Shorts Group is an independent family-owned business offering skip hire, plant hire, demolition, waste collections, road sweeping and agricultural contracting across Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

In January it took delivery of five new Yanmar ViO17 zero tail-swing mini excavators from Farol, Yanmar Compact Equipment EMEA’s dealer for southeast England.

Bryony Morten-Short, commercial business manager at Shorts Group, says that when it comes to specifying equipment, it’s all about “power, performance and reliability”.

 She says: “Since taking delivery of our five new models, we’ve been hugely impressed with their performance and versatility. Alongside class-leading power and performance, a transport weight of just 1,695kg means that the units can be easily towed – along with buckets or a light work tool – on a standard GVW trailer.”

They are, she says, “the perfect blend of Japanese design and European build quality”.

The ViO17 is powered by an EU Stage V-compliant three-cylinder direct injection engine from Yanmar’s TNV series. It delivers a digging force of 9.6/16.1kN (short arm/bucket), traction force of 16.9kN (first speed) and two travel speeds (2.1 or 4.3 km/h.

The three-pump ViPPS hydraulic system works with a double variable displacement piston pump and gear pump to deliver a maximum hydraulic flow of 48.4 litres/min and 210 bars pressure.

Kerr Stephenson, construction sales manager at Farol, adds: “We’re delighted to hear such positive feedback from Bryony and the team. Robust, reliable and a true class-leader in terms of performance, the ViO17 units are perfectly suited to the rental market.

“Shorts Group is no stranger to Yanmar equipment, with twelve SV08 machines already in its fleet. We hope the new zero tail-swing models fit seamlessly into its portfolio and continue to deliver above and beyond expectations for the company’s rental customers.”