[Job Story] East Yorkshire Hirer Adds Five Bobcat Mini Excavators

Direct Tool & Plant Hire has taken three cabbed E16 and two E10z machines from AMS Bobcat, and says customers are using the E16 where they would once have reached for a 3-tonne excavator

A hire fleet in East Yorkshire has just grown by five Bobcat mini excavators, and customer feedback is already shaping how they are used. Direct Tool & Plant Hire Ltd, based in Beverley, has taken delivery of three cabbed E16 1.6-tonne machines and two E10z 1-tonne excavators from AMS Bobcat Limited of Scunthorpe, the authorised Bobcat dealer for Lincolnshire, South and East Yorkshire and North Norfolk. The machines are available for rental across East Yorkshire, including Hull and Humberside, and in North Lincolnshire.

Power on demand in a small machine

The E16 belongs to Bobcat’s new R2-Series of 1 to 2-tonne mini excavators, which also includes the E17z, E19 and E20z. The headline feature is the SmartFlow load-sensing hydraulic system, paired with a closed-centre, flow-sharing valve block and an upgraded engine. Bobcat says this brings the power-on-demand behaviour of larger excavators to the small class, with flow always available but only the minimum energy used. The result is fuel consumption down by up to 18% and noise down by 4 dBA compared with the previous generation.

Chris Reader, Director of Direct Tool & Plant Hire, says customers have noticed the difference:

“We have had great user feedback on the new Bobcat mini excavators. With the E16s, customers have commented that they can use them instead of bigger, more fuel hungry 3 tonne machines as they get the same power output.”

The brand choice, he adds, came from the hire firm’s own customers, who recommended Bobcat ahead of other makes.

The E16 replaces the E17. It is 100 kg lighter, with an operating weight of 1,612 kg, so it stays within critical transport limits and can travel on vans and trailers. Its compact dimensions, like those of the E17, suit confined spaces.

A one-tonne machine that fits through a gate

The E10z is the other half of the order. It has sold well past 20,000 units in the 18 years since its launch and, according to Bobcat, leads the 1-tonne class. It digs to a maximum depth of 1.82 m and has a transport weight of 1,077 kg without attachment. Its retractable tracks narrow the machine from 110 cm to 71 cm, enough for standard doorways and garden gates.

For Reader, that entry width is better than other machines on the market, and it makes the E10z popular with customers for housing, gardening and landscaping work.

“The E10z can be driven through houses and flats for work inside these properties and in the gardens at the rear. Being able to get this surprisingly powerful piece of kit into gardens means it reduces manual handling and increases output for our rental customers.”

The dealer behind the order

AMS Bobcat was established in 1992 and has been Bobcat’s partner in the UK for over 33 years, which makes it one of the longest-standing Bobcat dealers in Europe. It has sold more than 4,500 new Bobcat units into industries including construction, agriculture, shipping, plant hire, mining, landscaping and demolition, and also offers used equipment, parts, service repairs and rental, with service agreements that can include 24-hour cover.

Reader credits the dealer’s support as part of the decision:

“AMS has a very impressive track record working on behalf of Bobcat. I also found the interest shown by AMS in our business, especially our sales contact, Chris Scott, and the excellent back-up we have received, have been very important in choosing the Bobcat brand for our fleet expansion.”

[Job Story] East Yorkshire Hirer Adds Five Bobcat Mini Excavators published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.