You've sized the machine, booked the dates, and the digger's coming on a transporter to your gate. The day it arrives is the day the hire clock starts — so a bit of prep beforehand is the difference between the machine rolling off and straight into the job, or everyone standing around a locked gate working out where it can actually go.
None of this is hard, and most of it takes five minutes. Here's the run-through we'd give you over the phone anyway — how to get your site ready so the digger lands, unloads and starts earning its keep the moment it arrives.
Sort out access first
The most common hold-up on delivery day is access — can the transporter get to where the machine comes off, and can the digger then get from there to the job? Walk the route beforehand with the truck in mind, not just the digger.
- +Gateways and pinch points — measure the narrowest spot the machine has to pass. Our 2.5 tonne Kubota is about 1.5m across the tracks; check the spec on the equipment page against your tightest gate. Not sure what size you've got coming? The what-size-digger guide walks through it.
- +Truck turning and unloading room — the transporter needs a firm, reasonably level spot to pull up and ramp the machine off. A soft verge after a wet week is exactly where trucks get stuck.
- +Overhead clearance — power lines, low branches, carport beams. The truck sits high with the machine loaded on the deck.
- +Gates and stock — have keys, chains and padlocks sorted, and shift stock out of the paddock the machine has to cross. A mob of curious heifers and a digger don't mix.
Mark out the hazards you can't see
A digger bucket finds buried services the expensive way. Before the machine arrives, know where everything underground runs — and mark it so whoever's on the sticks can see it from the cab.
- +Underground services — power, water, fibre, gas, the septic field. If there's any doubt at all, lodge a free enquiry at beforeUdig well ahead of time; it isn't instant, so don't leave it to the morning of. Power and fibre strikes are dangerous and eye-wateringly expensive.
- +Peg or spray-mark the lines — paint, pegs or a row of stakes over the route of anything buried. Memory isn't a plan when you're two metres into a trench.
- +Septic tanks, soak fields and old wells — easy to forget, nasty to hit.
Get the job itself ready
The hire clock doesn't care that you spent the first morning clearing the work area. Do the prep that doesn't need a digger before the digger turns up.
- +Clear the work area — move cars, trailers, firewood, the trampoline. Give the machine room to swing and the spoil somewhere to go.
- +Plan where the dug material goes — there's always more spoil than you picture, and shifting it twice burns hire time. Decide up front: stockpile, spread, or cart away.
- +Have your materials on site — novacoil, metal, pipe, culverts, whatever the job needs, delivered and waiting. A digger idling while you run to the merchant is the most expensive trip you'll make all week.
- +Read the weather and the ground — after a wet North Canterbury week even a compact machine marks soft paddocks. Sometimes a day or two's patience saves a month of ruts; we'll talk it through if conditions are marginal.
What happens when we arrive
We deliver on our own transporter — so the machine size isn't limited by what your ute can tow — and we don't just drop it and bolt. At handover we'll walk you round the digger, run through the controls, the safety basics and refuelling, and make sure you're comfortable before we leave. First time in a digger? Say so when you book and we'll factor in the time.
On your own private land in New Zealand you don't need a licence to operate a small excavator — just competence and common sense. There's more on delivery, fuel and operation in our FAQ.
A quick day-before checklist
- +Gate keys found, padlocks sorted, stock shifted off the route.
- +Access walked — gate width, truck turning room and overhead clearance all checked.
- +Underground services located and marked; beforeUdig lodged if there's any doubt.
- +Work area cleared and the spoil destination decided.
- +Materials delivered and waiting on site.
- +Phone charged and our number handy: (03) 314 4261.
Ready when you are
Get these sorted the day before and delivery day is a non-event — the machine rolls off and you're digging inside the hour. We deliver right across North Canterbury, from Waikari and Hawarden down to Rangiora and Amberley or up to Hanmer Springs and Cheviot. Book the digger online, or ring (03) 314 4261 and tell us about your site — we'll flag anything to watch for getting it in.
Need a machine for the job?
Late-model Kubota gear, delivered to your gate anywhere in North Canterbury.