Home/Excavator Hire

Excavator Hire

Get multiple rates for excavators with one job request!
Post a job
Receive multiple quotes
Choose your preferred supplier

Where do you need Excavator Hire?

Suburb/Postcode

Describe your job and our suppliers will send you quotes

Excavator Hire suppliers rated 4.97 by our customers

Sizes of Excavators Available to Hire

1t - 3.4t Excavators

1t - 3.4t Excavators

3.5t - 5.4t Excavators

3.5t - 5.4t Excavators

5.5t - 7.9t Excavators

5.5t - 7.9t Excavators

8t - 11.9t Excavators

8t - 11.9t Excavators

Our Excavator Hire Fleet is Unmatched

We’re Australia's leading marketplace for the wet and dry hire of machines and earthmoving equipment. With over 2,800 excavator hire companies listed nationwide, we make it easy for you to request multiple hire quotes from reliable suppliers local to your job site.

Whatever your excavator rental needs - from residential to commercial to civil - our suppliers at iseekplant provide reasonable hire rates on excavators and other earthmoving equipment, at a location near you.

Below you’ll find details regarding excavator hire rates, a breakdown of the types of excavators available for hire and popular excavator attachments that can be requested for hire from our suppliers.

Excavator Hire Rates - Wet and Dry Hire

Below is a table of average hourly rates for excavators on wet or dry hire. If you want to calculate the day rate, multiply the hourly rate by 8-10 hours (depending on how many hours your site operates) then apply around a 5% discount, as suppliers prefer to hire on day rates for longer contracts.

Strong discounts are offered on rack rates if you’re contract is over 30 days, and if you’re working for a reputable contracting company. We always recommend getting multiple accurate quotes using our Get a Quote tool.

Excavator SizeDry Hire Hourly RatesMin Hire HoursWet Hire Hourly RatesMin Hire Hours
1-2 Tonne Excavator$404$1152
3-4 Tonne Excavator$504$1203
5-6 Tonne Excavator$554$1253
7-9 Tonne Excavator$604$1303
10 Tonne Excavator$654$1353
12, 13, 14 Tonne Excavator$701-3 Days$140Full Day
15-19 Tonne Excavator$751-3 Days$140Full Day
20-25 Tonne Excavator$901-3 Days$170Full Day
26-30 Tonne Excavator$105One Week$180One Week
30-35 Tonne Excavator$120One Week$190One Week
40 Tonne Excavator$165One Week$225One Week
50 Tonne Excavator$180One Week$270One Week

Additional Costs for Hiring an Excavator

While every supplier has a different charging method, below are some common additional charges that could be included in your hiring costs. Be sure to ask your supplier for a comprehensive quote.

Excavator ChargesRate
Pick Up Small ExcavatorUsually Free
Small or Mini Excavator Dry Hire Delivery$150 - $500
Small or Mini Excavator Dry Hire Return$150 - $500
Travel to & From Site for Wet Hire Staff1 x Hour
Mobilisation for Large Excavators$650 - $2,000
De-Mobilisation for Large Excavators$650 - $2,000
GPS$20 - $50 per hour
3D GPS$50 - $100 Per hour
Penalty Rates - Saturday after 12 pm1.5 x Rate
Penalty Rates Sunday2 x Rate
Penalty Rates Public Holidays2.5 x Rate
Penalty Rates Night Time1.5 x Rate

Wide Range of Excavator Sizes Available

The range of excavators our suppliers provide for hire are made to suit small to large jobs. From 1 tonne mini's to large civil and mining excavators, our platform helps you search for the most suitable excavator hire for the job..

Micro ExcavatorsMini ExcavatorsCivil Sized ExcavatorsLarge Civil & Mining Excavators
1 Tonne - 3.4 Tonne3.5 Tonne - 5.4 Tonne8 Tonne - 11.9 Tonne40 Tonne - 49 Tonne
-5.4 Tonne - 7.9 Tonne12 Tonne - 14.9 Tonne50 Tonne - 59 Tonne
--15 Tonne - 19 Tonne50 Tonne - 80 Tonne
--20 Tonne - 29 Tonne80 Tonne - 100 Tonne
--30 Tonne - 39 Tonne101 Tonne - 200 Tonne
---201 Tonne - 300 Tonne
---301 Tonne and Above

Micro Excavator Hire

Commonly used as a hire option for residential jobs, a micro excavator will deal with compact spaces and are perfect for excavating around obstacles, such as trenching, digging foundations, excavating footings, grading and excavating drainage systems.

Mini Excavator Hire

Our supplier's mini excavators are unrivaled when it comes to small-scale projects and tight spaces. If you're looking for ideal solutions for residential landscaping, plumbing or small construction jobs.

Civil Sized Excavator Hire

Ranging in size from 5 to 40 tonnes, a machine of this caliber is the most popular and prolific excavator in the Australian construction industry and are suitable for a variety of civil & heavy commercial sites, like road construction, trenching, the establishment of commercial building foundations, and utility installations.

