Micro digger hire
A micro digger is any excavator under roughly 1.5 tonnes, and it exists for one reason: getting into places a mini digger cannot reach. Ours is the JCB 8008 CTS. With the tracks retracted it measures 700 mm across — narrower than almost every domestic side gate and doorway in Britain — yet it still digs to 1.71 m. That combination is why it is the machine of choice for rear-garden work, and it hires at £75 per day including VAT.
JCB 8008 CTS micro digger
Including VAT. Delivery £1 per road mile.
Weekly hire: £300 for 7 days — pay four days, keep it for seven. Weekend hire (Friday afternoon to Monday morning) is charged as a single day.
- Machine
- JCB 8008 CTS
- Operating weight
- 1,043 kg
- Retracted width
- 700 mm
- Dig depth
- 1.71 m
- Cab height
- 1.38 m (folding ROPS)
- Engine
- Perkins diesel, Stage V
What it is good for
- Rear-garden landscaping where access is through a side passage
- Footings and foundations for extensions and garden rooms
- Drainage runs, soakaways and French drains
- Pond and water-feature excavation
- Fence post holes and tree stump removal
- Indoor and basement digs where a full-size machine will not fit
Where we deliver
Delivered and collected by us from the Norwich & Peterborough depot (NR3 / PE1) at £1 per road mile, worked out on real driving distance to your postcode. Sites 40 road miles or further from the nearest depot carry a two-day minimum hire.
- Norwich
- Peterborough
- Great Yarmouth
- Cambridge
- Wymondham
- Dereham
- Wisbech
- Stamford
- March
- Ely
- Huntingdon
- Lowestoft
Who covers what.
No surprises after you book. This is exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins on insurance, deposits and damage — the same wording as our hire agreement.
You cover the machine while it's on your site
Plant is not automatically insured by us once it leaves the depot. You need hired-in plant cover for the full replacement value (theft and accidental damage included), or you accept liability for loss and damage yourself. We may ask to see evidence of cover before we deliver.
No separate security deposit
We don't hold a damage deposit or take a card pre-authorisation. You pay the hire and delivery total up front — by card at checkout or bank transfer — and nothing further unless damage, loss, missing fuel or extra days are chargeable after collection.
Misuse and accidents are yours, breakdowns are ours
From delivery until collection the machine and attachments are your responsibility. Damage from misuse, neglect or an accident is charged at the reasonable cost of repair, and full replacement value if it's lost, stolen or written off. Fair wear and tear or a genuine mechanical breakdown is on us — stop work, ring the depot, and we'll repair or swap the machine as fast as we can.
Back clean and refuelled
Machines arrive serviced, clean and full of fuel. Return them the same way. If a machine comes back excessively dirty or short of fuel we charge the reasonable cost of cleaning or refuelling — no arbitrary penalty fees.
Access, services and competent operators
You confirm safe, legal access for our transport, mark or trace underground services before digging, and make sure only competent, trained operators use the machine. If we can't deliver or collect because access is blocked or nobody's on site, a wasted-journey charge equal to the delivery cost may apply.
Free to cancel up to 48 hours before delivery
Full refund outside 48 hours. Inside 48 hours we may keep one day's hire for the lost slot and transport. Date changes are free subject to availability.
Read the full hire terms →Micro digger hire — FAQs
What is the difference between a micro digger and a mini digger?
Size, and therefore access. A micro digger sits at or under about 1.5 tonnes — ours is 1,043 kg and 700 mm wide retracted, so it walks through a side passage and across a lawn without wrecking it. A mini digger typically runs from 1.5 to 6 tonnes; our JCB 48Z-1 is 4.8 tonnes and 1,960 mm wide, digs to 3.71 m rather than 1.71 m, and shifts spoil far faster. The rule of thumb: if you cannot get a machine into the back garden, the micro is the answer. If access is fine and the dig is deep or the volume is large, take the mini.
Will a micro digger fit through my garden gate?
Almost certainly. With the tracks retracted the JCB 8008 CTS needs 700 mm of clear width, and the ROPS bar folds down to bring overall height to 1.38 m. A standard UK side gate is 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) or wider, and a single doorway is usually 838 mm. Measure the narrowest point on the route — including any gate posts, meter boxes and downpipes — and if you have 750 mm we can get it in. Send us a photo of the access if you are unsure and we will tell you honestly before you book.
How much does it cost to hire a micro digger?
£75 per day including VAT for the machine, plus £1 per road mile delivery from the nearest depot. There is no hidden insurance levy, environmental charge or fuel surcharge added at the end — the machine arrives full of fuel and the price you see when you book is the price you pay. Multi-day and weekly hires are available; call us for a weekly rate on longer jobs.
How much ground can a micro digger move in a day?
As a realistic guide, a competent operator will move somewhere between 8 and 15 cubic metres of ordinary soil in a working day with a 1-tonne machine, depending on how far the spoil has to be tracked and whether it is being loaded or heaped. That is roughly a 10 m by 4 m garden dug to 300 mm. Heavy clay, flint or made ground will slow that down considerably. If your job is materially bigger than that, the 5-tonne JCB 48Z-1 will finish it in a fraction of the time and usually costs less overall.
How much is delivery?
Delivery is £1 per road mile from our nearest depot (NR3 or PE1), charged on genuine driving distance to your postcode rather than a flat zone rate — so a job five minutes away costs a fraction of one an hour away. The booking page works the cost out live from your postcode before you pay, and all prices include VAT. Sites 40 road miles or further from the nearest depot carry a two-day minimum hire.
Do I need a licence or ticket to use it?
There is no legal requirement for a licence on private domestic work, and our machines go out on a self-drive basis to competent operators. On commercial and CDM-regulated sites your principal contractor will normally expect a CPCS or NPORS card for excavator operation. If you would rather not operate it yourself, we can supply a trained operator with the JCB 8008 CTS for £200 per day — just ask when you book.
What happens if something goes wrong on site?
Every machine leaves us serviced, fuelled and checked, and we walk you through the controls at handover. If a machine develops a genuine fault during your hire, call the depot and we will repair or swap it — you are not charged for downtime that is our fault. You are responsible for the machine while it is on your site, so it should be immobilised and secured overnight, and any accidental damage or loss is chargeable.