Cherry picker hire and plant hire in East London
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East London plant hire prices
Day rates for the machines Buffalo City asks for most, excluding VAT. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from, so delivery inside the city is a short trip, shown as its own line.
| Machine | Basis | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry picker, 12–15 m | Per day with operator | R2,400–R4,000 |
| Cherry picker, 16–17 m | Per day with operator | R4,150–R7,900 |
| Cherry picker, 20–25 m | Per day with operator | about R8,200 |
| Forklift, 2.5–3 t | Per day, machine only | R1,150–R1,600 |
| Forklift, 3.5–5 t | Per month, machine only | about R30,000 |
| Bobcat (skid steer) | Per day with operator | R2,400–R3,700 |
| Crane truck, 8–10 t | Per day with operator | R2,500–R5,200 |
| Crane truck, 12–15 t | Per day with operator | R3,200–R5,200 |
| Scissor lift, electric 6–12 m | Per day, machine only | R1,000–R1,500 |
| Generator, 15–30 kVA | Per day, machine only | R680–R1,600 |
| TLB, standard 4x4 | Per day with operator | R3,900–R5,150 |
| Mobile crane, 20–25 t | Per day with operator | about R4,500 |
Cherry pickers, cranes, crane trucks, bobcats and TLBs come with our operator. Forklifts, scissor lifts and generators are priced machine only; if your team has no certified operator, we add ours and put that line on the written price. A day is 8 to 9 working hours. Hourly, weekly and monthly rates for every machine are on plant hire rates.
Get an East London price on WhatsAppWhat keeps East London's machines busy
Mercedes-Benz and the IDZ
East London is a car town. The Mercedes-Benz plant builds the C-Class sedan for export, in both right-hand and left-hand drive, and employed about 2,400 people at the end of 2024. Car assembly here goes back to 1958, when contract manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz began. The plant is joined by a private bridge to a four-level car terminal on the quayside, so finished cars drive straight to the ships.
Close to the port, the East London Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) holds an automotive park of component makers. They build parts for Mercedes-Benz and for the Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford and Isuzu plants elsewhere in the country, and an aluminium treatment and e-coating plant opened in the zone in 2012. That factory work is why East London searches for cherry pickers, forklifts, scissor lifts and crane trucks more than for diggers: lights, cable trays and roof sheeting on high factory roofs, stock and component moves on the floor, and machinery being placed and moved.
The only river port on the coast
The Port of East London is the only commercial river port on South Africa's coastline, built where the Buffalo River meets the sea. Transnet lists 11 commercial berths with terminals for grain, general cargo, cars and fuel. Car parts arrive in containers and vehicles leave on car carriers, with wheat and maize coming in and processed food and livestock going out. A crane truck is the usual machine between the quay, the IDZ and town: it picks up a container or a crated machine, carries it and sets it down at the other end.
A metro of suburbs and townships
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality covers 2,536 km² and about 975,000 people, and it is home to the Eastern Cape's provincial administration. Beyond the factories, the work is homes and shops: signage and facades in Vincent and the CBD, beachfront apartments on the Esplanade in Quigney, extensions and pools in Beacon Bay, Nahoon and Gonubie, and housing in Mdantsane.
Slopes, dolerite and sea air: East London site conditions
Steep ground near the coast and the rivers
The Geological Survey describes the land steepening over the last 12 km or so to the sea, at an average of about 25 m drop per kilometre, with the Buffalo and Kei rivers running in gorges whose banks reach about 120 m high in places. Many East London stands slope. A cherry picker or crane truck levels itself on outriggers, but only on firm ground within the machine's limits, so send a photo of exactly where it will stand. On a steep garden, a bobcat works straight up and down the slope, never across it.
Dolerite rock and dune sand
Most of the area is Beaufort sandstone and mudstone cut by dolerite, with a large dolerite sheet along the right bank of the Buffalo River. Dolerite stops a standard bucket, so if the stand is rocky we send a TLB with a hydraulic breaker (R5,000–R6,550 a day with operator). Within a few kilometres of the beach, the long low hills are old consolidated dune sand: it digs easily, but trench sides need sloping and the backfill needs compacting, with a reversible plate compactor at R400–R630 a day.
Rain, wind and salt
The district averages about 760 mm of rain a year, and rain can fall in any month, so agree standing time on outdoor work whatever the month. Salt air eats gutters, signs, light fittings and roof screws, which is why so much of the city's cherry picker work is maintenance on beachfront blocks and factory roofs. Wind matters for anything lifting people or loads: every cherry picker and crane has a wind limit, and our operator lowers the basket or stops the lift when the wind passes it. Plan high outdoor work for calmer mornings and keep a spare day on long jobs.
