Staffordshire plant hire firm expands with £450,000 JCB order
A STAFFORDSHIRE plant hire firm has expanded its fleet by placing a £450,000 order with one of the county’s best known businesses.
Hood Plant Hire was founded in 1971 by Martin Hood with one backhoe loader. Over the last 40 years the business, based at Cold Meece, near Stone, has grown to the point where it now employs 20 people and operates a fleet of 35 machines.
The latest investment in new plant is a fleet of fuel efficient JCB 3CX Contractor backhoe loaders manufactured at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester.
Martin’s son Fraser is now the company’s managing director. He said: “The secret to being in business for the past 42 years is simple: excellent customer service. It’s all about offering the best quality equipment at the right price and at the right time as well as having the best operators. The investment in the very latest JCB backhoes is all part of delivering on that customer service promise because we’ll be hiring out top specification machines which are best-in-class.”
The machines have been supplied by JCB dealer Gunn JCB in Stoke-on-Trent. Gunn JCB deputy managing director Paul Hartshorn said: “JCB is the world’s number one backhoe manufacturer and we are delighted Hood Plant Hire has selected JCB backhoes to meet their new fleet requirements.”
Hood Plant Hire specialises in utility contracts, highways, civil engineering and general building projects.
The new backhoes come with Smooth Ride System (SRS) and TorqueLock. TorqueLock reduces fuel consumption by up to 25% while increasing speed by up to 10 % and the Smooth Ride System maximises load retention around site for increased productivity and operator comfort. The backhoes also come with Advanced Easy Control servo controls.
