Running across all three days of the show, the challenge is designed to showcase the skill and precision of the people who make construction happen. A competition all about fun, finesse, focus and the ability to handle a machine with accuracy under pressure. Backed by some of the most recognisable names in the industry, each challenge has its own identity and its own sponsor.
Bucket of the Net
Supported by MachineTech, Rockthorn Plant Hire and Rockthorn Asset Finance, this game blends football and earthmoving. MachineTech has built its reputation on GPS machine control, while Rockthorn provide the equipment and funding solutions that keep operators moving. Together they bring a test where the excavator bucket becomes a “boot”, rolling footballs into a five-a-side goal. Competitors have four chances in sixty seconds, with a static goalie to beat.
TYRE TOWERS
Sponsored by Versafix, the UK tiltrotator manufacturer, Tyre Towers is all about control and patience. Using a JCB 140X fitted with a Versafix grab, operators must lift and stack ten tyres in alternating colours. The final tyre must then be balanced on its side at the very top. Speed matters, but only if it’s paired with smoothness and care.
SKIP TIP
Conquip, best known for their innovative site equipment, present a test of accuracy. Using a JCB 90Z with fork attachment, operators must lift footballs from numbered stands and drop them into matching skips. Every ball has to land cleanly in its correct skip. The quickest clean run wins.
TILT AND STRIKE
Tiltrotator experts Rototilt sponsor this twist on bowling. Utilising a JCB 140X fitted with a Rototilt, operators must pick up bowling balls with the bucket and roll them down the alley. It’s not about brute force: the smoothest, steadiest roll will topple the most pins.
Digits Down
Flannery Plant Hire, one of the UK’s largest plant rental companies, back Digits Down. Using the back actor of a JCB 3CX, operators must knock down numbered plates in the correct sequence. One mistake could ruin the fastest time. Accuracy and control are the only way to win.
Eye of the Needle
Collins Earthworks, with their experience in major civil engineering projects, sponsor this challenge of patience and precision. Operators take control of a JCB Hydradig with a rod attachment and must poke numbered blocks out of a framed board in order. Speed counts but rushing brings mistakes and penalties.
Dipper the Dog
Steelwrist, known for their tiltrotators and quick couplers, add a playful but technical twist with Dipper the Dog. A life-sized buzz wire game, operators must guide a hoop around the outline of a dog using a tiltrotator. Touch the wire and the buzzer sounds, adding time penalties.
Smooth, precise control is everything.
Hydraulic Hoops
ZTL Contracting sponsor this basketball-inspired test of skill. Using a standard bucket, operators must lift basketballs from stands and drop them through a hoop. With five balls to sink, only calm, measured movements will guarantee a clean score.
Connect 4
Astrak, a market leader in undercarriage parts and wear systems, present a supersized version of the family favourite. Two excavators, each with a grab attachment, face off to drop oversized coins into a giant Connect 4 board. Within five minutes, the first to line up four wins. Strategy is as important as machine control, with the added spectacle of two operators going head-to-head.
LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN!
Plantworx has always been about innovation, but the Operator Challenge puts people at the heart of the story. For three days, it’s the operators who provide the drama, and the sponsors who make it possible. Machines will be judged, moments will be shared, and only one competitor will emerge as overall champion.
So, as the show begins, grab a spot by the arena, pick your favourite challenge, and watch as the UK’s best operators take centre stage. The Awesome Earthmovers Operator Challenge is here.