Wayleaves and lifting paperwork
Digging across a verge or pavement is work in the road reserve: apply to Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality for a wayleave before the machine is booked. Under the Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015, every lifting machine must have a performance (load) test by a registered lifting machinery entity at least every 12 months. When you hire one, you as the user keep a register on site with its latest test and service records, not older than 12 months. We send copies of the load-test certificate and the operator's certificate before the machine arrives, on request.
Cherry picker hire in East London
A cherry picker puts one or two people in a basket on a boom, at height and reaching sideways over obstacles. We send it with a certified operator and a load-test certificate not older than 12 months. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a cherry picker there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote.
| Size | Typical machine | Working height | Sideways reach | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12–15 m | Trailer boom, Genie TZ-34/20 or similar | 12.19 m | 5.59 m | R2,400–R4,000 |
| 16–17 m | Trailer boom, Genie TZ-50 or similar | 16.92 m | 8.89 m | R4,150–R7,900 |
| 20–25 m | Truck-mounted or self-propelled boom | 20–25 m | Confirmed on your quote | about R8,200 |
| 50 m+ | Large truck-mounted boom | 50 m and more | Confirmed on your quote | about R16,500 |
Both Genie trailer booms carry 227 kg in the basket: two people and hand tools, not sheets of roofing or heavy fittings. For a week or more, a 12–15 m machine is R11,500–R12,500 a week or R32,500–R37,000 a month, which suits a factory relamping or a repaint of a beachfront block.
Factory and warehouse roofs
Lights, cable trays, sprinklers and roof sheets in the IDZ and the older industrial areas. Indoors on a smooth slab, a scissor lift is often the cheaper machine.
Beachfront and high-rise facades
Rusted fittings, cracked plaster, sealing and window work on the Esplanade blocks, where the sea air does the most damage.
Shop signs and streetfronts
Signage in Vincent, Berea and the CBD. If the machine stands on the pavement or road, sort out the municipality's permission and traffic control first.
Gutters and trees at home
Double-storey gutters, fascias and tree trimming in Beacon Bay, Nahoon and Gonubie: a 12–15 m trailer boom fits most driveways.
For a price, send the height of the work, how far it is from where the machine can stand, a photo of that spot and any overhead power lines nearby. More on cherry picker hire, and every size and hire period on cherry picker hire rates.
Forklift hire in East London
Component plants in the IDZ, warehouses near the port, food and grain plants and builders' yards hire forklifts here for stock peaks, stocktakes, plant moves and container unpacking. A 1–2 t machine is R940–R1,600 a day or about R5,650 a week, a 2.5–3 t R1,150–R1,600 a day, and a 3.5–5 t R1,600–R1,900 a day or about R30,000 a month, machine only.
Capacity is rated at a 500 mm load centre: a Hyster H2.5A or similar lifts 2,500 kg and an H3.0A 3,000 kg with the load's centre 500 mm from the fork face. Long crates, jigs and steel push that centre out and cut what the truck can safely lift, so tell us the load size and weight as well as the lift height. Indoors, in food or clean areas, ask for an electric forklift. The driver needs a forklift certificate under the 2024 Code of Practice; our certified operator can come with the machine. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a forklift there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote. More on forklift hire.
Bobcat hire in East London
A bobcat (skid steer) loads, carries, spreads and sweeps in spaces a TLB can't reach. In East London it clears and levels gardens for paving in Beacon Bay and Gonubie, spreads topsoil and building sand, loads rubble into tippers, and sweeps yards in the IDZ with a broom. A standard machine is R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator or R190–R370 an hour with an operator, and R3,000–R3,600 a day with operator with a breaker, auger or broom.
A Bobcat S450 or similar is 1.58 m wide over the bucket and rated to carry 608 kg per load. For a narrow side passage, a mini skid steer (Bobcat S70 or similar) is 0.91 m wide; its price comes back on WhatsApp. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a bobcat there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote. See bobcat hire for attachments and sizes.
Crane truck hire in East London
Containers off the quay, machinery into IDZ factories, steel and roof trusses to sites, water tanks onto stands and prefab rooms onto slabs: an 8–10 t crane truck is R2,500–R5,200 a day with operator or about R1,000 an hour, a 12–15 t R3,200–R5,200 a day, and the big 20–34 t class about R1,900 an hour, each with a certified operator.
What a crane truck lifts depends on reach. A Palfinger PK 32080 or similar is rated at 30.4 t·m and lifts 2.9 t at 9.9 m, so a heavy load set down far from where the truck can park needs a bigger crane. Send the weight, the distance from the truck to the drop point and a photo of the access. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. The crane truck drives to site, so travel is small and confirmed on WhatsApp with your price. For heavy lifts at long reach, see mobile crane hire in East London, and for sizes, crane truck hire.
Scissor lift hire in East London
A scissor lift raises a wide deck straight up, with room for two or more people, tools and materials, and drives to the next spot while raised. It suits ceiling, lighting, sprinkler and cabling work in factories, warehouses and shopping centres, and shopfitting. An electric slab scissor (6–12 m working height) is R1,000–R1,500 a day machine only and a rough-terrain diesel scissor (8–10 m) R3,350–R3,700 a day, machine only.
