How to....

How to Dig a Hole in the Ground and Fill it in Again. 

Yes, it's a tricky one, but today we are giving tips and guidance on how to use different pieces of equipment, at different stages the action. 

First: it you need to cut a hole through concrete, you need the right tool. This circular disc cutter is good for the job, with an abrasive blade to safely cut through the sturdy stuff. 

If you wanted to be accurate, you could mark out the area you wanted to cut into with chalk. We had plenty of space to play with so just did it freehand. 

Beware, it could sends a lot of dust flying! Be smart and wear eye protection, ear protection and a dust mask around your nose and mouth. 

Now you will have a nice outline of the area you want clear of concrete. Using a Heavy Duty Breaker, perfect for breaking up slabs, concrete or drives. These have a low vibration rating, and are easy to use ( I even had a go!). 

You then want to move all the pieces of rubble out of the neat little hole. 

Time for this guy. 

 A Plate Compactor (sometimes referred to as a Wacker) is used to compact all the ground underneath, to avoid gradual sinking over time, that would only cause another pothole to fill in. 

There, a clean cut hole in the ground! Now, time to fill it back in! 

You will need:  cement, sand, water, a shovel and a mixer. 

How much of each of these depends on how big the hole you want to fill is. I found a neat way of working this out with the Concrete Calculator where you enter the size of the hole and it will tell you how much cement you will need.  

Once the cement has reached desired consistency, you then can empty it into a bucket or wheel barrow, and pour it carefully into the hole. 

You can then use something large and flat (a spare plank of wood is the usual suspect for this job) to level the cement, and frequent tapping will send all the big bits to the bottom, to leave a smooth, clean surface when it dries. 

Ta Da! Mission accomplished. MTH Tool Hire offer a competetive price for the hiring and use of any of the tools or equipment seen in this demonstration. Please call 01909 563321 or email info@mthtoolhire.co.uk for any information or prices.