How Much Does It Cost To Hire An Excavator?

Excavators are crucial heavy construction equipment for most large projects, essential for digging trenches, breaking holes, excavating mines, and lifting waste.

There are many kinds of excavators available today, including crawlers, draglines, and suction excavators.

If you need to hire an excavator for excavation on the Sunshine Coast, you may be wondering how much it will cost you. In this article, we’ll discuss the costs involved in hiring different kinds of excavators to assist you with making your decision.

What Are The Different Excavator Types?

Let’s discuss the most common types of excavators and briefly cover what you might use them for.

The main types are:

Crawler excavators
Suction excavators
Dragline excavators
Skid steer excavators
Long reach excavators

Most excavators run on wheels, but crawler or compact excavators run on large tracks, allowing them to scale and slide down hills with ease. You’ll often see these machines running on heavy-duty construction or mining sites.

Suction excavators incorporate high-pressure water jets and vacuums. You might use this type of excavator for delicate digging, underground projects, and cleaning up debris.

Dragline excavators feature a hoist rope system attached to a bucket. They’re often used for civil engineering projects.

Skid steer excavators feature buckets and booms that face away from the operator, making it possible to reach over and above the cab. They’re great for navigating through narrow spaces, making them perfect for residential projects.

Finally, long reach excavators do as their name suggests—reach over long distances. The extendable arm is great for heavy-duty digging and industrial demolition projects.

Things To Consider Before Hiring An Excavator

Before you hire an excavator, consider which type you need and best suits the project. The above list should help you make your decision—but it’s vital to do in-depth research before diving in.

You’ll also need to determine the location of your project and whether or not you’ll need an experienced operator. Remember—you need a license to operate heavy machinery in Australia. We only offer wet hire at Watsons Excavations.

You should also determine the date and amount of time you’ll need the excavator for to let the hiring company know when you make the initial inquiry as they will need to confirm their availability.

Costs Of Hiring An Excavator

Whether you’re dry or wet hiring an excavator, the cost will depend on the equipment’s size. Maintenance is significantly more expensive for larger machines and transport is more difficult to the site, hence the increasing cost covers a range of significant factors.

Dry hiring means you’re hiring the equipment alone, while wet hiring means you’re hiring the equipment along with a qualified operator.

Dry hiring a one to two-tonne excavator can cost about $40 per hour plus GST. With each extra tonne, prices rise by $5 to $10 plus GST—so a fifty-tonne excavator will set you back about $180 + GST per hour.

Wet hiring an excavator for example can start at $115 + GST per hour for a one to two-tonne excavator. Prices go up to $270 + GST per hour for a heavy-duty, fifty-tonne excavator.

For more information on our specific pricing and availability, please get in contact with us to discuss your specific upcoming project and needs.

Hire An Excavator Today

Excavators are essential machines designed to get your site prepared and ready quickly and effectively. If you’re looking to hire an excavator on the Sunshine Coast and an experienced operator for your next project, contact us for more information today.

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