Plant Hire Launceston: Equipment on the Devon–Cornwall Border

Plant hire Launceston customers get one big advantage: our Okehampton depot is only about 19 miles east along the A30. That makes Launceston one of the quickest towns in Cornwall for us to reach, which helps with same-day drops, quick swaps and short-notice extensions. This guide covers the kit we supply on the Devon and Cornwall border, from farm groundwork in the Tamar valley to moving your own machines by trailer.

Plant hire Launceston: why the A30 makes it quick

The A30 dual carriageway runs almost door to door between our depot and Launceston, crossing the Tamar at Polson. For you, that means:

• Short notice is often possible. Same-day delivery is available across most of Devon and Cornwall, and Launceston is one of the easier places to fit in, subject to availability.
• Swaps are simple. If you need a bigger excavator or a different attachment halfway through a job, we can usually turn it round quickly.
• Self-collection is realistic. If you have a suitable vehicle and trailer, a trip to the depot and back is short.
• Onward reach into East Cornwall. From Launceston we cover Callington, Camelford, the eastern side of Bodmin Moor, and north towards Bude and Holsworthy.

Farm work across the Tamar valley and East Cornwall

The countryside around Launceston is mostly livestock farming, with small fields, steep valleys and plenty of traditional Cornish hedges, the stone-faced earth banks that line the lanes. Much of our local hire is farm groundwork.

Yards, tracks and gateways

Extending a concrete yard, rebuilding a washed-out track or widening a gateway for modern machinery are common jobs. A Sunward SWE 35UF or SWE 60UF handles the dig, a Weber MT CF 3-II Hd plate compactor consolidates the sub-base, and the Venieri 1.63D pivot loader moves stone and materials around the yard.

Stony ground and reseeding

For fields where stone is a problem, the Valentini 2.3 Leon PTO stone crusher works behind the John Deere 6155R to break stones into the soil. The Nardi FAST 3m ripper loosens compacted ground before reseeding. Both are on our agricultural equipment page.

Water pipes to troughs and fencing lines

Laying a new water supply to field troughs is a classic winter job on border farms. For long, narrow runs, a trencher is often quicker and neater than an excavator. The Mak Brent MAK 40 wheeled trencher cuts a 40cm trench and the MAK 60 tracked trencher a 60cm one, and the tracked version copes better with soft or sloping fields. Bury the pipe deep enough to stay frost-free and protected from machinery, and check the requirements with your water supplier if the pipe is connected to the mains. Backfill carefully around the pipe so stones do not damage it.

New fencing usually goes alongside. The Hyundai pedestrian post hole borer makes quick work of post holes in ground without too much stone, and the Ifor Williams trailed log splitter is handy if you are cutting your own stakes from estate timber. All three are listed on our sports and landscaping range, so ask us when you enquire about the digger.

Hedges and banks

Before you dig into a hedge or bank, check the rules. Removing a length of countryside hedgerow can require you to notify the local planning authority first, and GOV.UK has guidance on countryside hedgerow regulation. Separate rules restrict cutting and trimming hedgerows on or next to agricultural land between 1 March and 31 August. Check the current guidance with Cornwall Council or the relevant authority before starting.

Building and renovation work in and around town

Launceston has a steep historic centre below the castle, newer housing on the edges of town, and plenty of barn conversions and renovations in the surrounding villages.

All of these are listed on our construction equipment page. The steep streets near the town centre need careful planning for delivery, so tell us exactly where the machine needs to go.

Working in the older parts of town

The streets around the castle and the old town are steep and narrow, with older buildings close to the road and limited places for a lorry to stop. Much of the historic centre is a conservation area, and many buildings are listed, so check with Cornwall Council’s planning team before any groundwork that affects a listed building, its setting or boundary walls.

Plant hire Launceston jobs in the centre usually suit the smaller machines: a micro or 1.8 tonne zero tail swing excavator with a narrow tracked dumper, delivered early before the streets get busy. On the newer estates around the edge of town, access is easier and a 2.5 or 3.5 tonne machine is often the better choice for driveways and extensions.

Moving machines yourself: trailer hire

Many farmers and builders around Launceston prefer to move plant themselves between sites. We hire plant and flatbed trailers for exactly that, listed on our trailers page.

• Brian James 9ft plant trailer (9ft × 4ft 4in, 2,700kg GVW) for micro and mini diggers and small dumpers.
• Indespension 10ft plant trailer (10ft × 5ft 6in, ramps included) for compact plant.
• Ifor Williams 18ft tilt bed (18ft × 6ft 8in) for drive-on loading.
• Ifor Williams 18ft flat bed (18ft × 7ft 5in) for plant, vehicles and long loads.

For heavier farm machinery, the Bailey 10-ton low loader (6m × 2.5m deck) goes behind a tractor.

Towing checklist

1. Check your vehicle’s maximum towing weight in the handbook or on the VIN plate.
2. Add the trailer’s own weight to the machine’s weight and make sure the total is within the trailer’s GVW and your vehicle’s limit.
3. Check your licence. The GOV.UK guide to towing with a car sets out what a car licence covers. If you passed your car test from 1 January 1997, it says you can usually tow a trailer up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass, while those who passed earlier generally have a wider entitlement. Check the current guidance.
4. Secure the machine with rated straps or chains, bucket down, and check lights and tyres before setting off.

