Didcot Plant Focus Issue 6

1st February 2009

Latest News

Reversible plates return

Reversible Vibratory PlateReturning to our range in December were reversible compactor plates following the purchase of a Bomag BPR 35/42D Diesel Reversible Vibratory Plate.

The BPR 35/42D is 420mm wide and weighs 190kg. It is fitted with a Hatz 1B20 air cooled diesel engine.

It features a steering rod with height adjustment for safe operator control and a 4-point bearing for low hand-arm vibration levels.

The BPR 35/42D is suitable for the construction of paths, roads and rail tracks, backfilling in trenches and pipelines.

Versatile blade at a value price

Diamond bladeThe Spectrum Double Six diamond blade is modestly priced, designed to handle general concrete and building products and comes with a massive 12mm of diamond!

It usually retails for £50 + vat, but mention you saw it here and get it for just £45 + vat. (Have more than one and pay just £40 each + vat.)

Featured Equipment

Temporary fencing

We offer temporary fencing solutions for a multitude of situations. Whether you need a short term or a long term fencing solution we can offer a product and service to suit your needs and budget.

Temporary fence panels

Often referred to as heras fencing this 3.5m x 2.0m fence panel system is the industry staple. These anti-climb panels are joined using rubber feet and clips to give a good semi-permanent fencing solution to construction sites and events where security is a major issue.

Low level barriers

These 2.5m long, 1.1m high multiple usage barriers provide an excellent compliment to our temporary site fencing line. Whereas the temporary fencing has site security as one of its main applications, the low level barriers tackle situations where safety is a priority. This might be to provide pedestrian and vehicular safety from excavations or other site works.

They are also ideal for pedestrian demarcation and control typically faced by the events industry. The barriers are a one-piece design with heavy gauge tubular feet, welded in an offset position. They are joined together with a locking hook and eye system. This makes it almost impossible to violate the barriers integrity until removal is required.

Guard barriers

Guard BarriersEach 2.0m x 1.0m 14kg section is moulded from High Density Polyetholene (HDPE) for impact strength and durability making it last up to six times longer than conventional rigid PVC barriers. The two built-in thermoplastic feet swivel 360 degrees allowing for panels to be easily stacked for storage and transportation.

Conforming to all mandatory regulations the guard barrier system is ideal for a variety of work applications as well as crowd control and pedestrian demarcation situations. Each panel has the ability to stand alone or link to other panels to form a temporary wall.

Kubota KX36 Excavator

Kubota KX36 ExcavatorThis versatile machine is packed with the latest mini digger specification and has been, in Kubota’s own words, designed “to be second to none at efficiently handling the broadest range of jobs”.

The KX36-3 has the following features:

  • Long arm for increased digging depth & radius
  • Anti-theft system with individually coded keys
  • Repositioned boom ram protects against damage
  • Protected bucket ram hoses
  • Variable displacement pumps
  • Safety lock starting procedure
  • Increased track shoe width for greater stability
  • Easy access to engine for daily checks

The KX36-3 is the perfect machine for a multitude of situations.

Thwaites Hi-Tip Dumper

Our most popular dumper and the dumper that we own the most of is the Thwaites 1-tonne Hi-Tip Dumper.

At just 1115mm wide there are few sites it cannot access. It is four wheel drive, has hydrostatic drive and hydraulically assisted power steering.

The skip has a discharge height of 1.6m when raised. It has a carrying capacity of 1000kg in weight, 500 litres of heaped material or 400 litres struck.

From Our Catalogue

New items added in 2008

Genie Lift

Genie lift

Due to demand we introduced two Genie SLA-20 Superlift Advantages to our range in July. The SLA-20 is a manually operated material lift that sets up quickly without any tools and is ready to go to work in seconds. It has a compact design (80cm wide) for easy access through standard doorways and once in position stabiliser legs are lowered for stability. It will lift to a height of 5.95m (19′ 6″) and can lift up to 363kg.

Stump grinder

New to the hire fleet in June was the Dosko Stump Grinder.

This powerful and well balanced machine tackles tree stumps and roots up to 500mm above ground and 400mm below ground. It has a front mounted cutter wheel for maximum operator safety along with an ‘operator-presence shut down’ (dead-mans handle).

Bumper Hoist

A new item of equipment added to our range in April was a Bumpa Hoist.

This 8 metre 110v hoist is ideal for shifting tiles, bricks, blocks, fittings, felt or anything that will fit onto the belt or in to one of the two bucket attachments. It can handle up to 80kg at any one time and can be reversed to take material down from a roof as well as up.

The 8m Bumpa Hoist measures 4.2m when folded up and is quick and easy for two people to set up and manoeuvre.

Long Reach Hedge Trimmer

Stihl HL100 Long Reach Hedge TrimmerAnother new item added to our hire fleet in July was the Stihl HL100 Long Reach Hedge Trimmer.

With a 2.48m (99″) total length this long reach 2-stroke hedge trimmer is just the job for reaching tall hedges without the need for ladders. The 50cm (20″) cutting bar is adjustable over 135 degrees with 13 lockable positions, including a 270 degree storage and transportation point.

Due to demand we added a second one in October.

Matthew Tarrant

Value for money

Matthew TarrantAs the economy sinks deeper and deeper into recession we are all experiencing a drying up of work. If there are any businesses in this country that are not affected they are definitely not linked to the construction sector.

So as work gets tighter there is constant pressure on profit margins and keeping costs at a sensible level. A temptation in times like these is to go for the cheapest option, which we all know is not necessarily the best option or one providing the most value for money.

Plant and tool hire is an area that time after time reinforces this point. Some hire companies offer low prices but when they do some aspects of their service have to be sacrificed. These sacrifices might mean that they are not very prompt with deliveries or slow to respond to breakdowns or that the equipment is poorly maintained and unreliable. When doing things on the cheap there are always sacrifices to be made.

The trick is to catch the right balance between cost and quality. That is when you get value for money. That is what we strive to do.

We know that we may not be the cheapest but we also know that price is not the only factor that defines value for money. But some of the other factors are hard to allocate a price to. What price do you put on reliability, punctuality, speed of response or just being easy to deal with?

When you bundle everything together and look at the whole picture you realise that we consistently offer excellent value for money.