Mini Excavator Hire Rates

There are many mini excavators/diggers listed on hireseeking.com.au across major Australian cities including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. You can easily search and find competitive rates for both wet and dry hire options on hireseeking.com.au


What is the typical mini digger/mini excavator hire hourly rate with operator (Wet hire)?

Based on wet hire listings on hireseeking.com.au and feedback from industry the rate as follow

Size of mini excavator Typical Wet Hire Rate
1-2 tonne $ 80-100 + GST per hour
2-3 tonne $ 100-110 + GST per hour
3-4 tonne $ 110-130 + GST per hour

What is the typical mini digger/mini excavator hire daily rate without operator (Dry hire)?

Size of mini excavator Typical Dry Hire Rates
1-2 tonne $ 220-320 + GST per day
2-3 tonne $ 320-420 + GST per day
3-4 tonne $ 420-520 + GST per day

What is the minimum hire period with operator (Wet hire) for mini excavator?

The minimum hire period is usually 3-4 hours and float/travel rate vary from 0 to a 1-hour charge of the hourly rate.

Hourly rate for operator alone is between $50-$80 in Australia. Usually Minimum period is 4 Hours/8 hours and .5 hour travel each way.

What is the minimum hire period without operator (Dry hire) for mini excavator?

Minimum hire period usually 1 day, however some suppliers offer 4 hours or half day hire.

What is the travel cost associated with mini excavator rental with operator (Wet hire)?

Travel charge is an additional cost applied to the cost of hire on top of the agreed hourly/daily rate when you hire an excavator for wet hire. The travel cost is for hour/s the excavator spends travelling to and from the depot to your work site. Usually travel cost is 1 hour the excavator hire rate if the distance between the depot and the work site is less than 30km. If the work site is further away from depot, the travel charge will increase above the usual 1hour rate.

Search on hireseeking.com.au for exact travel rates

What is float cost in mini excavator hire without operator rate (dry hire)?

Float charge is an additional cost applied to the cost of hire on top of the agreed hourly/daily rate when you hire an excavator for wet hire. The float cost is what the excavator supplier spends on freight to transport the excavator to and from the depot to your work site. Usually, the float cost is a flat rate depending on the size of the excavator for a distance between the depot and the work site. If the work site is further away from depot, the float charge will increase.

The float hire charge guide below is based on hireseeking excavator listings:

  • Mini excavator (1-4 tonne) hires float cost: $250 - $270 and includes drop off and pick up

Search on hireseeking.com.au for exact float rates