Large Civil & Mining Excavator Hire

For large-scale projects, such as mining and major construction operations, our heavy-duty mine-spec excavators are the perfect hire solution. Ranging from 30 to over 300 tonnes in size, these mighty machines pack the punch needed for large-scale excavation and mass haul projects.

Common Excavator Attachments

Not only can you hire excavators on iseekplant in a variety of sizes, but our suppliers also feature a huge array of excavator attachments. Below is a list of our most popular excavators for hire.

Excavator Buckets - The most common excavator attachment used within Australia when handling bulk materials. It comes in a range of different sizes that can be fitted to both mini diggers and excavators.

Auger Drills - The auger drill attachment is used for drilling holes for pipes or poles. The auger comes in a range of different lengths and dimensions and is mainly used across road constructions, subdivisions and installation of gas or water.

Grapple - A grapple attachment is ideal when you have oddly/awkward objects such as rocks, logs or piles of concrete that need to be moved. It can easily scoop up loose debris like dirt or sand and will assist in efficiently cleaning up the site.

Post Hole - Used to assist in digging holes for retaining walls, trenches, house foundations and trees.

Tilt Buckets - These attachments allows you the flexibility of using a bucket that delivers a maximum flexibility. They are designed to trim up to a 45 degree angle.

Ripper Blades - Attachments of this nature are ideal when your project requires breaking through surfaces such as rock, tarmac or paving, to loosen roots and rocks in soil and other solid ground.

Rock Breaker - A rock breaker attachment (sometimes referred to as a hydraulic hammer attachment) can be used to service a wide range of jobs including road construction, trenching, landscaping and demolition.

Multiple Excavator Hire Quotes from Local Suppliers

Hit the Get a Quote button and that puts you into a tool that asks you a bunch of questions about your job so it can be sent to a number of local suppliers.

On average, about 3 will respond and be available (depending on the quality of your job and requirements). Our goal is to try to get every Seeker on iseekplant 3 responses.

Read Less

Become a supplier

Create a free supplier profile on iseekplant to share in over 40,000+ job opportunities every month.
Learn More

Recent Excavator Hire reviews

Lynx Hire
Lynx HireCowra NSW
(Nov 2023)

"Thank you lynx hire for your excellent service, the machinery was late model and worked exactly how I had planned with very competitive rates, will be..."

- HenryView profile
Tim Byrne Earthmoving
Tim Byrne EarthmovingMeldale QLD
(Oct 2023)

"Fantastic work, no mess to clean up or tidy. Everything done to perfection, and it was so easy to communicate with someone who understood what you wer..."

- Melissa BassView profile
Bren-Ten hire and excavations
Bren-Ten hire and excavationsUpper Coomera QLD
(Oct 2023)

"8 years ago, I paid tens of thousands of dollars to have retaining walls replaced around my pool area. I do not have a good understanding of these mat..."

- dennis camenzuliView profile

How It Works

We connect those seeking plant hire and services with suppliers who've got the gear and know-how.
Learn more

Excavator Hire FAQs

Frequently asked questions on how to find the right excavator hire for your next project

What do we have to offer?

18,718
Construction Suppliers
375,245
Machines & Services
$1.4 Billion
In Job Leads Yearly

Want to Know More?

Excavator Operator Licence & Ticket Guide

Excavator Operator Licence & Ticket Guide

It's difficult to beat the effectiveness of an excavator with their myri...

Skid Steer vs Excavator: Which one is right for the job?

Skid Steer vs Excavator: Which one is right for the job?

Skid steer loaders and excavators are two of the most popular constru...

Top 20 World’s Biggest Excavators - 2022 Edition

Top 20 World’s Biggest Excavators - 2022 Edition

  Excavators are versatile, heavy machines deployed to move large obje...

Top 5 Best Excavator Attachment Manufacturers in Australia

Top 5 Best Excavator Attachment Manufacturers in Australia

Excavators are one of the most commonly used machines on Australian work...

Complete Guide to Volvo Excavator Models

Complete Guide to Volvo Excavator Models

Volvo Excavator Models & Types On the search for an excavator? Vol...

Excavator Licence Guide 2022 | iseekplant

Excavator Licence Guide 2022 | iseekplant

Congratulations on your decision to join the best industry on earth, con...

5 Things to Know Before Hiring a Mini Excavator

5 Things to Know Before Hiring a Mini Excavator

Stuck on whether you need a mini excavator for your job or not? When co...

Excavator Types: Which is Right for You?

Excavator Types: Which is Right for You?

Excavators are a staple on construction sites but with there being so ma...

Excavator Vs Backhoe: Which Machine Is Best For Your Project?

Excavator Vs Backhoe: Which Machine Is Best For Your Project?

Got an excavating project? Wondering what the difference is between an ...

Komatsu Excavators: Price, Capability & How to Hire

Komatsu Excavators: Price, Capability & How to Hire

Komatsu excavators are world-renowned as some of the best and most affor...