plant hire brand
Yanmar
Yanmar is a Japanese engine and machinery manufacturer whose Compact Equipment division builds mini excavators, compact wheel loaders and track carriers. Its true zero tail swing mini excavators, including the ViO17 and ViO20-6, are specified by groundworks and landscaping contractors who need to work tight to walls and boundaries. It competes directly with Kubota, Takeuchi and Bobcat in the sub-3 tonne excavator hire fleet, though it is less widely stocked across UK hire depots than those brands.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026
Built in
Japan
Manufacturing since
1912
UK availability
Available in the UK, smaller network
UK sales and hire fleet supply go through dealers such as Field and Forest Machinery rather than a large multi-branch network.
What Yanmar builds
Yanmar model ranges
| Range | What it is |
|---|---|
| ViO17 | 1.8 tonne true zero tail swing mini excavator |
| ViO20-6 | 2.0-2.1 tonne true zero tail swing mini excavator |
Every Yanmar model on GetBrent
9 models with figures from the maker or an official dealer. Open one for the full specification, photos and how it compares.
Yanmar ViO17
a 1.8 tonne true zero tail swing mini excavator
Operating weight: 1,830 kg
Dig depth (blade lowered): 2,410 mm
Yanmar ViO20-6
a 2.0-2.1 tonne true zero tail swing mini excavator
Operating weight (rubber track, canopy): 2,125 kg (4,685 lb)
Dig depth (blade down): 2,410 mm (94.9 in)
Yanmar ViO26-6
Zero-tailswing mini excavator
Operating weight: 2,560kg (canopy) / 2,665kg (cab)
Engine power: 15.8kW / 21.5HP at 2,500rpm
Yanmar SV17VT
1.7 tonne conventional-tail mini excavator
Operating weight: 1700 kg (canopy) / 1790 kg (cabin)
Engine power: 11,3 kW (at 2400 rpm)
Yanmar ViO33-6
3.2 tonne zero-tail mini excavator
Operating weight: 3155 kg (canopy) / 3275 kg (cabin)
Engine power: 18.5 kW / 24.8 HP at 2200 rpm
Yanmar ViO57-6B
5.5 tonne zero-tail mini excavator
Operating weight: 5485 kg
Engine power: 33,5 kW (at 2200 rpm)
Yanmar ViO80-1
8 tonne zero-tail midi excavator
Operating weight: 8065 kg
Engine power: 39,3 kW / 53,5 HP at 1900 rpm
Yanmar ViO23-6
2.3 tonne zero tailswing mini excavator
Operating weight: 2245 kg (Canopy) / 2405 kg (Cabin)
Engine power: 14.6 kW at 2400 rpm
Yanmar ViO38-6
3.8 tonne zero tailswing mini excavator
Operating weight: 3575 kg (canopy) / 3695 kg (cabin)
Engine power: 18.9 kW / 25.3 HP at 2200 rpm
Yanmar models compared
The closest matches from other makes, side by side.
- Yanmar ViO17 vs JCB 8018 CTS
- Yanmar ViO20-6 vs Wacker Neuson ET24
- Yanmar ViO26-6 vs JCB 25Z-1
- Yanmar SV17VT vs Kubota U17-3a
- Yanmar ViO33-6 vs Hitachi ZX33U-6
- Yanmar ViO57-6B vs Kubota KX060-5
- Yanmar ViO80-1 vs Wacker Neuson EZ80
- Yanmar ViO23-6 vs Wacker Neuson ET24
- Yanmar ViO38-6 vs JCB 35Z-1
- Yanmar ViO17 vs Wacker Neuson EZ17e
- Yanmar ViO20-6 vs Yanmar ViO23-6
- Yanmar ViO26-6 vs Kubota U27-4
How Yanmar compares
These are the makes buyers actually cross-shop against Yanmar.
Yanmar vs Kubota
The mini excavator most hire fleets standardise on. Reliability and the zero-tail-swing U series are the reasons - on a domestic driveway or a garden job, the ability to slew without catching a wall is worth more than extra breakout force.
Yanmar vs Takeuchi
Credited with building the first compact excavator, and still a specialist rather than a full-line manufacturer. Operators tend to rate the hydraulics, and fleets buy them where a machine will be worked hard all day.
Yanmar vs Bobcat
The brand that turned into the generic word for a skid-steer. Hire customers ask for "a Bobcat" when they mean the machine class, which is exactly the kind of brand recognition that drives search volume whoever ends up supplying the machine.
Yanmar vs JCB
The default British plant make and the one hire customers ask for by name. Fleets buy JCB because operators already know the controls, parts turn up quickly and residual values hold, which matters more to a hire business than any single spec on the sheet.
UK companies hiring and selling Yanmar
4 listed companies mention Yanmar.Contact them directly - GetBrent charges no booking fee.
Coplant Ltd
Dover · CT15 7**
Yorkshire Plant Sales
Wakefield, Leeds · WF3 1**
Other makes
GetBrent is an independent directory of UK hire and sales companies. We are not a Yanmar dealer and have no affiliation with, or endorsement from, Yanmar. The Yanmar name and model names are trademarks of their owner, used here only to identify the products they refer to. Specifications vary by model year and market - always confirm weights, dimensions and towing limits with the supplier before hiring or buying.