Concrete Mixer and Groundworks Tool Hire in the South Hams

The South Hams has an extraordinary amount of character property — barns, farmhouses, cottages, and country houses with outbuildings in various states of renovation. Extensions, garden walls, new access tracks, outbuilding conversions, and hard standing areas are all projects that happen regularly out here, and they all have one thing in common: they involve concrete.
Here’s the groundworks equipment we can supply through our South Hams hire service, and which jobs each piece of kit is used for.

Concrete Mixers

A petrol or electric concrete mixer is the starting point for almost any concrete work that isn’t a full concrete pour (which would normally use a ready-mix delivery). For smaller to medium-sized jobs — fence posts, path edging, garden walls, pad foundations for outbuildings, and similar — a mixer allows you to produce concrete at the rate you need it, with control over the mix.
Key tip: if you’re mixing by hand into a mixer, aim for a consistent ratio. For most structural work, a standard mix is 1 part cement, 2 parts sharp sand, 4 parts aggregate, with water added gradually. For general-purpose work a bagged, pre-mixed material takes the guesswork out of proportions.

Plate Compactors and Compaction Equipment

Before any concrete is placed, the sub-base needs to be properly compacted. An uncompacted sub-base is one of the most common reasons concrete slabs crack or settle unevenly — it’s not a step to skip.
We hire plate compactors (also known as wacker plates) which are ideal for compacting granular sub-base material, sand, and levelled ground before paving or concreting. For larger or more complex compaction work — road surfacing repairs, larger hard standing areas — forward or reversible plate compactors are available on request.

Post Hole Borers

For fence posts, gate posts, raised bed frames, or any application requiring a clean hole to a specific depth, a petrol post hole borer (sometimes called an earth auger) is far superior to manual post hole diggers. They’re available in a range of auger diameters to suit post sizes.
Particularly popular in the South Hams for fencing along field boundaries, garden perimeters, and for replacing old rotted posts without disturbing the surrounding ground.

Breakers and Concrete Saws

For breaking out existing concrete slabs, paths or hard standing before new work begins, we have pneumatic and electric breakers available. Concrete saws for cutting slabs to size are also available where precision cutting is needed.

Contact Olympus Hire South Hams

Call us on 01752 922535 or email hire@olympushiresouthhams.co.uk to discuss your groundworks project and get a quote for delivery. We cover Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Modbury, Yealmpton and the wider South Hams area.
📞 01752 922535 | hire@olympushiresouthhams.co.uk
Mon–Fri 7:30–5pm | Sat 8–10am