Piling Equipment Hire & Sales

Over 30 years of experience in piling plant hire

The Hammerman Equipment offers a small selection of piling equipment, primarily focused on installing plastic sheet piling, but much of this equipment is suitable for driving posts, tubes, I beams and even trench sheeting. We are members of the CPA and all our plant is hired under CPA Conditions of Hire. Copies are available upon request.

Our whole journey started in piling equipment plant hire. The family business, Aldridge Piling Equipment (Hire) Company Limited, for 45 years specialised in the hire and manufacture of small piling equipment, specifically air power impact hammers and excavator mounted vibrators.

This equipment used to install trench sheeting, posts and other steel sections. As such APE was well known within the canals and river waterways market and temporary works.

With the introduction of plastic sheet piling by Bankmaster Systems and Plastic Piling Ltd, it wasn’t long before APE’s equipment was modified to suit. The adaptability combined with the manufacturing capability of APE, lead to the introduction of several designs of steel strengtheners, which developed into our range of piling mandrels.

These strengtheners, were essential, as the original designs of plastic piling, in the UK, were extremely light gauge and very flexible. The biggest issues with installation typically stemmed from not having equipment large enough to overcome the driving resistance of the ground.

Starting with the APE Sidesleeve, these provided additional support to enable larger plant to be used. Basically by enabling the very light duty plastic piles, to support an EMV, whilst providing a steel backbone to reduce sheet rigidity.

Still it was very limited to what could be done with such light duty flexible sheet piles, and so THE Plastic Piling Company was created to introduce plastic sheet piles that were easier to install and to greater depth.

With the advent of the advanced range of plastic sheet piling, APE Hire and THE Plastic Piling Company designed and produced the internal mandrels in 2009. The very first job was with the Environment Agency in Fradley, which is shown in the video below. Since then this concept has been used throughout Europe and the USA.

With APEhires’ closure in 2016 most of its equipment was sold off to contractors and so there are very few air hammers available for hire. Most plastic piling is driven by piling vibrators, particularly excavator mounted vibrators.

The equipment available for hire from The Hammerman Equipment focuses on what isn’t freely available and currently includes Atlas Copco PD1 post and pile drivers, which are handheld hydraulic hammers. ESF03 piling vibrators, the worlds smallest suspended or excavator mounted piling vibrator and of course a wide range of plastic piling mandrels.