Dry hire vs wet hire
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- Send the job on WhatsApp: what you are doing, the town and the dates.
- Get your quote: the machine, the operator, transport and the total, in writing.
- Pay to book and the machine arrives on site with its operator.
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Wet, dry and machine-only: what each includes
Three words decide what a plant hire price covers. In South Africa they mean this:
| Basis | Operator | Diesel | Typical machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry | Included | You supply or pay for it | TLBs, excavators, graders, rollers, ADTs, tippers on longer hires |
| Wet | Included | Included in the rate | Short jobs where you don't want to arrange fuel; some trucks and ADTs |
| Machine only (bare) | Not included: your own competent person runs it | You supply it | Plate compactors, rammers, jackhammers, mixers, generators, some forklifts and lifts |
| With operator | Included | Stated on the quote | Day rates on most of our machines |
Watch the word "dry" in foreign material. In the UK and Australia, "dry hire" usually means the machine without an operator, and "wet hire" or "operated hire" means with one. A South African dry rate normally includes the operator. If you're comparing a price you found elsewhere with ours, compare what's in it, not the label.
Every quote we send states the basis in writing: operator or not, diesel or not, per hour, day or month. Our earthmoving machines, trucks, cranes and cherry pickers always come with an operator or driver; small plant is hired machine only. See how hiring works.
How much diesel each machine uses
On dry hire, diesel is your cost, so it helps to know the size of it. Caterpillar's Performance Handbook gives hourly fuel use for its machines at three levels of work. We've converted its US gallons to litres:
| Machine class | Cat model | Litres an hour (low–high) | 9-hour day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini excavator, 3.5–5 t | 303.5 CR and 305 CR models | 3.2–7.3 | 29–66 L |
| TLB (backhoe loader) | 416, 428 | 4.3–6.8 | 39–61 L |
| Skid steer (bobcat) | 226D3–262D3 | 9.3–9.9 (one figure each) | 84–89 L |
| Soil compactor (roller) | CS54B, CS56B, CS11 GC | 9.5–11.0 (one figure each) | 86–99 L |
| Excavator, 20 t class | 320 | 9.2–14.1 | 83–127 L |
| Excavator, 30 t class | 330 | 14.0–21.8 | 126–196 L |
| Grader, 120 and 140 class | 120, 140 | 8.9–16.1 | 80–145 L |
| Front end loader | 950M, 966M | 9.0–17.8 | 81–160 L |
| ADT, 25–30 t | 725, 730 | 12.8–21.0 | 115–189 L |
| Bulldozer, D6 class | D6 | 14.2–22.3 | 128–201 L |
| Bulldozer, D8 class | D8 | 24.8–40.3 | 223–363 L |
The handbook's levels are set by idling: "low" assumes the machine idles half the time, "medium" 30% and "high" only 10%. A TLB that waits for tippers burns near the bottom of its range; a dozer pushing all day burns near the top. Other makes of the same size use similar amounts, but your real figure depends on the work, the ground and the operator.
Worked comparison: wet or dry for a TLB day
A TLB for a 9-hour day, on our hourly rates (excl. VAT):
| Dry | Wet | |
|---|---|---|
| Machine and operator, 9 hours | R2,880–R3,690 | R5,220–R6,480 |
| Diesel you supply | about 39–61 litres | none |
| Who refuels | You | Us |
The wet rate is higher by roughly the cost of those 39–61 litres at your diesel price. So:
- Dry usually wins where you already have diesel on site: farms and mines with their own tanks, or contractors who buy in bulk.
- Wet usually wins for a short job at a house or small site, where someone would otherwise drive to a garage with jerry cans, and the machine would stand while they did.
We have only one wet data point for the TLB, so treat the wet figure as a guide; the exact rate comes back on WhatsApp in writing. All TLB rates: TLB hire rates.