Getting the most from a short hire

Because Launceston is close to the depot, a lot of customers book short hires. To avoid paying for days you do not use:

• Have the site marked out and services located before the machine arrives.
• Line up your aggregate, concrete or skip so the machine is not standing idle.
• Book the dumper or compactor at the same time as the digger.
• Off-hire as soon as you finish. Hire charges run until off-hire is confirmed with us.

Seasonal and estate kit for the border farms

Not every farm job needs a digger. Through the year we also hire the equipment that keeps grassland, yards and outlying fields in order.

• Grass and rushes. The SaMASZ Mammut 2.8m flail topper handles rough grazing and rushes, while the SaMASZ Samba 281 disc mower gives a clean cut for grass. The Del Moriano 1.8m topper suits smaller paddocks.
• Getting about. AODES 525 and 650 quads and the AODES or CORVUS UTVs are handy for checking stock and carrying fencing kit across steep fields.
• Power in remote buildings. The Zenessis 25kVA 3-phase genset or a PTO generator can run equipment in a shed with no mains supply. Tell us your load and we will match a unit.
• Yard cleaning. The Brendon 35KPE mobile power washer cleans down yards, machinery and livestock buildings.

If you need several of these through the season, ask about Flex Hire, which lets you swap machines on one flat monthly fee.

Worked example: rebuilding a farm track near Launceston

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real customer. A beef farm in the Tamar valley has a 300 metre track from the yard to the top fields. Years of tractor traffic and winter rain have left it rutted, with standing water in the dips and stone washed into the lane at the bottom. The aim is a firm, free-draining track that will take a loaded trailer all year.

The method

1. Sort the water first. Most failed tracks fail because water runs along them. Plan cut-off drains or cross-drains at intervals to take water off the track and into a ditch, and re-cut the roadside ditch if it has silted up.
2. Strip the soft stuff. Scrape off mud and organic material down to firm ground with a Sunward SWE 60UF, keeping topsoil separate for the verges.
3. Shape a crossfall or camber. A slight fall to one side, or a camber on wider tracks, sheds water instead of letting it sit in the wheel ruts.
4. Lay a separating membrane on soft ground. On wet clay, a geotextile stops the stone being pushed down into the mud.
5. Build up the stone in layers. Spread and compact each layer, rather than tipping it all at once. A Weber MT CR 7 reversible plate or CF 3-II Hd heavy-duty plate does the compaction.
6. Finish with a fine top. A blinding layer of finer material locks the surface and makes it kinder to tyres and hooves.

The hire plan

Where the old track already has plenty of stone in it, the PTO stone crusher can break it down and mix it into a firmer surface, reducing the amount of new stone you need to buy in. Ask us whether that suits your track. A job of this size usually suits a weekly hire, timed for a dry spell in late spring or summer.

Plant hire Launceston: choosing a hire period

Because Launceston is a short run from the depot, short hires are easy to arrange. That does not always make them the best value. This table sets out how each option tends to suit local work.

Flex Hire has four tiers. Tier 1 covers compact kit and everyday tools at £795 +VAT and delivery per month, Tier 2 adds crushers and excavators at £895. Tier 3 adds large excavators and forklifts at £995. Tier 4 includes everything, including 9 tonne excavators and tractors, at £1,495. For a border farm that wants a digger in the autumn, a topper in the summer and a loader in between, a single account can be simpler than a string of separate hires.

Breakdowns, swaps and extensions

Being close to the depot is most useful when things do not go to plan.

If a machine breaks down

Call or WhatsApp us straight away and do not attempt repairs yourself. We assess the problem and arrange a repair or a replacement machine. If the fault is mechanical or down to fair wear and tear, it is our job to put right. Damage caused by misuse is charged to the hirer, which is one more reason to stick to the machine’s rated limits.

If the machine is the wrong size

It happens. You hit rock at half a metre, or the job grows once the ground is opened up. Tell us early and we can usually swap you to a different excavator, subject to availability. Launceston’s position on the A30 makes that a quick turnaround.

If the job runs over

Let us know before your original end date and we will extend the hire, subject to availability, and confirm the rate. It is much easier to extend in advance than to sort it out after the machine was due back.

Daily checks that keep a hired machine working

Our hire terms make day-to-day care the hirer’s responsibility, and five minutes each morning prevents most breakdowns.

• Walk round the machine. Look for leaks under the machine, damaged hoses, loose pins and anything that has changed since yesterday.
• Check the fluids. Fuel, engine oil, coolant and hydraulic oil should be checked daily. Top up with the correct grade, and use white diesel (DERV) only.
• Grease the pins. Excavator pivot points wear quickly without grease, especially on gritty Cornish ground.
• Look at the tracks. Clear stones and mud packed between the rollers, and tell us if a track looks loose or damaged.
• Test the controls and safety features before you start digging, including the seat belt, lights and any warning alarms.
• Park it properly. At the end of the day, lower the bucket to the ground, remove the key and leave it on firm, level ground away from trench edges.

On fuel, the rules changed in April 2022 when most construction users lost the right to use rebated red diesel. GOV.UK’s guidance on the changes to rebated diesel from 1 April 2022 explains who is still entitled. Whatever your own entitlement, our hire terms require white diesel in all our diesel equipment, and machines go back full.

Frequently asked questions

Book plant hire in Launceston

WhatsApp or call 07841 036064 (Mon–Fri 7:30am–5:30pm) with the machine, site postcode, dates and access details, and we aim to reply within the hour. For plant hire Launceston projects needing several machines or a written quote, use our contact form.