For equipment hire Crediton farmers, builders and homeowners can rely on, we are one of the closest hire depots to the town. We supply tractors and implements, mini diggers, dumpers, mixers, compaction kit and garden machinery across Crediton, the Creedy valley and the villages around it. Message us on WhatsApp with the machine, your postcode and your dates, and we will confirm availability and delivery, often for the same or next day.
In this guide
Below we cover the jobs we supply most around Crediton, from farm diversification projects to extensions and smallholding work, plus some practical advice on the local red soil.
Close to the depot, easy to reach
Crediton sits a short run from our depot, and most of the surrounding parishes are reached by the A3072 and the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road. That covers Sandford, Copplestone, Yeoford, Shobrooke and Newton St Cyres without much fuss, and the lanes north towards Morchard Bishop and Cheriton Fitzpaine are manageable with a smaller delivery vehicle.
Being close matters for more than delivery time. If a machine develops a fault, or the job changes and you need a bigger bucket, a different dumper or an extra compactor, we can usually get it to you quickly. Short trips also help keep transport charges down, since delivery is priced by distance from the depot. It also means equipment hire Crediton jobs can often be arranged the day before the job starts rather than a week ahead, although notice always helps with popular machines like the 1.8 tonne digger in spring and summer.
Farm diversification projects and the kit they need
A lot of the farmland around Crediton is now earning money in more than one way. Glamping fields, holiday-let conversions, farm shops, equestrian arenas and wedding or event fields all involve groundworks, and most of it can be done by the farm team with the right hire kit. Typical combinations we send out:
| Project | Kit that usually does the job |
|---|---|
| Glamping pitches and hardstanding bases | Sunward SWE 25UF excavator, Weber MT CF 3-II Hd plate, tracked dumper |
| Water and electric runs to pitches or cabins | Mak Brent MAK 60 tracked trencher or a 1.8 tonne digger |
| Barn conversion drainage and soakaways | Sunward SWE 35UF, Weber MT CR 2 reversible plate for backfill |
| Arena or car park base from old concrete | Dragon 400 tracked crusher, Sunward SWE 60UF to feed it |
| New farm track or yard repair | Valentini 2.3 Leon PTO stone crusher on the John Deere 6155R |
| Event field preparation and topping | Del Moriano 1.8m topper or SaMASZ Mammut 2.8m flail topper |
Our farm and agricultural equipment hire page lists the tractors, loaders, toppers and crushers, and the diggers and compaction kit are on our construction plant hire page.
If a project means a new field entrance or taking out a stretch of hedge, check the rules first. GOV.UK’s guidance on countryside hedgerow regulation and management explains when you need to contact the local planning authority, and you must avoid harming nesting birds. Check the current guidance and talk to the council if in doubt.
Equipment hire Crediton builders book most
Crediton has plenty of older terraces and cottages alongside newer estates, and a lot of the building work is extensions, garages and garden rooms. For that kind of job, the usual list is:
- A Sunward SWE 18UF or SWE 25UF excavator for footings and drainage, both zero tail swing so they work in tight back gardens.
- A Hyundai 500kg tracked dumper, narrow enough for many side passages.
- An Altrad Belle Mini Mix 150 for mortar and small pours, or the Baron forced action mixer for screed and larger batches.
- A Weber MT CF 2-II Hd plate for path and patio sub-base, and the VPR 450 roller if you are laying block paving.
- A Weber MT SM 82-3 pavement saw if you need to cut into an existing drive or road surface.
Our hand tool hire range is growing. Breakers, compactors, power tools and disc cutters are being added, so if you need something specific, ask us what is available right now.
Working with Crediton’s red soil
The red earth around Crediton comes from the Permian sandstones and breccias that run through this part of Mid Devon. It is generally good digging ground, but it has habits worth knowing:
- It turns slick when wet. Tracked machines grip better than wheeled ones on slopes after rain, and a tracked dumper is safer on a sloping garden than a wheeled one.
- It gets everywhere. Clean down tracks and wheels before leaving site and keep the road outside clear. Mud on a lane is a real hazard to other road users.
- Keep the topsoil separate. Strip and stockpile it on its own so you can reinstate lawns and fields properly afterwards.
- Watch the valley bottoms. Near the Creedy and Yeo the ground is softer and wetter in winter. Plan bigger digs for drier spells where you can.