Electric slab scissors are for level concrete floors, and many are rated for indoor use only, which matters in a windy coastal city. On a gravel yard or outside, take the rough-terrain diesel. The person working it needs a C53 certificate (mobile elevated work platform) from an accredited provider; if nobody on site has one, add our operator. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a scissor lift there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote. More on scissor lift hire.
Generator hire in East London
Generators here power building sites before the municipal connection is live, keep shops, clinics and offices running through power cuts, run pumps, and light events on the beachfront. A portable up to 10 kVA is R320–R520 a day, 15–30 kVA R680–R1,600, 40–60 kVA R2,300–R3,050, 80–150 kVA R2,400–R4,600 and 200–300 kVA R8,500–R9,750, machine only; you buy the diesel.
From the 15–30 kVA class up you get three-phase power for motors, welders and distribution boards. Connecting a generator to a building's wiring needs an electrician and a changeover switch. East London is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a generator there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote. Diesel use and every size: generator hire rates.
TLB and mobile crane hire in East London
For foundations, trenches, pools and plot clearing, a TLB with an operator costs R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator and drives to site: see TLB hire in East London. For machinery installs, roof steel and heavy lifts at reach, a 20–25 t mobile crane is about R4,500 a day with operator and a 40 t about R7,600 a day: see crane hire in East London.
Beyond East London
We work across Buffalo City, from Mdantsane and Gonubie to Qonce (King William's Town) and Bhisho, and inland to Komani and Mthatha. Qonce (King William's Town) is about 60 km from East London by road. Inland towns, long gravel roads and their transport costs are on plant hire in the Eastern Cape, and Nelson Mandela Bay is on plant hire in Port Elizabeth.
How an East London booking works
- WhatsApp the job: the machine, the height or weight, the address and a photo of where the machine will stand.
- Price in writing: hire, transport both ways, minimum hours and standing time, before anything moves.
- Paperwork: load-test and operator certificates sent ahead on request, plus whatever the port, IDZ or factory needs at the gate.
- Deposit to book, and the machine arrives on the agreed day.
- Breakdown cover: a replacement machine, or no charge for the downtime.
The full process is on how it works, and certificates on safety and certificates.
WhatsApp your East London jobQuestions people ask
How high does a cherry picker in East London reach?
Our cherry pickers run from 12–15 m working height (R2,400–R4,000 a day) through 16–17 m (R4,150–R7,900) and 20–25 m (about R8,200) to 50 m and more (about R16,500), each with an operator. A double-storey house or shopfront is a 12–15 m job; a four-storey block on the Esplanade needs the 16–25 m class, and sideways reach matters as much as height when the machine can't park right under the work.
Can my own staff drive a hired forklift, scissor lift or cherry picker?
Only if they hold the right certificate. Under regulation 18(11) of the Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015, nobody may operate a lifting machine listed in the National Code of Practice for Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators without a certificate of training from an accredited training provider. Forklifts, scissor lifts and cherry pickers are all listed. If nobody on your team is certified, we send our operator with the machine and confirm that line in writing.
Do you work inside the port and the IDZ?
Yes. Both are fenced zones with their own entry rules: Transnet controls access to the port, and the IDZ and each factory in it run their own inductions and permits to work. Send us those requirements when you book so our operator's documents and the machine's load-test certificate are ready at the gate on the first morning.
Do you send machines to Mdantsane, Gonubie and Qonce?
Yes, across Buffalo City and beyond. Mdantsane, Gonubie and Beacon Bay are worked from East London itself. Qonce (King William's Town) is about 60 km from East London by road, so a TLB there carries a transport line of R5,160–R6,240 both ways. Towns further inland are on plant hire in the Eastern Cape.
Related
Sources we checked
- Mercedes-Benz Group, Mercedes-Benz Plant East London
- East London Industrial Development Zone, Automotive
- Transnet National Ports Authority, Port of East London overview (BCMDA investment conference, November 2019)
- Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Overview
- Geological Survey of South Africa, geology of the East London area (1974)
- Genie TZ-34/20 and TZ-50 trailer-mounted boom specifications
- Palfinger PK 32080 loader crane leaflet (lifting capacities)
- Bobcat S450 skid-steer loader specifications (Bobcat)
- Bobcat S70 skid-steer loader specifications (Bobcat)
- Hyster H2.0–3.5A product technical guide: capacity at 500 mm load centre
- Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R.540), regulation 18: lifting machines
- National Code of Practice for Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators, 2024 (Notice 5588): crane codes incl. C53 mobile elevated work platform
- National Code of Practice, 2024: forklift (lift truck) codes F1 to F16
Need a cherry picker in East London?
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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