Bobcat hire cost
Last updated
Bobcat hire prices for 2026
Every bobcat (skid steer) price on our guide, excluding VAT. Transport on a trailer is quoted as its own line. Prices updated: November 2026.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard skid steer | Per day, with operator | R2,400–R3,700 |
| Standard skid steer | Per hour, with operator | R190–R370 |
| Skid steer with attachment (breaker, auger, broom) | Per day, with operator | R3,000–R3,600 |
“With operator” means an experienced operator is in the price, with the diesel basis confirmed in writing. Every bobcat we send comes with its operator. For what a bobcat can lift, its width and its attachments, see bobcat hire.
Get my bobcat price on WhatsAppBobcat hire cost per hour and per day
A standard bobcat is R190–R370 an hour or R2,400–R3,700 a day, with an operator. Hourly hire normally has a minimum, often the full 8–9 hour day, so a two-hour job usually costs about the same as a short day. Line up small jobs for the same visit: clear the rubble, level the driveway and sweep up while the machine is there.
| Hire period | Standard bobcat | With breaker, auger or broom |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day (8–9 hours) | R2,400–R3,700 | R3,000–R3,600 |
| 2 days | R4,800–R7,400 | R6,000–R7,200 |
| 3 days | R7,200–R11,100 | R9,000–R10,800 |
| 5-day week | R12,000–R18,500 | R15,000–R18,000 |
| 10 working days | R24,000–R37,000 | R30,000–R36,000 |
| A month of steady work | monthly rate on WhatsApp | on WhatsApp |
For a bobcat that will work most days for a month or more, ask for a monthly rate, priced per job on WhatsApp, and set it against 22 days paid one at a time (R52,800–R81,400).
Skid steer attachment prices
The attachment replaces the bucket and runs off the bobcat's hydraulics. Say which one you need when you book, so it comes on the trailer with the machine.
| Attachment | Typical job | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Bucket (standard) | Rubble, soil, sand, gravel, paving prep | R2,400–R3,700 |
| Hydraulic breaker | Slabs, driveways, kerbs, floors | R3,000–R3,600 |
| Auger | Fence posts, palisade and pole footings, trees | R3,000–R3,600 |
| Broom or sweeper | Yards, roads and car parks | R3,000–R3,600 |
| Pallet forks, grapple, trencher, blade | Pallets, bush and logs, cable trenches, levelling | on WhatsApp |
The breaker suits paths, slabs and paving. For thick reinforced concrete or rock, a TLB with a breaker (R5,000–R6,550 a day) hits harder and finishes sooner. For a small patch, a heavy jackhammer at R380–R610 a day may be all you need: see jackhammer hire prices.
What changes the cost of bobcat hire
- Size. The standard skid steer (Bobcat S450 or similar) is on our price guide. A mini skid steer for gaps under 1 m is priced on WhatsApp.
- Attachments. A breaker, auger or broom moves the day rate to R3,000–R3,600.
- Hours and minimums. Full days cost less per hour than a short booking with a minimum charge.
- With operator, wet or dry. Our rates include the operator. In South Africa “dry” usually means the operator is included and you pay the diesel; see wet vs dry hire.
- Standing time. Time the bobcat can't work because of the site, such as a locked gate or no tipper to load, is charged as set out on your quote.
- The load. A standard bobcat's safe bucket load is 608 kg, so heavy rubble and wet soil take more trips than light material. Rubble removal goes faster with the tipper parked close.
- Transport. The bobcat travels on a trailer, and transport both ways is its own line. See the table below.
| Site | Road distance | Transport both ways |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria or Cape Town | in town | R1,300–R3,840 |
| Ballito | 50 km from Durban | R4,300–R5,200 |
| Krugersdorp | 34 km from Johannesburg | R2,920–R3,840 |
| Somerset West | 47 km from Cape Town | R4,040–R4,880 |
| Howick | 24 km from Pietermaritzburg | R1,300–R3,840 |
Worked examples: what a bobcat job costs
These use our price guide to show how a quote is built. Your own price is confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before the machine moves.
Two days clearing builders' rubble in Durban
Rubble and old paving to clear from a back yard after a renovation, loaded into a tipper at the gate. Standard bobcat with operator, two days:
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard skid steer, 2 days at R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator | R4,800–R7,400 |
| Transport both ways to Durban | R1,300–R3,840 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R6,100–R11,240 |
The tipper that takes the rubble away is its own line: see tipper truck hire. The landfill charges its tip fee by mass on its weighbridge.
