BASALTPLANT HIRE

Earthmoving

Trucks

Lifting and height

Power and tools

Jobs

More

Tracked excavator loading soil into a tipper truck on an earthworks site

Plant hire anywhere in South Africa

Basalt Plant Hire sends TLBs, excavators, tippers, cranes, cherry pickers and more, each with an experienced operator, to sites in all 9 provinces. A TLB costs R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator, and every price is confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before the machine moves.
Use the price tool

Last updated

Price your machine

R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator

Standard 4x4 TLB (about 8 t), 1 day
R3,900–R5,150
Transport both ways
add your town

Prices exclude VAT. Your final price is confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before the machine moves.

  • Certified operators on every machine
  • Price in writing before the machine moves
  • All 9 provinces, transport as its own line
  • Replacement machine on breakdown

Machines we hire, with operators

Prices are per machine with an operator or driver, excluding VAT. Transport is quoted as its own line. Tap a machine for sizes, specs and full prices.

Not sure which machine you need?

Tell us the job and roughly how big it is, and we'll point you to the right machine and size. Most house-plot jobs, from trenches to foundations and clearing rubble, need just one TLB. Bigger sites need an excavator, tippers and a roller working together.

Still unsure? WhatsApp us a photo of the site and a line about the job. We'll tell you what fits and what it costs.

Which machine do I need?

The job
Rough size

A TLB (standard 4x4). Digs a trench up to about 4 m deep and backfills it with the front bucket, all with one machine.

Price a TLB

How hiring a machine works

  1. WhatsApp the machine, town and dates, or use the price tool above. A photo of the site helps.
  2. We confirm in writing: the machine and size, the start date, and the price with transport as its own line.
  3. Pay the deposit to book the machine and operator for your dates.
  4. Your machine arrives with an experienced operator, ready to work.
  5. Transport both ways and the balance are settled as agreed on your quote.

The details, from what to prepare on site to how breakdowns are handled, are on how it works.

Plant hire prices for 2026

These are our day rates with an operator for the machines people hire most. Hourly, weekly and monthly rates, and every size, are on the plant hire rates page.

Day rates with operator, excl. VAT, transport extra. Prices updated: November 2026
MachinePer day
TLB (standard 4x4)R3,900–R5,150
Bobcat (skid steer)R2,400–R3,700
Excavator, 20–25 tR3,500–R5,600
Mini excavator, 1.5–6 tR1,700–R3,000
Tipper truck, 10 cube, with driverR3,700–R5,250
Crane truck, 8–10 tR2,500–R5,200
Cherry picker, 12–15 mR2,400–R4,000
Grader, 140 classR4,500–R6,000

Side tippers are hired by the month: a 34 t side tipper with driver is R75,500–R92,000 a month with operator. See side tipper hire.

What every hire includes

  • An experienced operator or driver with the machine. Operators of lifting machines hold the training the Driven Machinery Regulations require; copies of certificates come before the machine arrives, on request.
  • Load-tested cranes and cherry pickers. Lifting machines carry a current load-test certificate from a registered lifting machinery entity.
  • Price in writing before the machine moves, with transport both ways as its own line, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
  • A replacement machine on breakdown, or no charge for downtime. If the machine stops working, you don't pay for the hours it stands.

More on operator certificates and load tests: safety and certificates.

Jobs we do

Hire the machine for the job, with an operator who has done it before.

Plant hire near you, in all 9 provinces

We send machines to towns, farms and mines across South Africa. Pick your province or city for local prices, transport and the machines most hired there.

See every area we cover

Questions people ask

What is the meaning of plant hire?

Plant hire means renting construction machinery, the “plant”, for a job instead of buying it. In South Africa it usually includes the operator: you hire a TLB, excavator or crane truck by the hour, day or month, and the machine arrives on site with someone qualified to run it.

Why do they call it plant hire?

In British and South African English, “plant” is the old word for the machinery and equipment used in industry and construction, the same sense as in “power plant” or “plant and machinery”. So “plant hire” is simply machinery hire. Heavy plant is the big earthmoving and lifting machines; small plant is the compactors, breakers and mixers.

What sector is plant hire?

Plant hire sits in the construction sector, and it serves mining, agriculture, roads and municipal work too. Builders, farmers, developers and mines hire machines rather than own them when the job is short or the machine would stand idle between jobs.

How much does plant hire cost per day?

It depends on the machine. With an operator: a TLB is R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator, a bobcat R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator, a 20–25 t excavator R3,500–R5,600 a day with operator and a 12–15 m cherry picker R2,400–R4,000 a day with operator. Transport is extra and shown as its own line. The full list is on our plant hire rates page.

Do your machines come with an operator?

Yes. Every machine comes with an experienced operator or driver, and we send copies of the operator's certificates before the machine arrives if you ask. See safety and certificates.

Related

Need a TLB?

WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.

WhatsApp for a price