Grab Lorry Hire in York
Grab lorries for muckaway, hardcore and site clearance across York and North Yorkshire. A grab loads itself from a stockpile, verge or trench spoil heap, so you don't need an excavator standing by — and the same lorry can return loaded with aggregate to keep movements down.
York site conditions we plan around
Inside the walls, deliveries are timed, permitted and often grab or bulk-bag only. On the city fringe and at York Central it opens up to full loads and programmed earthworks. Flood-risk and archaeology conditions frequently dictate the sequence, so phased call-offs beat single bulk drops.
Lead times & access
Stocked lines within 24–72 hours across YO postcodes. Timed early-morning windows for city-centre and conservation-area drops; tipper and artic loads for fringe, village and commercial schemes.
What we handle on York grab hire jobs
- Muck, subsoil and clay loaded direct from a stockpile
- Hardcore, brick and concrete arisings from demolition and strip-out
- Trench spoil where there's no room to keep a machine on standby
- Verge-side loading with an extended-reach arm over a wall or fence
- Two-way loads returning with Type 1, capping or bedding stone
Options for York sites
6-wheel grab
Around 12 tonnes — better for narrow residential streets and weight-restricted accesses.
8-wheel grab
Around 16 tonnes per load, the standard choice for construction and groundworks clearance.
Extended-reach arm
Loads over a boundary, hedge or hoarding where the lorry can't get alongside the heap.
Wait-and-load
Lorry stays on site while your machine loads it, for jobs with limited stockpile space.
How it works
Confirm the material and reach
What's being loaded, where it sits and how far the arm needs to reach from the road.
We book the right grab
6- or 8-wheel, standard or extended reach, sized to your access and weight limits.
Loads to your schedule
Single load, day rate or phased across a programme, with transfer notes issued each time.
Compliance and paperwork
Grab haulage runs under registered waste-carrier licences with duty-of-care transfer notes per load, and drivers hold current CPC and site-safety accreditation.
Our credentialsWhat shapes grab hire in York
Grab work suits York because of timed, permitted, often grab or bulk-bag only inside the walls — the lorry loads itself from the heap, so you are not paying for a machine and operator to stand waiting. On walled-city work, York Central and city-fringe earthworks we are usually lifting arisings sequenced around flood-risk and archaeology conditions. Reach matters more than tonnage on these jobs, so tell us how far the arm has to work from the road. The same grabs cover Harrogate, Selby and Malton.
Areas covered from our York routes
- Harrogate
- Selby
- Malton
- Tadcaster
- Thirsk
- Wetherby
- Easingwold
Grab hire in York — FAQs
How much can a grab lorry take on a York job?
An 8-wheel grab carries roughly 16 tonnes per load and a 6-wheel around 12 tonnes. On tighter York streets the 6-wheel is often the only option that can get alongside the heap.
How far can the grab arm reach?
A standard arm works to around 6–8 metres from the lorry; extended-reach machines go further and can load over a wall, hedge or hoarding. Tell us the distance and we'll match the machine.
Do I need an excavator on site?
No — that's the main advantage of a grab. It loads itself, so you don't pay for a machine and operator to stand idle waiting for lorries.
Can the grab bring aggregate back into York?
Yes. Two-way loads are standard: the grab tips your arisings at a licensed facility and returns with Type 1, capping or bedding stone for the same site.
Can you deliver inside York's city walls?
Yes — with timed, permitted windows and grab, HIAB or bulk-bag offload where a tipper cannot access or discharge.
Need grab hire in York?
Tell us the material, volume and access — we come back within one working day.