Excavator Rental and Excavator Hire: what it costs to hire and how to size one

How to hire excavator rental without paying twice

1. Measure the access before the hole. The gate width, the side passage and the overhead wires decide the machine, not the excavation. Measure the tightest point on the route in and give that number to the rental desk before anything else.
2. Match the class to the dig. Under two tonnes for garden work and inside fences, two to four for footings and drainage on a domestic plot, six to fourteen for site work, and above that for bulk earthmoving. Reach and dig depth are published per model and are what actually limit you.
3. Decide zero tail swing or not. A zero or reduced tail swing machine can work against a wall without the counterweight overhanging, which on a tight site is the difference between hiring one machine and hiring two.
4. Price delivery and the attachments separately. Delivery and collection are charged each way and are a fixed cost that does not shrink with a shorter hire. Buckets, breakers, augers and thumbs are usually extra, so ask what is on the machine at that rate.
5. Settle fuel, damage and the minimum hire. Most yards hire fuelled and charge to refill, offer a damage waiver that is not insurance, and set a minimum hire period. Those three lines are where an apparently cheap day rate becomes a different number.

Damage waivers and insurance

Common questions

What size excavator do I need?

Work backwards from the access, then the dig depth. A machine that cannot reach the site is worthless whatever it can dig, and on domestic work the gate is usually the binding constraint.

Do I need a licence to operate an excavator?

No federal operator licence exists for hiring one on your own property, but employers have training duties under OSHA and any excavation deeper than five feet has protective-system requirements that are not optional.

Is a mini excavator cheaper than a backhoe?

Usually to hire, and it is also easier to transport and less damaging to a lawn. A backhoe carries a loader on the front, which is the reason to choose one when the job is as much moving material as digging it.

Establishments by state