Garden, smallholding and woodland kit
Not everything around Crediton is a building site. Smallholders and larger gardens often need a few days with something bigger than a mower. Popular hires include the Captain 26HP compact tractor with or without a loader, the Ifor Williams trailed log splitter for winter firewood, GL&D chippers for clearing brash, the Hyundai post hole borer for fencing, and the CRAMER battery-powered mowers, strimmers and leaf blowers. These sit on our sports and landscaping equipment page.
How to book your hire
We do not take online bookings. A quick message gets you a better answer, because we can ask about access and suggest the right machine. Send us:
- The machine you want, or a description of the job if you are unsure.
- The site postcode and any access notes, such as gate widths or a narrow lane.
- Your start date and how long you think you will need it.
- Whether you need delivery and collection or plan to use your own trailer.
Remember that hire is self-drive unless agreed otherwise, operators need suitable training, and insurance for hired plant is not included. We can point you to insurance4plant.co.uk for cover.
Step by step: planning a farm diversification build
Diversification projects tend to grow once you start. A few glamping pitches become a toilet block, a car park and a new water supply. Planning the groundworks as one job, in the right order, keeps hire time and cost down. A typical sequence looks like this:
- Check permissions first. Talk to Mid Devon District Council about whether you need planning permission and building regulations approval. Temporary camping uses, holiday lets, farm shops and event venues are all treated differently, and the rules change, so get advice for your own site.
- Survey what is underground. Old farm water pipes, private cables to outbuildings and field drains are rarely on any plan. Get utility records, walk the site with a cable locator and ask whoever has farmed the land longest.
- Plan the services route. Water, power and drainage often share a trench, with the correct separation. One long trench dug once is far cheaper than three dug at different times.
- Do the heavy work first. Access tracks, car park bases and hardstanding come before anything delicate, so lorries and machines are not crossing finished ground.
- Install services and backfill. Lay pipes and ducts, backfill in layers and compact as you go to avoid settlement later.
- Finish and reinstate. Spread the stored topsoil, seed or turf, and top the surrounding grass so the site looks finished for the first guests.
Booking an excavator, a tracked dumper and a plate compactor together for the middle stages, then a tractor and topper for the finish, is usually the most efficient way to hire for a project like this.
Worked example: a five-pitch glamping field near Sandford
Here is an illustrative scenario, not a real customer, to show how the kit fits together. Picture a sloping grass field a few hundred metres from the farmyard, with five pitches, a short gravel track, and water and power to each pitch.
| Stage | Kit | Typical hire length |
|---|---|---|
| Strip and form pitch bases and track | Sunward SWE 25UF, Mechbadger tracked dumper | About a week |
| Water and power trench to pitches | Mak Brent MAK 60 tracked trencher | A few days |
| Stone track and pitch bases compacted | Weber MT CF 3-II Hd plate or CR 3-III reversible plate | Same week as the stone delivery |
| Moving stone across wet grass | Tracspider electric tracked carrier | Alongside the excavator |
| Topping and tidying the field | Captain 26HP compact tractor with MEGA 1.45m flail mower | A day or two before opening |
On Crediton’s red soil the slope matters. Cut pitch bases into the hill rather than building them up on loose fill, and keep the dumper route straight up and down the slope, not across it. If the field is wet in spring, push the groundworks back to late spring or summer when the soil carries machines without rutting.
Tractors on the road around Crediton
Farmers hiring a tractor and implements often move them between fields on the public road. A few points are worth checking before you set off down the A377 with a hired machine:
- Licence. GOV.UK’s guidance on agricultural vehicle licences explains that most wheeled agricultural tractors can be driven on the road by someone who has passed a car test, with separate age rules for tractors. Check your own entitlement, particularly for younger drivers and for towing heavy trailers.
- Fuel. Our hired diesel machines run on white diesel (DERV) only, whatever the job. They arrive full and should come back full.
- Width and lights. A 2.8m topper or a 3m ripper on the back of a 155HP tractor is wide. Fold or lift implements for transport where they are designed to, use beacons, and pull in to let traffic pass on long stretches.
- Mud. Red Crediton mud on the road is slippery and dangerous for other road users. Scrape it off tyres at the gateway and clean the road if you leave a trail.
If you would rather not move machinery yourself, we can deliver straight to the field gate. The Bailey 10-ton low loader trailer is also available to hire if you need to move your own kit between holdings.
