Crusher hire for self-builders
Knocking down an old bungalow or a run of farm buildings to make way for your own home? Crush the concrete, brick and block on the plot and lay it back under the new drive, garage base and oversite.
The old buildings on your plot are your first load of hardcore
Most self-build plots come with something already standing: a tired bungalow on a replacement-dwelling consent, old farm buildings on a rural plot, or a concrete yard around a barn you're converting. Shropshire's register is still growing: 47 people joined the council's self-build register in the year to 30 October 2025, and 16 of them wanted to build a bungalow. The council granted 72 self-build permissions in the same year.
On a self-build the money is your own, and a lot of it goes out before the first stage payment comes in. Crushing the demolition waste on the plot means fewer skips at the start and less stone to buy for the groundworks. Be clear on the VAT, though. HMRC's DIY housebuilders scheme won't refund VAT on machine hire without an operator, so count the saving in skips and stone, not in tax.
- Turn the old bungalow or outbuildings into reusable hardcore
- Crush farmyard concrete and old bases on rural plots
- Fewer skips and less bought-in stone early in the build
- Delivered to self-build plots across Shropshire, Mid Wales & the West Midlands
How self-builders use the CR450
Replacement dwellings
Take the old bungalow down, crush the brick, block and slab, and lay it back as sub-base for the new drive and garage base.
Rural and farm plots
Old concrete yards, tracks and building bases produce plenty of hard material. Crush it where it lies instead of paying to haul it away.
Barn and building conversions
Conversions often mean breaking out yard concrete and old floors. Set the jaw to suit and reuse the crush for oversite and parking.
Before the money flows
Self-build funds usually arrive in stages. Reusing what's already on the plot keeps early spending on skips and stone down when cash is tightest.
What self-builders say about JTC
- ★★★★★
“Instead of paying for skip or grabber hire to remove the rubble and having to then buy in 8 tonnes of hardcore to complete our project, I crushed it on site, to the grade that I wanted, all within a day.”
Ashley Vaughan-EvansBuilderGoogle review - ★★★★★
“I had 50 to 60 tonnes of hardcore, and with limited access, would have cost me a fortune to get off site… I will re-use it all during my build.”
Sean McGibbonGoogle review - ★★★★★
“So happy with the way Neil left the site tidy and organised ready for my builder to start.”
Steven RogersGoogle review
If it’s hard and inert, the CR450 will crush it
Concrete, bricks, blocks, paving slabs, paviours and tarmac can all be fed in and come out as graded aggregate you can reuse on the same job.
01ConcreteSlabs, footings, kerbs
02BlockworkDense and lightweight block
03BrickWalls, rubble, hardcore
=Out comes aggregateGraded 3–55mm to suit the job
Dragon Equipment CR450
tracked diesel crusher
A compact, heavy-duty jaw crusher for demolition, recycling and aggregate production. It turns concrete, brick, stone and rubble into usable material, right where the job is.
Largest Hardox jaw in the range
A 460 × 205mm mouth takes bigger pieces of concrete, brick and stone. The funnel is shaped for loading from a mini excavator.
Instant crush size, 3–55mm
Adjust the jaw in seconds, from fine material for bedding to coarse crush for hardcore and sub-base.
Kubota D722 diesel
A 19HP engine that’s fuel-efficient, low-emission and reliable, with electric start, anti-stall and auto reverse.
12+ hours on a tank
The 33 litre fuel tank keeps it crushing all day without stopping to refuel.
970mm wide, 1,450kg
Narrow enough for tight sites and light enough to move on a trailer, which keeps transport costs down.
All-terrain tracks
Tracks give stable, low-impact movement over rough ground, so you can put the crusher where the waste is.
Full CR450 specification
- Width
- 970mm
- Length
- 3,235mm crushing / 2,515mm transport
- Height
- 1,396mm crushing / 1,880mm transport
- Weight
- 1,450kg
- Jaw mouth
- 460mm × 205mm (Hardox)
- Engine
- Kubota D722 diesel, 14.9kW (19HP)
- Feed height
- 1,396mm (1,780mm with the greedy board)
- Greedy board
- Fitted as standard
- Min. discharge height
- 1,035mm
- Crush size
- Adjustable 3–55mm
- Output
- 30–40 tonnes in an average day, depending on material
- Fuel
- 33L diesel tank, 12+ hours crushing
- Start
- Electric
Supplied with the greedy board fitted for faster loading of larger pieces. Fold-up conveyor for storage and transport.
Self-builders: common questions
Anything else? Add it to your booking request or call 07866 152 151.
Can I reclaim the VAT on crusher hire through the DIY housebuilders scheme?
No. HMRC's list for the DIY scheme puts machine hire without an operator or driver, skips, tools and diesel on the disallowable side. Our crusher is self-hire, so its VAT can't be refunded. Hardcore and crusher run you buy in are allowable. You make one claim, within six months of completion, online or on form VAT431NB for a new build or VAT431C for a conversion.
When should I crush if I'm claiming the CIL self-build exemption?
In England the exemption has to be granted before development commences, and for CIL, demolishing a building or laying out a road can count as commencement. Get your Form 7 Part 1 claim decided and your Form 6 commencement notice in before the old buildings come down or the crusher starts. Shropshire Council charges CIL on new homes, so this matters there.
Does the old house have to come down completely?
For VAT, HMRC treats a replacement home as built from scratch only if the old building is demolished completely to ground level before work starts. Cellars, basements and the ground-floor slab may be kept. That leaves a lot of brick, block and concrete on the plot, which the CR450 can crush into sub-base. Check your planning conditions as well.
Do I need a permit to crush on my plot?
Possibly. Crushing concrete, brick and tile with a machine can need a mobile plant permit or a registered T7 waste exemption, and on a self-hire you are the operator. Check with your council about a T7 exemption or mobile plant permit before the machine arrives. Never crush anything that contains asbestos.
Also hiring to
Ready to crush it on site?
Send us your dates and we’ll confirm availability. Or call and talk it through: what you’re crushing, how much, and what you want out the other end.
