There can't be anything too difficult about digging a grave, can there? Just an oblong hole, a little over 6ft deep, slightly wider and longer than the coffin, dug with a mini excavator - isn't it?

Well, actually - wrong! There's quite a bit more to the job than that and this is where Fieldens have advised and helped. No pun intended, graves are highly personal, emotional subjects. Unfortunatly it's not simply a case of digging holes and using them as required. Cemetries are crowded places and there is no room for error. Set a digger up a bit off plumb and two detached plots could become distinctly semi detached by the time you get down 7ft; - totally unacceptable. Then there is the problem of lowering a coffin if the sides are not vertical. Oh and the grass - well lawn. How do you square up a tracked mini digger without scuffing up the turf? No, the whole job is not as simple as it looks at first glance.

The Smalley 430 is specifically designed for grave digging. Fieldens supplied and fitted flotation tyres on, 400x60-15.5 on the drive axle and 10.0/75x15.3 on the steering axle its self-propelled and travels at a sprightly 12km/h and, with lights and indicators, it's road legal. The long wheelbase provides excellant stability but, with rear wheel steering, it's easy for the operator to negotiatetight corners on narrow paths. The flotation tyres also allow the machine to travel over existing graves without damaging the grass, leaving ruts and causing upset amongst relatives; important when reopening a family grave.

Next time you pass a cemetery, remember, it's not just a case of digging a simple hole. Indeed the specification may be quite involved and, regardless of ground or weather conditions, it has to be completed on time - perfectly - ready for what must be one of the most critical of inspections of any excavation project.