East Sussex and cover Kent and East Sussex — including Battle, Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook, Hawkhurst, Tenterden, Hailsham, Heathfield, Rye, Lewes, Robertsbridge and all surrounding towns and villages. If you're in or around these areas and need a digger with an operator, give us a call.
Can you handle muck-away as well?
Yes. We're licensed waste carriers with our own grab hire and tipping facilities. We can load and remove excavated material from your site as part of the operated plant hire service — no need to arrange separate waste collection or skip hire.
Need Help With This Problem?
Call us for a free quote. Based in Battle, East Sussex — covering Kent and East Sussex. We respond within 24 hours.