One day with an auger in Pretoria
Holes for a new palisade fence along a plot boundary, one day with the auger fitted:
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Skid steer with attachment (breaker, auger, broom), 1 day at R3,000–R3,600 a day with operator | R3,000–R3,600 |
| Transport both ways to Pretoria | R1,300–R3,840 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R4,300–R7,440 |
Bobcat or a bigger machine: cost per job
The lowest day rate doesn't always mean the lowest cost for the whole job. Compare day rates with operator (excl. VAT):
| Machine | Gets to site | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Bobcat (skid steer) | Trailer | R2,400–R3,700 |
| Mini excavator, 1.5–6 t | Trailer | R1,700–R3,000 |
| TLB, standard 4x4 | Drives on the road | R3,900–R5,150 |
| Excavator, 20–25 t | Lowbed | R3,500–R5,600 |
- Tight yard, loading and levelling: the bobcat costs least and fits where the others can't.
- Digging trenches or foundations: a TLB digs and loads, and drives to site with no trailer line. A bobcat can't dig deep.
- Big volumes of rubble on an open site: a TLB's loader bucket of about 1 m³ carries far more than a bobcat's 608 kg, so it can finish in fewer days.
Hire or buy a bobcat?
It comes down to how many days a year the machine would really work. Hiring costs money only on the days you use it; owning costs money every month.
Owning a bobcat
- The purchase or finance repayments, every month.
- Insurance and secure parking.
- Services, tyres, hoses and repairs; tyres wear fast on a machine that steers by skidding.
- A trailer and a vehicle to tow it to each job.
- An operator who is trained, certified competent, authorised in writing and holds a medical certificate of fitness, as Construction Regulation 23 requires.
Hiring a bobcat
- R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator, operator included.
- Transport as its own line.
- A replacement machine on breakdown, or no charge for downtime.
- Nothing for the weeks it isn't needed.
A quick test: 30 days of bobcat hire in a year is R72,000–R111,000, operator and servicing included. Set that against a year of repayments, insurance, maintenance, a trailer and an operator's wage. Landscapers and builders who need a bobcat now and then usually come out ahead hiring; a business that would keep one busy every day should price the monthly rate first.
How to keep your bobcat hire cost down
- Measure the access first. A standard bobcat is 1.58 m wide over the bucket. If the gap is narrower, book a mini skid steer from the start, not after the trailer arrives.
- Have the tipper or skip ready before the bobcat starts, so it never waits with a full bucket.
- Book the attachment only for the days you need it. Break the slab with the breaker on day one, then clear with the bucket.
- Group small jobs into one full day instead of paying a minimum several times.
- Clear the way: cars moved, gates open, pets in, and the route over lawns and paving agreed, to avoid standing time and damage.
Skid steer operators are assessed against SAQA unit standard 262712, “Operate a skid steer loader”. Our operators are certified, and copies of their certificates come before the machine arrives, on request. See safety and certificates and how hiring works.
Bobcat hire prices near you
The price guide is the same across South Africa; the transport line changes with your town. Local detail and transport: bobcat hire in Durban, bobcat hire in Pretoria, and plant hire in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg.
Use the price tool at the top of this page with your town for an estimate including transport, then send it to us on WhatsApp for your written price.
WhatsApp my bobcat job for a priceQuestions people ask
How much is it to get a Bobcat?
A standard bobcat with an operator is R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator, plus transport on a trailer. Inside a main centre such as Durban, transport both ways comes to R1,300–R3,840, so a one-day job lands at about the day rate plus that. Prices exclude VAT. The worked examples above show the full sum.
How much is bobcat hire per hour?
R190–R370 an hour with an operator. Hourly hire normally has a minimum, often the full 8–9 hour day, so for most jobs the day rate of R2,400–R3,700 is the number to plan with.
Which skid steer is better, Kubota or Bobcat?
Neither is better across the board: both build skid steers in several sizes. For hire, the size class matters more than the badge: the rated operating capacity (safe bucket load), the width for your access, and whether it takes the attachment you need. For most jobs we send a Bobcat S450 or similar, rated at 608 kg and 1.58 m wide; for narrow access a mini skid steer under 1 m wide.
Is it difficult to operate a Bobcat?
The basic controls are quick to learn, but working neatly and safely next to people, walls, trenches and tippers takes training and hours on the machine. A skid steer turns by skidding, so it is easy to tear up lawns and paving, and easy to tip with a heavy bucket raised. The Construction Regulations require the operator to be trained, certified competent and authorised in writing, which is why ours come with an experienced operator.
What is the hourly rate for a 20 ton excavator?
A 20–25 t excavator is R340–R690 an hour with an operator, or R3,500–R5,600 a day with operator. It travels on a lowbed, quoted as its own line. See excavator hire rates.
Do bobcat prices include the operator and VAT?
The operator, yes: the day and hourly rates are with an experienced operator. VAT, no: all our prices exclude VAT, and transport is a separate line. Your written quote shows the hire, transport, VAT and the total.
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