How hiring a machine works
Last updated
Get a written price
- 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.
We reply Monday to Friday 07:00–17:00, Saturday 07:00–13:00.
Five steps from WhatsApp to a working machine
- WhatsApp the machine, town and dates. Or use the price tool: it pre-types the message for you. Add a photo of the site and a line about the job, like “trench 40 m long for a water pipe”. Not sure what machine you need? Tell us the job and we'll say what fits.
- We confirm everything in writing. The machine and size, the start date, the hours, wet or dry, and the price, with transport both ways as its own line. Nothing moves until you've seen the price.
- Pay to book. Hires of 1 or 2 days are paid up front with transport; hires of 3 days or more need a 50% deposit plus transport, with the balance before the last working day. Monthly hire is paid a month in advance.
- Your machine arrives with an experienced operator, ready to work at the agreed time. Operator and load-test certificates come before arrival if you ask for them.
- Transport both ways and the balance are settled as agreed on your quote. If the job runs longer, we confirm the extra days in writing first.
What to send us for an accurate price
- The job: what needs digging, lifting, loading or levelling, and roughly how much (metres of trench, size of the plot, weight of the load).
- The town or site address, so we can work out transport from the nearest main centre.
- The dates and how many days or months you need the machine.
- Photos of the site, especially the access: the gate width, slopes, overhead cables and where the machine will work.
- Anything special: rock, wet ground, a breaker or auger attachment, night work, or a company that needs a safety file.
How the price is made up
Every quote has the same lines, so you can compare it with your budget at a glance:
| Line | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Machine and operator | The machine with an experienced operator or driver, per hour, day, week or month. Most day rates cover an 8–9 hour working day. |
| Diesel | Included on a wet rate. On a dry rate you pay the diesel the machine uses. |
| Transport both ways | Moving the machine to your site and back, by road or on a lowbed for big machines. |
| Extras, if any | Attachments (breaker, auger), extra hours, or standing time if the machine waits on site because the work isn't ready. |
| VAT | Our prices exclude VAT. |
As an example, a standard TLB costs R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator. Three days is R11,700–R15,450 before transport. Every machine's prices are on the plant hire rates page.
Before the machine arrives: what to sort out on site
- Access. The machine needs a clear way in. A standard TLB needs a gateway roughly 2.5 m wide; a lowbed carrying an excavator needs room to offload. Tell us about tight gates, soft ground and steep driveways.
- Underground services. Find out where water pipes, sewers, electrical cables, fibre and gas run before anyone digs. Your municipality and the service providers keep the plans; marking them protects you from repair bills.
- Permits. Work in a road reserve or pavement usually needs a municipal wayleave, and demolition and large earthworks can need approvals. Check before the start date.
- Overhead power lines. Cranes, cherry pickers, tippers and excavators must keep a safe distance. Point out every line near the work area.
- Someone on site who can show the operator the job and sign off the hours each day.
Lifting jobs need extra preparation, such as firm ground under the outriggers and a clear lift area. See safety and certificates and the crane guide.
Breakdowns, standing time and extra days
Breakdowns: if the machine breaks down, we send a replacement or you don't pay for the hours it can't work.
Standing time: if the machine and operator are on site but can't work because the site isn't ready (no access, waiting on another trade, no one to show the job), that time is billable as agreed on your quote. Weather days are agreed up front.
Extra days: if the job takes longer, WhatsApp us and we confirm the extra days and their price in writing before they run.
The full rules are in our hire terms.
Long hire, mining and company accounts
Side tippers, ADTs, excavators and water trucks are hired by the month for mines, quarries and contractors. We quote these formally with the contract terms, operators and documents your procurement team needs. Use the fleet quote or email info@basaltplanthire.co.za. Company documents are available on request.
Questions people ask
How quickly can a machine be on site?
It depends on the machine, the town and the dates you need. Common machines like TLBs, bobcats and tippers can often start the next working day in the main centres; cranes, lowbed moves and long-hire fleets take longer to arrange. We give you the confirmed start date in writing with your price.
Is the operator included in the price?
Yes, for earthmoving machines, trucks, cranes and cherry pickers the price includes an experienced operator or driver. Small plant such as generators, jackhammers, mixers and plate compactors is hired as machine only, and forklifts and lifts can come with an operator on request.
Who pays for diesel?
Your written quote says. A dry rate means the operator is included and you pay the diesel; a wet rate includes the diesel. See wet vs dry hire.
What happens if the machine breaks down?
We send a replacement machine, or you don't pay for the time the machine can't work. The breakdown hours come off your invoice.
Do I pay for transport?
Yes. Transport to site and back is shown as its own line on your quote, so you see exactly what the machine costs and what moving it costs. It depends on the machine and the distance from the nearest main centre; the price tool shows an estimate.
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Need a machine?
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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