Chase Plant Hire doubles Sunward mini excavator fleet: utilisation notes for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Walsall-based Chase Plant Hire has expanded its Sunward mini excavator fleet from nine to 39 units in under a year, adding 21 machines supplied by dealer Hamstead Plant. The latest order includes two 8.7‑tonne SWE 90UFs, two 5.3‑tonne SWE 50UFs, six 3.8‑tonne SWE 35UFs, six 1.8‑tonne SWE 18UFs and five 2.6‑tonne SWE 25Fs, with all UF models offering zero tail swing for confined urban and utility work. Chase, traditionally a Kubota user, cites customer demand for the “green machines” and will raise hire rates in April after holding prices flat for 17 years.
Technical Brief
- Zero tail swing on all UF models reduces slew envelope, suiting narrow streets and service corridors.
- Operating weights span from 1.8 tonnes to 8.7 tonnes, covering typical utilities to heavier civils tasks.
- Chase historically specified Kubota for perceived best-in-class performance, reliability and smooth hydraulic control.
- Seventeen‑year freeze on hire rates despite machine and wage costs more than doubling has compressed margins.
- April rate increase is explicitly linked to maintaining service levels, not just offsetting equipment purchase inflation.
Our Take
Chase Plant Hire’s decision in Walsall to scale up Sunward machines contrasts with GGH Hire’s recent multi-million-pound order for 150 Kubota excavators, signalling that UK hire fleets are actively diversifying OEM risk rather than converging on a single compact brand.
The spread of Sunward excavator sizes from 1.8 to 8.7 tonnes positions Chase to serve the same urban and civils segments where other West Midlands hirers, such as WHC Hire Services with its electric Kubota conversions, are experimenting with alternative powertrains, so Sunward’s next move on low-emission variants will matter for competitive positioning.
Holding hire rates flat for 17 years while expanding the excavator fleet suggests Chase has been competing primarily on price in a crowded UK compact plant market, which may pressure margins but can lock in contractor loyalty at a time when other Infrastructure-tagged fleet stories in our database emphasise premium, higher-spec offerings.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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