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Compact track loader with a bucket working on a red-earth site

Bobcat hire in Pretoria

A bobcat (skid steer loader) with an operator costs R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator in Pretoria, or R190–R370 an hour for short jobs. It comes to your site on a trailer, R1,300–R3,840 there and back inside the city, and the price is confirmed in writing before it moves.
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Price your machine

R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator

Standard skid steer, 1 day
R2,400–R3,700
Transport both ways to Pretoria
R1,300–R3,840
Estimated total
R3,700–R7,540

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

Bobcat hire rates in Pretoria

  • Standard bobcat with operator: R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator, or R190–R370 an hour
  • With a breaker, auger or broom: R3,000–R3,600 a day with operator
  • Trailer transport inside Pretoria, there and back: R1,300–R3,840

Prices exclude VAT. Here is how a two-day job adds up:

Worked example: 2 days in Pretoria
Example quote (for illustration only)Amount
Standard skid steer, 2 days at R2,400–R3,700 a day with operatorR4,800–R7,400
Transport both ways to PretoriaR1,300–R3,840
Example total, excl. VATR6,100–R11,240

More on what moves the price: bobcat hire rates.

Bobcat jobs across Pretoria

What a bobcat does in each part of Tshwane
AreaTypical bobcat workWhat to book
Pretoria East estates and complexes (Faerie Glen, Moreleta Park, Silver Lakes)Landscaping, paving prep, rubble after renovationsStandard bobcat; a mini where the side passage is under about 1.6 m
Pretoria North (Akasia, Wonderboom, Montana)Boxing out black clay for paving and driveways, spreading gravelBobcat with a tipper taking clay out and bringing gravel in
Pretoria West and Rosslyn industrial standsSweeping yards, clearing spillage, moving palletsBroom or forks on the bobcat
Smallholdings (Kameeldrift, Roodeplaat)Cleaning out stables and pens, fence and pole holesStandard bucket; auger for the posts
Older stands on the ridgesBreaking out old slabs and drivewaysBreaker attachment, or a breaker TLB for thick concrete

Black clay, dolomite and ridges: Pretoria ground for a skid steer

Black clay in the north

North of the Magaliesberg the Bushveld ground is black clay ("turf") that swells when wet and cracks when dry. Dry, a bobcat works it well. After a storm it clogs the tyres and the machine skids in place, so book clay jobs for a dry spell. Pretoria's rain falls mostly from October to March (South African Weather Service). Where engineers want the turf out from under paving or a slab, plan a tipper for both directions.

Dolomite to the south

Dolomite under the south of the city and Centurion dissolves when water gets into it: in 2025 the City of Tshwane declared 63 sinkholes a disaster. On those stands, keep wash-down water and dust spraying from ponding where the bobcat works, and follow your engineer's notes. See plant hire in Centurion.

Quartzite ridges

Through the middle of the city run quartzite ridges where rock sits close to the surface. A bobcat bucket skims it; it doesn't dig it. Old concrete on these stands comes out with the breaker attachment.

Will a bobcat fit? Gates, side passages and tippers

Skid steer sizes we send in Pretoria (manufacturer figures)
Mini (Bobcat S70 or similar)Standard (Bobcat S450 or similar)
Width over the bucket0.91 m1.58 m
Operating weight1,268 kg2,365 kg
Safe bucket load344 kg608 kg
Dump height1.93 m2.16 m

Measure the narrowest gap on the way in, including carports and garden walls, and add room to turn. The operator is trained, certified competent and authorised in writing, and checks the machine daily before use, as regulation 23 of the Construction Regulations requires. For work in a pavement or verge, the City of Tshwane's wayleave comes first.

Specs and every attachment: bobcat hire. Other machines in the city: plant hire in Pretoria. On the coast: bobcat hire in Durban. Johannesburg and the rest of the province: plant hire in Gauteng.

Questions people ask

What are bobcat hire rates in Pretoria per hour?

R190–R370 an hour with an operator, excluding VAT. Hourly hire has a minimum, often a full 8 to 9 hour day, and the trailer costs the same either way, so most Pretoria jobs are booked at the day rate of R2,400–R3,700.

Can a bobcat load a tipper truck?

A low-sided one, yes. A standard bobcat (Bobcat S450 or similar) tips at 2.16 m, which clears a skip or a 6 cube tipper. For high-sided trucks a TLB is better: it tips at about 2.74 m and loads faster.

Will the bobcat get into my estate?

Usually, once the paperwork is done. Most Pretoria East estates want the contractor on an access list, set working hours and somewhere for the trailer to park and offload. Get the estate's permission in writing before the booking date and send us its rules.

Related

Sources we checked

  1. Bobcat S450 skid-steer loader specifications and attachments (Bobcat)
  2. Bobcat S70 skid-steer loader specifications (Bobcat)
  3. Explanation of the geology of the Pretoria area (Geological Survey, 1977)
  4. Gauteng Provincial Government, MEC Mamabolo assessed areas affected by sinkholes in the City of Tshwane (May 2025)
  5. Construction Regulations, 2014 (GN R.84), regulation 23: construction vehicles and mobile plant
  6. South African Weather Service, What kind of droughts does South Africa experience? (summer rainfall season)

Need a bobcat in Pretoria?

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.

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