IN Brief:
- Chase Plant Hire has purchased 21 additional Sunward excavators from Hamstead Plant.
- The mix includes compact and mini-excavators, with zero-tail swing models in the order.
- The fleet expansion follows earlier Sunward purchases made in September 2025.
Midlands-based Chase Plant Hire has acquired a further 21 Sunward excavators from dealer Hamstead Plant, more than doubling its Sunward excavator fleet within six months as it expands capacity in the sub-10-tonne hire segment.
The latest order comprises two 8.7-tonne operating-weight SWE 90UF compact excavators and 19 mini-excavators: 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. The UF models in the range are specified with zero-tail swing, a configuration commonly selected for work in constrained footprints where rear swing clearance can dictate access and sequencing.
The purchase follows a September 2025 investment in nine Sunward mini-excavators, made to complement Chase’s existing Sunward skid-steer fleet. Chase Plant Hire’s core hire offer is centred on mini diggers from 0.8 to 10 tonnes, alongside dumpers from 0.5 to nine tonnes, with the company stating that most of its dumpers are road legal and fitted with green seat belt beacons.
Ritchard Jukes, manager at Chase Plant Hire, said: “We are very happy with the continued popularity of the Sunward machines that we have purchased. Customers are now calling us and asking for the green machines in particular so we will be buying more to give our customers exactly what they want.”
From a technical perspective, the SWE 90UF sits in the compact class where transport practicality and swing envelope often drive hire demand. Hamstead Plant describes the SWE 90UF as a short-tail excavator designed to reduce swing radius, with features including a load-sensing hydraulic system, auto-idle, and cab protection meeting TOPS, FOPS, and ROPS requirements.
Joe Bayton, managing director at Hamstead Plant, said: “We’d like to give a huge thank you to Ritchard and the team at Chase Plant Hire for their continued support of both Hamstead Plant and Sunward machinery.” He added: “Chase Plant have built their reputation on providing reliable, hard-working equipment to their customers, and we’re proud to supply them with premium Sunward products at sensible prices.”
For hire companies, fleet composition in this weight class is often shaped by turnover rates, operator familiarity, and the ability to place machines quickly across groundwork, utilities, and small civils packages. Zero-tail swing models, in particular, tend to be specified where site constraints make conventional tail swing a productivity limiter, or where proximity to live traffic and pedestrians increases operational controls.
Chase’s expanded Sunward mix increases availability across compact and mini categories, while keeping the fleet aligned to the jobs where transport, access, and rapid mobilisation typically decide which machines leave the yard.
