Mini excavator for hire
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What a mini excavator does
A mini excavator (mini digger) is a tracked excavator under about 6 t. The whole top half turns 360°, it runs on rubber tracks, and a small dozer blade at the front backfills and levels. It digs where a TLB can't fit: back gardens, side yards, behind houses and close to walls.
Many mini excavators are zero tail swing, meaning the back of the machine stays inside the width of the tracks as it turns. On a Bobcat E35z that lets the operator dig hard up against a wall or fence without the counterweight hitting it.
Jobs a mini excavator does well
Trenches in tight spaces
Water, sewer, stormwater and electrical trenches down a side passage or across a finished garden. See trenching.
Foundations for extensions
Footings for rooms, garages and boundary walls on built-up plots. See earthworks and foundations.
Septic tanks and soakaways
A 3.5 t machine digs about 3.1 m deep, enough for most domestic tanks and soakaways.
Pools and ponds
Digging out a pool or pond in a back garden, loading the soil out through a narrow gate.
Drainage
French drains, sumps and stormwater channels around houses with damp problems.
Landscaping
Retaining wall footings, terraces, tree stumps and reshaping gardens. See site clearing.
Mini excavator sizes and specs
Mini excavators are hired by weight class. These are the manufacturer's published figures for common machines in each class; we send that model or similar.
| Size | Example | Operating weight | Max dig depth | Width | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5–2 t | Bobcat E17 or similar | 1,711 kg | 2.2 m | 0.98 m (1.36 m tracks out) | Back gardens and anything through a 1 m gap |
| 3–3.5 t | Bobcat E35z or similar | 3,383–3,499 kg | 3.12 m (3.42 m long dipper) | 1.75 m | Most house jobs: trenches, footings, septic tanks |
| 5–6 t | Bobcat E60 or similar | 5,586 kg | 3.98 m | 1.96 m | Bigger trenches, pools, loading tippers |
The 3.5 t class in more detail (Bobcat E35z): 5.35 m reach (5.63 m with the long dipper), 3.34 m dump height, 4.82 m long and 2.47 m high in travel position, and zero tail swing.
Which size do you need?
- Gap under about 1.4 m, or digging to 2 m: 1.5–2 t. It narrows to 0.98 m to get in, then widens its tracks to 1.36 m for stability.
- House-plot trench, footings or a septic tank to about 3 m: 3–3.5 t. The most useful all-round size.
- Digging to about 4 m, or loading tippers all day: 5–6 t.
- Deeper than 4 m, or an open site: a TLB (4.45–4.78 m, drives to site) or a 20–25 t excavator (6.72 m on a Cat 320).
More detail on each class is in our mini excavator guide.
Mini excavator hire prices
A mini excavator with an experienced operator is R1,700–R3,000 a day, excluding VAT, with transport as its own line. Smaller machines are usually toward the lower end of that range and 5–6 t machines toward the upper end.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5–6 t mini excavator | Per day, with operator | R1,700–R3,000 * |
* Few price points for this one, so treat it as a guide; the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
Because one range covers machines from 1.5 t to 6 t, the precise price for your size comes back on WhatsApp in writing. As a guide, a five-day week is R8,500–R15,000 and ten working days R17,000–R30,000. A day is normally an 8 to 9 hour shift; standing time and minimum hours work as on our plant hire rates page.
Get a mini excavator price on WhatsAppWhat's included: mini excavator and operator hire
- An experienced, certified operator. Mini digger driver hire is part of every booking.
- The machine with a digging bucket and its front dozer blade for backfilling and levelling.
- A daily pre-start inspection by the operator, recorded in the machine's register.
- Price in writing before the machine moves, with transport as its own line.
- A replacement machine on breakdown, or no charge for downtime.
The Construction Regulations, 2014 (regulation 23) require mobile plant like a mini excavator to be run by an operator who is trained, certified competent, authorised in writing and holds a medical certificate of fitness. We send copies of our operators' certificates before the machine arrives, on request. See safety and certificates.
Getting the mini excavator to your site
Mini excavators travel on a truck or trailer, and transport both ways is its own line on your quote. Two examples:
- Midrand is about 21 km from Centurion by road, inside our normal delivery area. Transport for a mini excavator there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote.
- Stellenbosch is about 52 km from Cape Town by road. Transport for a mini excavator there and back usually comes to R4,480–R5,400, shown as its own line on your quote.
In Cape Town and the Peninsula, see mini excavator hire in Cape Town for local transport and ground conditions, and plant hire in the Western Cape for the other machines there. Everywhere else, our areas we cover page lists every province.
