Continued Cutting Edge Investment

Gloucestershire based Rocket Rentals was first established in 2003 by Managing Director Simon Tomblin, initially running a fleet of 8 JCB telehandlers. That was the catalyst for a long association with the British manufactured construction machinery business and their regional dealer Holt JCB which continues to this day.

The family run plant and tool hire business which is headed by Simon and his wife Jessica, continues to expand to meet customers demands with today’s fleet tally currently standing at around 500 individual items of kit, ranging from sub-1-tonne mini excavators, to dumpers and telehandlers, right up to 20-tonne conventional tailswing and 25-tonne class reduced tailswing hydraulic excavators, with another 20 various additions expected to arrive in April.

These machines serve the requirements of numerous long-stand and loyal customers within a 50-mile radius of their Dursley based yard, covering the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Rocket Rental’s offer machines from numerous manufacturers, but it’s fair to say that the fleet is heavily dominated by JCB and in a new major fleet expansion programme the number of JCB products is expected to increase further with the purchase of more than 55 new machines, which includes an impressive 35 zero-tailswing and reduced-tailswing hydraulic excavators.

These machines are becoming increasingly popular with contractors who are engaged in the house building groundworks sector, private driveway construction and utility contractors who are often working in confined spaces including single lane road closures where slewing ability is often restricted.

The zero-tailswing models further reduce the risk of accidental damage to not only the machine itself, but also to buildings, other vehicles and street furniture, offering the end users peace of mind, and enabling them to maximise productivity in congested work zones. 

The latest investment includes a whole raft of 15-tonne class JCB 145XR’s, 9-tonne 90Z-2, 5-tonne 50Z-2 and 2.5-tonne 25Z-1 hydraulic excavators, JCB Loadall telehandlers and the brand-new JCB CT430-140 tandem vibratory rollers.

It’s always great to spend time with Simon Tomblin, who is a plant man through and through, his enthusiasm for plant and equipment is infectious, and he always appears to have his finger on the pulse of what his customers require, what is the best equipment for his business and embracing the latest technology to stay ahead of the competition. It’s in the very ethos of Rocket Rentals to be able to offer their customers the right machinery, at the right time, with the highest equipment standards, and top service back-up at all times.  

Commenting on the latest JCB order Simon said, “Running zero‑tailswing hydraulic excavators wherever possible is now increasingly popular and it’s what more and more of our customers are asking for, now with this latest order we can offer zero and reduced tailswing options from one tonne right up to the new 15-tonne models. JCB’s new CT430‑140 roller is also going to be a superb addition to our fleet, giving excellent compaction results on both asphalt and aggregates.”

One thing is always very clear with Rocket Rentals, that the great working relationship with JCB and the team at Holt JCB is stronger than ever and it’s become a great partnership over the years, talking about that aspect Simon said, “We like the fact that JCB is a family-owned, British manufacturer with a fantastic dealer network. Our relationship with Holt JCB is one of the reasons we choose JCB. The level of service we receive is outstanding, and they truly understand our business and our needs.

“When you think of British equipment, you think of JCB. And with finance and insurance all available in one place, it makes JCB a smart and sensible choice.”

Talking about the latest Investment from Rocket Rentals, Andrew Shields Managing Director Holt JCB Ltd said, “This order is especially meaningful for me personally, as it comes from Simon, who is not only a valued customer but also a long-standing friend.

His continued investment in JCB equipment, including his most recent order of 10 x JCB 145XR Excavators, 24 x JCB Mini Excavators and 10 x JCB Access Platforms underlines the confidence he has in the JCB brand and in the support provided by the Holt JCB team.

Simon understands the importance of reliable, high-performance machines, and this fleet will give his business the versatility, efficiency, and productivity needed across a wide range of applications. We’re proud to support his operation and look forward to working closely with him as these machines are put to work.

My Sales Director Craig Scanlan and our Territory Sales Manager Sean Campbell have worked closely with Simon to meet his high specification expectations and the broad spectrum of Customers Simon has the pleasure of supplying.”

Rocket Rentals have long been at the forefront of innovation, the company were one of the first to adopt JCB’s LiveLink telematics system, something that they have seen great benefit from in terms of tracking machines whereabouts, but also for fleet management purposes, which has proven to be a game changer.

On the day of this Earthmovers visit, we were given a tour of the depot and yard area by Hire Manager Kieran Hornby, where we witnessed a significant number of JCB machines waiting to go out on hire, including a trio of brand new 145XR’s that were adorning the front of the distinctive premises, ready to be delivered to a lucky operator locally, Kieran then took us out to two sites in the area to see some of the new machines in action.

For our first stop we visited a Redrow Homes site where another familiar firm to the pages of this magazine, Swindon based Tonic Construction, had two JCB models on hire from Rocket Rentals. The 145XR was clearing the corner of a tight site in preparation to dig what appeared to be the last foundation plots on the site.

This was a prime example of how beneficial these 15-tonne compact radius machines are when working in close proximity to other plots on a congested site, in fact I would go as far as to say they are the perfect machines for the job.

The unnamed operator said he was very happy with the machine in every aspect, especially in terms of performance, speed, power and general smoothness of operation, only one small issue he had was initially getting to grips with the quick hitch bucket change procedure, which took a bit of working out first time around.

Further down the job we encountered one of Rocket Rental’s 5-tonne class 50Z-2 mini excavators, this machine was undertaking a familiar job on housing sites, scraping excess mud from the road, before putting the machine to work mixing some concrete for laying edging stones, I’d love a pound for every time I have done that job over the years!

Our next port of call was a short drive away as we paid a visit to another Swindon based customer Dun Mill Construction, who were undertaking some new development work at Westonbirt School a private education facility.

Here on another congested site the machine of choice was a 9-tonne class 90Z-2 that at the time of our visit was loading some heavy and sloppy looking muck away onto an 8-wheeled road going truck. I’ve not spent any time on the 90Z-2 but it looked to be a very capable machine for the job in hand there.

With this increase in its fleet of zero tailswing and reduced radius excavators, Rocket Rentals look to be well geared up to meet the ever-growing demands for such machines, especially on the increasingly congested job sites, and the ever-tightening demands of production deadlines, that are all too common these days.