This is two hire lines, not one: the driver head and the machine that carries it. Together they commonly land near $450 to $700 a day, and one operator working alone can set several hundred posts in that time, which is why long fence lines end up here. The catch is compatibility, because a head only works if the machine has the coupler and the hydraulic flow it was built for.
Two lines on the quote, not one
Yards price the attachment and the carrier separately, and sometimes hold them at different branches. Book them together and confirm they arrive on the same truck. If you already have a machine on site, ask whether the head alone can be hired and what it needs, because that is the cheaper half of the pair.
Auxiliary hydraulics and the coupler
The head runs off the machine's auxiliary circuit through quick couplers on the arms. Give the yard the make and model of your carrier if it is not theirs, and let them confirm flow and pressure. A head starved of flow drives slowly and heats the oil; a mismatched coupler means nothing connects at all.
What driving gains over digging
A driven post is set into undisturbed ground, so it holds better than a post in a dug hole backfilled loose, and there is no concrete to buy or cure. Against that, you cannot drive through rock or through an old footing, and a post that goes in leaning has to be pulled and reset, which the same head can usually do.
Changing the head safely
Attachments are swapped with the machine off, the arms down and the hydraulic pressure released, because trapped pressure is what makes couplers refuse to seat and lines whip. Have the yard show the release procedure at handover rather than working it out in a field. Pins and coupler levers get checked again after the first few posts.
Questions people ask about skid steer post driver
Does the post driver fit any skid steer?
Physically most use a universal plate, so the mounting usually fits. The hydraulics are the real question: some heads need high flow while others run on standard flow. Give the yard your machine model, or hire the pair from them so compatibility is their problem rather than yours.
How many posts an hour is realistic?
In decent ground an operator working a straight line sets a post every minute or two once the rhythm is going, so several hundred in a day is normal. Corners, braces and rocky positions take far longer. Count those separately when you decide how many days to book.
Can I drive wooden posts as well as steel?
Yes, with the right cap in the head. Wooden posts need a driving cap sized to the post so the top is not brushed apart, and heavier corner posts may need a bigger head than the one that handles line posts. Say which posts you are setting when you book so the caps come with it.