A 1 to 2 ton mini excavator hires for roughly $200 to $300 a day, a 3 to 4 ton machine for about $300 to $450, and a 5 to 8 ton unit from $450 upward. Those are the numbers everybody quotes, and they are not what you pay. Delivery both ways, fuel, the waiver and any attachment sit on the same invoice, and on a short job they can rival the rate itself.
The day rate is the smallest line on a short job
Take a two day hire of a 3 ton machine at roughly $350 a day. Add haul out and back, commonly $150 to $250 each way in a metro. Add fuel returned full and the waiver if you take it. The rate was $700 and the invoice is comfortably past $1,000, which is why a week often prices better than three days.
What the size classes cost
A 1 to 2 ton machine, narrow enough for a garden gate, runs about $200 to $300 a day and $600 to $900 a week. A 3 to 4 ton unit sits near $300 to $450 a day. A 5 to 8 ton machine with a blade and a thumb starts around $450 and rises with the attachment list. Weekly is roughly three to four day rates everywhere.
The lines that are not the machine
Transport is priced each way on distance and truck size. Fuel is either returned full or refilled by the yard at their rate, which is always the dearer of the two. The damage waiver is offered as its own line and you can decline it if your own policy covers hired plant, which is worth checking before you arrive.
Pick the booking length before you call
Yards do not refund a week down to three days because you finished early, but many will hold the machine for the full period at the weekly rate whether you use it or not. If the job might slip, book the week. If it truly is one afternoon, ask whether a four hour ticket exists on that size.
Questions people ask about how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator
Is a national chain or a local yard cheaper?
Local yards usually beat the chains on the rate and on delivery inside their own county, and they are more flexible about return times. Chains win on fleet age, availability at short notice and on being open early. Get both numbers, including haul, before deciding.
Can I collect a mini excavator myself on a trailer?
On the smallest machines, yes, if your trailer and vehicle are rated for the combined weight and you have straps and chains. A 1.5 ton machine plus the trailer passes what many light vehicles are rated to tow, so check the plate rather than the sticker.
What size mini excavator digs a foundation drain?
A 1.5 to 2 ton machine handles a trench alongside a house and fits through most side gates. Go to 3 tons if the trench is deeper than about six feet or the spoil has to be swung well clear, because the bigger machine reaches further without being repositioned constantly.