Monthly hire: the 200-hour block
Long hires are usually priced as a monthly block of about 200 machine hours, roughly a 9-hour day over a month of working days. The block is normally dry: operator included, you supply the diesel. Two examples from our price guide:
- A 140-class grader is about R136,000 a month (about 200 machine hours) dry, which works out to about R680 an hour. At 10.7–16.1 litres an hour (Cat 140), 200 hours means you supply roughly 2,140–3,220 litres of diesel in the month.
- A 70 t excavator is about R189,000 a month (about 200 machine hours) dry, or about R945 an hour, against about R1,500 an hour dry on an hourly hire. On a machine that size the monthly block is a big saving, and the diesel bill will be far bigger than a 30 t machine's 14–22 litres an hour.
Hours above the block are charged at the rate on your quote, and what happens if the machine works fewer hours is written on the quote too. Monthly rates for every machine are on plant hire rates.
Minimum hours, the working day and standing time
- Minimum hours. Hourly hires have a minimum number of hours, stated on your quote, because the machine has to travel to you either way. For anything over half a day, a day rate is usually better value.
- The working day. A day rate covers the working day on your quote, usually 8–9 hours. Hours beyond that are charged at the quoted rate. Your site representative confirms the hours worked each day.
- Standing time. If the machine and operator are on site and ready but can't work because of the site (no access, the work isn't ready, nobody to show the job, waiting for another trade), that time is standing time and is charged as stated on your quote.
- Rain. How rain days are handled is agreed on your quote before the hire starts.
- Breakdowns. If our machine breaks down, we send a replacement or you aren't charged for the time it can't work.
- Transport to site and back is always its own line, on every basis.
What a dry hire agreement should say
Whether it's a one-page quote or a long contract, a dry hire agreement should leave nothing to argue about later. Check that it states:
- The machine and size, and that the operator is included.
- The basis and rate: dry, per hour, day or 200-hour month, excluding or including VAT.
- Diesel: that you supply it, and how it's measured, for example the tank filled at the start and litres logged at each top-up.
- Hours: the length of the working day, the minimum hours, and how hours are confirmed.
- Standing time, rain and breakdowns: what is charged and what isn't.
- Transport: both ways, as its own line.
- Your site responsibilities: safe access, underground services pointed out, permits such as wayleaves.
- Deposit, balance and cancellation.
On machine-only hires, the agreement should also say who runs the machine. A forklift operator needs a certificate of training for the right forklift code (Driven Machinery Regulations, reg 18(11)), and on construction sites anyone running mobile plant must be trained, certified competent, medically fit and authorised in writing (Construction Regulations, reg 23). Our full terms are on hire terms.
Ask for a wet or dry price on WhatsAppQuestions people ask
What is dry hire of equipment?
In South Africa, hiring a machine with its operator but without fuel: you supply or pay for the diesel it burns. Overseas the same words often mean the machine without an operator, so read the agreement rather than the label. Our written quote always states the basis.
Is the operator included in dry hire?
Usually, yes, in South Africa. On our quotes, a dry rate means the operator is included and you pay the diesel. A machine-only rate means no operator and no diesel, and is used for small plant like plate compactors, jackhammers and generators.
Is wet hire more expensive?
The rate is higher because the diesel is in it, but the total isn't necessarily higher. On our TLB rates, nine hours dry are R2,880–R3,690 plus about 39–61 litres of diesel; nine hours wet are R5,220–R6,480. Which is cheaper depends on what diesel costs you and the trouble of getting it to site.
What is a dry hire agreement?
The written agreement for a dry hire: the machine, the operator, the hourly, daily or monthly rate, that you supply the diesel and how it is measured, the minimum hours, standing time, transport both ways, breakdown terms and your site responsibilities. Ours is your written quote plus our hire terms.
How much diesel does an excavator use per day?
A 20 t class excavator (Cat 320) burns about 9.2–14.1 litres an hour on Caterpillar's figures, so about 83–127 litres in a 9-hour day. A 30 t (Cat 330) burns 14.0–21.8 litres an hour. More idling means the lower end; hard digging all day the upper end.
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