Mini digger hire in Norwich
For driveways, extension footings and anything involving real volume, a 5-tonne machine will finish in a day what a 1-tonne machine takes three to do. Our JCB 48Z-1 is a zero tail swing mini excavator, meaning the counterweight stays inside the track width when it slews — so it works hard up against a boundary wall or between a house and a fence without the back end catching. £200 per day including VAT from our Norwich depot.
JCB 48Z-1 5t mini excavator
Including VAT. Delivery £1 per road mile.
Weekly hire: £800 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 48Z-1
- Operating weight
- 4,795 kg
- Width
- 1,960 mm
- Dig depth
- 3.71 m
- Tail swing
- Zero — works flush to walls
- Engine
- JCB diesel, Stage V
What it is good for
- Driveway excavation and full site strip
- House extension footings and deeper foundations
- Bulk muck-away and site clearance
- Drainage and utility trenching at depth
- Car park and hardstanding preparation
- Farm tracks, ditching and yard work
Where we deliver
Delivered and collected by us from the Norwich depot (NR3) 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
- Wymondham
- Dereham
- Aylsham
- Wroxham
- Long Stratton
- Attleborough
- Hethersett
- Acle
- Reepham
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 →Mini digger hire Norwich — FAQs
What size mini digger do I need?
Work back from two things: the narrowest point of your access, and the depth of your dig. If access is under a metre, you need the 1-tonne micro (£75/day) whether you like it or not. If you can get 2 m in — a driveway, a double gate, an open plot — take the 4.8-tonne JCB 48Z-1 at £200/day. It digs to 3.71 m against the micro's 1.71 m, and its bucket capacity means far fewer passes. For a full driveway dig or extension footings, the 5-tonne is almost always the cheaper option once you count the days saved.
What does zero tail swing actually mean for my job?
On a conventional excavator the counterweight overhangs the tracks as the machine slews, so you need clearance behind it or you clout the wall. A zero tail swing machine keeps that rear end within the track width, so you can dig a trench tight along a boundary fence, work in a narrow side return, or operate on a road with traffic passing without swinging into it. On tight Norwich plots it is the difference between finishing the job and hand-digging the last half metre.
How much does mini digger hire cost in Norwich?
The 5-tonne JCB 48Z-1 is £200 per day including VAT; the 1-tonne JCB 8008 CTS micro digger is £75 per day. Add £1 per road mile delivery from our NR3 depot, which is a few pounds anywhere in the city. We also hire an Ifor Williams LM166 twin-axle plant trailer at £45 per day from Norwich if you would rather collect and move the micro digger yourself.
Can you deliver a 5 tonne digger to a residential street?
Yes — this is routine work for us. The machine comes in on a plant trailer and we unload on the street or on your drive, then track it to the working area. What helps enormously is a clear space of around 12 m to unload safely, so please move cars off the drive and let neighbours know if the frontage is tight. If your street is narrow, permit-controlled or has a weight restriction, mention it when you book and Brian will plan the drop.
How much is delivery?
Delivery is £1 per road mile from our Norwich depot (NR3), 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.