Choosing a hire period for farm, build and garden jobs
Because Crediton is so close to the depot, short hires make more sense here than they do further away, as delivery is a smaller part of the cost. As a rough guide for equipment hire Crediton customers book:
- One or two days: topping a few paddocks, a post hole borer for a fence line, a log splitter for the winter woodpile, a pavement saw for one cut.
- A week: extension footings, a drainage run, a patio or driveway, a glamping pitch base.
- A month: a barn conversion or self-build where the digger is needed on and off, or a run of farm yard repairs.
- Long-term or Flex Hire: farms and contractors who want a machine available all season. Flex Hire Tier 1 covers compact kit and everyday tools from £795 +VAT and delivery per month, Tier 2 adds crushers and excavators, and Tier 4 includes tractors.
Common mistakes on Crediton jobs
Most of the problems we see on equipment hire Crediton jobs are avoidable. The ones that come up most:
- Hiring too small. A micro digger is great for a back garden, but on a farm drainage job it can triple the digging time. Tell us the depth and length of the trench.
- Mixing topsoil and subsoil. Once red subsoil is mixed into your topsoil, the lawn or field never quite recovers. Keep separate heaps.
- Ignoring the forecast. Starting a big dig on the valley floor in a wet week means fighting water and mud. A short delay is often cheaper.
- Forgetting the off-hire call. Hire runs until the off-hire is confirmed with us, not when the machine is parked up.
- Skipping the service check. Private cables to outbuildings and old water mains are common around farmyards. Locate them before you dig.
- Not insuring hired kit. Insurance for hired plant is not included. Arrange it before delivery, and ask us about insurance4plant.co.uk if you need a quote.
What happens on delivery and collection
If it is your first time hiring, here is what to expect when the lorry or plant trailer arrives at a Crediton farmyard, building plot or garden.
- Arrival. We agree a delivery window in advance. Have someone on site who knows where the machine needs to go and can sign the delivery note.
- Unloading. The driver unloads at the agreed point, which needs firm, level ground and enough room for ramps. If the machine has to track further in, across a lawn or field, agree the route first and lay boards where the ground is soft.
- Handover. Walk round the machine together, check for existing damage, confirm the fuel level and make sure you know how to start, stop and isolate it. Ask about anything you are unsure of before the driver leaves.
- During the hire. Carry out simple daily checks: fuel, track tension, leaks and any warning lights. If something goes wrong, stop and call or WhatsApp us rather than attempting a repair.
- Off-hire. When you have finished, contact us to off-hire and get confirmation. Leave the machine clean, fuelled and somewhere the driver can reach it safely, with any keys and attachments together.
Because the depot is so close to Crediton, a forgotten bucket or a swap to a different machine can often be sorted the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire a tractor with an implement for a single day?
Yes, daily hire is available on most kit, with a one-day minimum. For topping or ripping a few fields, a day or two is often enough.
Do you deliver to villages around Crediton?
Yes, including Sandford, Copplestone, Yeoford, Bow, Morchard Bishop and Cheriton Fitzpaine. Tell us about narrow lanes or low bridges so we send the right vehicle.
Is a 1.8 tonne digger big enough for extension footings?
Often, yes, for a modest single-storey extension with good access. For deeper footings or a lot of spoil, a 2.5 or 3.5 tonne machine is quicker. Tell us the depth and we will advise.
What fuel do the machines use?
Diesel machines must run on white diesel (DERV), not red. They arrive full and should go back full.
Can you collect and redeliver if my job pauses for bad weather?
Yes, we can off-hire and bring the machine back later, which is easy to arrange this close to the depot. Delivery and collection are charged separately, so for a short pause it can be cheaper to keep the machine on site. Ask us and we will work out which is better.
Do I need permission to put in a new field gateway?
It depends on the road and the hedge. A new access onto a highway may need planning permission or highway consent, and removing a stretch of countryside hedgerow can require notice to the council. Check with Mid Devon District Council and Devon County Council first.
Can I hire a trencher instead of a digger for water pipes?
Yes. For long, narrow runs to troughs, pitches or buildings, the Mak Brent MAK 60 tracked trencher is quicker and leaves less mess than an excavator. Use a digger where you also need wider pits or chambers.
Arrange equipment hire in Crediton
WhatsApp or call 07841 036064 (Mon–Fri 7:30am–5:30pm) with your job details, or send larger and multi-machine enquiries through our contact page. We aim to reply to WhatsApp within the hour during business hours.
