Excavator work

Excavator hire with a driver

For the digging jobs every farm, smallholding and estate has on its list: a blocked ditch, a wet gateway, a water pipe to a trough, a pond, or stumps that need to come out. A contractor brings the right size of machine and an operator who knows what they are doing.

What’s involved

Machine size is the first decision. A micro or mini digger fits through a field gate and suits trenches, trough pipes and tight corners; a mid-size machine handles ditching, stumps and small ponds; a larger tracked excavator is for big ditches, ponds and moving a lot of material quickly. Describe the job and the access and the contractor will choose.

Common farm work includes cleaning out and re-profiling ditches, laying land drains, digging trenches for water and cable ducts, clearing stumps and roots, levelling pads for field shelters, and digging and shaping ponds.

Spoil is the hidden part of most jobs. Decide whether it can be spread on site, used to build up a bank, or needs loading into trailers and taking away.

When to do it

Excavators work all year, but ground conditions set the pace. Late summer and early autumn, when ditches are low and fields are firm, is the easiest time for ditching and drainage, and tracking across wet grassland in winter leaves lasting damage.

Pond digging is best when the water table is low so you can see the real finished level. Ditch and hedge-line work should avoid the bird nesting season where it disturbs vegetation.

What affects the price

The size of machine needed and how long the job will take.

What happens to the spoil: spread on site or loaded and removed.

Access for moving the machine on a low loader or trailer.

Ground conditions, water in the dig, and rock or old foundations.

Materials such as drainage pipe, stone or ducting, if the contractor supplies them.

Good to know

Find out where buried services run before any digging: water pipes, electricity cables, gas and telecoms. Old farm water pipes are rarely on any plan, so mark what you know.

Work in or next to a watercourse, including many ditches and streams, may need consent before it starts. Your council or the Environment Agency can tell you what applies.

For ponds, think about where the water will come from and where the overflow will go before the first bucket goes in.

Excavator work: common questions

What size digger do I need?

For trenches, pipes and work through a normal field gate, a micro or mini digger is usually enough. Ditching, stump removal and small ponds suit a mid-size machine, and big ponds or long ditches a larger tracked one. Describe the job and access and let the contractor match the machine.

Can I hire a digger with an operator?

Yes. Hiring with a driver means you get someone who does this every day, and the machine is their responsibility. It is usually quicker and safer than self-drive hire for anything beyond a small trench.

Do I need permission to dig a pond?

Often not for a small pond, but it depends on size, location and what happens to the spoil. Larger ponds, ones fed from a watercourse, or work that changes a ditch or stream may need consent. Check with your council before you start.

Often booked alongside

Road construction/repair — Tracks and access roads built or repaired, stoned and surfaced.

Mole ploughing — Drainage channels pulled under wet ground.

Fencing — Post-and-rail, stock and equestrian fencing, supplied and fitted.

Mounding — Ground mounded with an excavator, ready for tree planting.