Mini excavator, TLB, bobcat or big excavator?
| Machine | Width | Dig depth | Gets to site | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini excavator, 1.5–6 t | 0.98–1.96 m | 2.2–4.0 m | Trailer | R1,700–R3,000 |
| TLB (JCB 3CX or similar) | 2.35 m (3.30 m with stabilisers down) | 4.45–4.78 m | Drives on the road | R3,900–R5,150 |
| Bobcat (skid steer) | 0.91–1.58 m | no digging arm | Trailer | R2,400–R3,700 |
| Excavator, 20–25 t (Cat 320 or similar) | much wider; travels on a lowbed | 6.72 m | Lowbed | R3,500–R5,600 |
- Mini excavator for digging in tight, finished or soft places.
- TLB for open plots: it digs deeper, loads trucks with its front bucket, and needs no trailer.
- Bobcat for moving and loading material, not digging. Often hired alongside a mini excavator to carry the soil out.
- Big excavator for deep trenches, bulk earthworks and rock.
Mini digger and tipper hire
If the soil has to leave site, book a tipper with the mini excavator. A 5–6 t machine loads a tipper over its side, and a 3.5 t machine tips at 3.34 m. In Gauteng a 6 cube tipper is R1,250–R1,900 a load; a 10 cube tipper with its driver is R3,700–R5,250 a day. Where the truck can't get close, a bobcat carries the soil from the mini excavator to the street. See tipper truck hire.
How hiring a mini excavator works
- WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates, with the narrowest width on the way in and how deep you need to dig.
- We confirm in writing: the size class, the start date and the price, with transport as its own line.
- Pay the deposit to book the machine and operator.
- The mini excavator arrives on its trailer with an experienced operator and starts digging.
- The balance and transport are settled as agreed on your quote.
Before it arrives, locate and mark existing water, sewer and electrical lines: in established gardens these are often shallow and unmarked. Move cars, clear the access route and decide where the soil goes. Full details are on how it works.
WhatsApp us for a mini excavatorQuestions people ask
How much does it cost to hire a mini excavator?
R1,700–R3,000 a day with operator for a 1.5–6 t mini excavator, depending on the size, excluding VAT. Transport on a trailer is its own line. One range covers 1.5 t to 6 t, so send us the size or the job and the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
How much is mini digger hire per day?
A mini digger with an operator is R1,700–R3,000 a day: smaller machines are usually toward the lower end and 5–6 t machines toward the upper end. A day is normally an 8 to 9 hour shift.
How much is it to hire a 3 ton digger for a week?
A 3 to 3.5 t mini excavator (Bobcat E35z or similar) for a five-day week comes to R8,500–R15,000 with an operator on our price guide, plus transport and VAT. Your exact weekly price comes back on WhatsApp.
How deep can a mini excavator dig?
About 2.2 m for a 1.7 t machine (Bobcat E17 or similar), 3.1 m for a 3.5 t machine (3.4 m with a long dipper) and 4.0 m for a 5.6 t machine (Bobcat E60 or similar). Deeper than that, hire a TLB (4.45–4.78 m) or a 20 t excavator (6.72 m).
Will a mini excavator fit through my gate?
A 1.5–2 t mini excavator narrows its tracks to 0.98 m, so it goes through a 1 m gap. A 3.5 t machine is 1.75 m wide and a 6 t machine about 1.96 m. Measure the narrowest point on the way in, including side passages and carports, and send it with your request.
Do you hire micro diggers under 1.5 t?
Our smallest mini excavators are in the 1.5–2 t class, which pull their tracks in to 0.98 m wide and still dig 2.2 m deep. That covers most jobs people ask about for a micro digger. For anything narrower, WhatsApp us the measurements.
Mini excavator or TLB?
A TLB digs deeper (4.45–4.78 m), loads trucks with its front bucket and drives to site, so it's the better value on an open plot. A mini excavator wins when access is narrower than about 3 m, when you're digging close to walls or in a finished garden, or when an 8 t machine is too heavy for the ground.
Related
Sources we checked
- Bobcat E17 mini excavator specifications (Bobcat)
- Bobcat E35z mini excavator specifications (Bobcat)
- Bobcat E35z mini excavator, key specifications (Bobcat)
- Bobcat E60 mini excavator specifications (Bobcat)
- Bobcat E60 dimensions (Bobcat)
- Cat 320 hydraulic excavator specifications (Caterpillar)
- JCB 3CX and 4CX backhoe loader specifications (JCB spec sheet P995-B)
- Construction Regulations, 2014 (GN R.84), regulation 23: construction vehicles and mobile plant
Need a mini excavator?
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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