Skid Steer Hire in Reading, Berkshire
A town-centre redevelopment site rarely has room for a digger to swing freely. Our Reading depot keeps compact skid steers ready for exactly that kind of tight access job.
A skid steer earns its place where a digger simply will not fit. Our Reading depot sizes the machine to the gap on site, not the job size on paper.
Why a Skid Steer Over a Digger
Town-centre redevelopment between retained buildings often leaves a gap too narrow for a tracked excavator to turn its boom, let alone swing a full load of spoil.
A skid steer turns within its own footprint rather than swinging outward, so it clears tight gaps a digger of similar power simply cannot use. It trades some dig depth for that manoeuvrability, which rarely matters on a shallow clearance job.
Tell the depot the narrowest gap the machine will need to pass through, in metres if possible, since that figure decides whether a skid steer or a smaller digger actually fits the site better. Height can matter just as much as width in this kind of job, since a low archway or an overhanging shopfront sign can rule out a taller machine even where the ground footprint would otherwise fit.
Our Skid Steer Range
Our Reading stock spans several sizes, built to cover both a narrow town-centre gap and a slightly more open redevelopment plot. Every other hire service run from this depot sits on our Reading Forklift Rental Service page, with width and lift capacity for each skid steer set out on our Skidsteers collection.
Describe the narrowest access point over the phone and our team will usually name a suitable width straight away.
Ring 0118 979 2828 and a skid steer matched to your Berkshire site gets booked on that same call. Tracked and wheeled options are both available, with tracks generally suited to softer or uneven ground and wheels to a firmer paved surface already in place on site.
Skid Steer Hire for Reading and Bracknell Sites
Town-centre sites near the station often have the tightest access of all, sometimes down a single gap between two retained shopfronts.
Redevelopment plots further out usually open up a little more, where a slightly wider machine can still move freely without losing time.
Mention the narrowest point the machine must pass through and any overhead limits such as scaffolding, since both decide which skid steer actually clears the site. A measured gap width beats a guess every time. A redevelopment plot that still has an active footpath running alongside it also needs a machine that can work safely close to passers-by, which our team will factor into the size suggested.
What's Included With Every Skid Steer
A safe working load chart, a maintenance record and a short walk-round happen before any skid steer is handed over, whichever size has been booked.
A bucket, forks or a breaker can be fitted depending on the task, fuel goes out full and comes back full, and ordinary wear through the hire is never charged for.
Need a narrower machine once the actual gap is measured on site? Ring 0118 979 2828 and a swap can usually be arranged without losing the day. The walk-round also covers the quick-hitch system, so attachment changes stay quick throughout the hire. A spare set of quick-hitch pins travels with most deliveries, since a lost pin on a tight site should never delay an attachment change.
Why Choose Coppard
Fifty-four years hiring plant across Berkshire has put our Reading depot into enough town-centre redevelopment work to know that a measured gap beats an estimated one almost every time.
Membership of Constructionline and the CPA sits alongside a flat rule: nothing leaves our yard without being checked and logged first.
Ring 0118 979 2828 for a straight answer on price and availability. Nobody here pushes a booking before you are ready to make one. A machine that actually clears the gap on day one avoids the cost of a stalled site waiting for a smaller one. That saves a stalled site more than the cost difference between a correctly sized machine and a slightly cheaper one that cannot actually get through the gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How narrow a gap can a skid steer pass through?
Our smallest models are built for exactly this kind of tight town-centre access. Give the narrowest measured gap in metres, not an estimate, and a machine confirmed to clear it gets booked from the Reading range. Overhead limits such as scaffolding or a low archway should be mentioned too, since height can matter as much as width. A tape measure taken on site beats a visual estimate every time, since gaps between retained shopfronts are often narrower than they first appear from the pavement.
Is a skid steer as powerful as a digger?
For most redevelopment clearance work, yes, though dig depth is usually less than a tracked excavator of similar size offers. Describe the actual task, clearance or digging, and a suitable machine from the Reading range gets suggested from there, since the two machines suit slightly different jobs. Describe the ground as well, since softer or uneven surfaces can change whether tracks or wheels suit the job better regardless of power output.
How quickly can a skid steer be delivered?
Most Berkshire bookings are confirmed within the week, often sooner where a suitable size is already in stock at the Reading depot. Ring early in the day for the best chance of a same-week slot. A measured gap width at the time of booking speeds up matching the right machine. Stock levels at the Reading depot are checked before a date is confirmed, so the quoted slot reflects what is actually available rather than an estimate.
Can attachments be hired with the skid steer?
Yes, a bucket, forks or a breaker can all be fitted depending on the task, and swapped during the hire using the quick-hitch system if the job changes. Describe the whole task up front, so the right attachment travels out with the machine from day one. Breakers in particular need a slightly different hydraulic flow than buckets or forks, which the quick-hitch system on our machines is built to handle without a separate hire.
What UK rules cover operating a skid steer?
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 set out duties for equipment used at work, skid steers included, covering safe operation and regular checks. Coppard checks and records every machine before hire, so that side is sorted before it leaves our yard. Training the operator stays the responsibility of the hirer. A valid licence should always be checked on site before work begins, whichever machine size has been booked.
Looking for Skid Steer Hire near me?
Call Coppard at 0118 979 2828 to discuss which skid steer clears your gap, and to book a delivery date.
