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Plant hire in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)

We send TLBs, bobcats, mini excavators, forklifts, crane trucks, cherry pickers, compressors and generators across Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and Nelson Mandela Bay, from Kariega and Coega to Summerstrand and Walmer. A TLB with an operator costs R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator and an 8–10 t crane truck R2,500–R5,200 a day with operator, with transport as its own line and the price confirmed in writing before the machine moves.

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Last updated 1 November 2026

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Port Elizabeth plant hire prices

Our rates for the machines and equipment Gqeberha hires most, excluding VAT. With an operator or driver unless it says machine only. Port Elizabeth is one of the main centres we send machines from; transport is its own line on your quote.

Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) plant hire prices, excl. VAT, transport extra. Prices updated: November 2026
Machine	Rate	Price
TLB, standard 4x4	Per day with operator	R3,900–R5,150
Bobcat (skid steer)	Per day with operator	R2,400–R3,700
Bobcat with breaker, auger or broom	Per day with operator	R3,000–R3,600
Mini excavator, 1.5–6 t	Per day with operator	R1,700–R3,000
Excavator, 20–25 t	Per day with operator	R3,500–R5,600
Tipper, 10 cube	Per day with driver	R3,700–R5,250
Forklift, 2.5–3 t	Per day, machine only	R1,150–R1,600
Crane truck, 8–10 t	Per day with operator	R2,500–R5,200
Mobile crane, 20–25 t	Per day with operator	about R4,500
Cherry picker, 12–15 m	Per day with operator	R2,400–R4,000
Generator, 15–30 kVA	Per day, machine only	R680–R1,600
Heavy electric jackhammer	Per day, machine only	R380–R610
Lowbed, 30 t	Per km with driver	R23–R90

Hourly, weekly and monthly rates are on plant hire rates. "Dry" on a quote means the operator is included and you pay the diesel; day rates assume an 8 to 9 hour day.

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What Gqeberha hires machines for

The car city

Nelson Mandela Bay builds cars. Volkswagen's plant in Kariega makes the Polo, and Gqeberha has Isuzu's bakkie plant and Ford's engine plant, with component factories and warehouses around them. Mercedes-Benz builds cars further up the coast in East London. Factory work is why forklifts, crane trucks and cherry pickers are searched for here as often as TLBs: stock moves, machinery installs, and maintenance on high roofs and lights.

Coega and the Port of Ngqura

North-east of the city, the Coega special economic zone holds factories, logistics sites and energy projects next to the deep-water Port of Ngqura. Transnet's plans include a new bulk manganese export terminal at Ngqura. New builds in the zone mean earthworks, trenches, cranes and compaction; running sites need forklifts, crane trucks and generators.

Homes, coast and townships

House extensions and pools in Walmer, Summerstrand and the western suburbs, housing in Motherwell and the northern areas, and holiday homes towards Jeffreys Bay: TLB, bobcat, mini excavator and tipper work, usually by the day.

Sand, wind and rain: Gqeberha ground and rules

Sandy coastal ground

Along the coast and in the suburbs near the sea, the ground is mostly sand. Sand digs fast but trench walls collapse, so trenches are battered back (sloped) or shored, laid and backfilled quickly, and the backfill is compacted in layers with a plate compactor (R270–R370 a day) or rammer. Inland towards Kariega, clay and rock take over in places: tell us what you see in the first spade depth so we send the right machine.

Wind

Gqeberha is called the Windy City for a reason. Crane load charts are calculated for wind up to about 9 m/s (33 km/h), and less for sheeting and panels, and cherry pickers have their own wind limit. Our operators stop when the wind is over the limit, so plan outdoor lifts for calmer hours and leave a buffer day on long jobs. Dust from sand stockpiles blows too: keep them damp or covered.

Rain in any season

The South African Weather Service notes that all but the south-western and southern parts of South Africa rely on summer rain. Gqeberha is on the southern coast, so wet days can come in any month. Agree standing time on your quote for outdoor earthworks.

Wayleaves, the zone and lifting rules

A trench across a verge or pavement is work in the road reserve: apply to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for a wayleave first. In the Coega zone and the ports, the zone's and the port's own access and work rules apply as well, so send them with your booking. Cranes, crane trucks, cherry pickers and forklifts are lifting machines under the Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015: each needs a load test by a registered lifting machinery entity at least every 12 months, and an operator with a certificate from an accredited training provider. Ours come with both.

Machines and equipment hired most in Port Elizabeth

TLB hire in Port Elizabeth

Foundations, extensions, pools, sewer and stormwater connections, and plot clearing: R3,900–R5,150 a day with operator, or R320–R410 an hour dry. In sand, plan the backfill and compaction with the dig. The TLB drives to site, so travel in the city is small. More on TLB hire in Port Elizabeth.

Forklift hire in Port Elizabeth

Component factories, warehouses in Struandale, Deal Party and Coega, stocktakes and peak months: a 1–2 t forklift is R940–R1,600 a day, 2.5–3 t R1,150–R1,600 and 3.5–5 t R1,600–R1,900, machine only. A 3.5–5 t machine by the month is about R30,000. Tell us if you also need our operator and it's added to your written price. A Hyster H2.5 or similar lifts its rated load at a 500 mm load centre, so send the pallet weight and lift height. Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 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.

Crane truck hire in Port Elizabeth

Offloading machinery and containers, moving equipment between factories, and placing tanks, trusses and prefab units: R2,500–R5,200 a day with operator for 8–10 t and R3,200–R5,200 a day for 12–15 t, with a certified operator and a load-test certificate. A crane truck loads, carries and offloads in one visit, and it drives to site. Watch the wind on long-boom lifts. For heavier lifts, see mobile crane hire in Port Elizabeth.

Bobcat hire in Port Elizabeth

Moving sand, spreading topsoil and building sand, loading rubble and cleaning yards: R2,400–R3,700 a day with operator, or R3,000–R3,600 a day with operator with a breaker, auger or broom. A Bobcat S450 or similar is about 1.6 m wide over the bucket, so it fits through gates where a TLB won't. It comes on a trailer; transport there and back is R1,300–R3,840. More on bobcat hire.

Mini excavator hire in Port Elizabeth

Narrow trenches for cables, irrigation and drains, pool digs in tight back gardens, and work beside walls and boundaries: R1,700–R3,000 a day with operator. A 3 t class machine (Bobcat E35z or similar) digs about 3.1 m deep. Transport there and back on a trailer is R1,300–R3,840. More on mini excavator hire.

Compressor hire in Port Elizabeth

A diesel compressor with a pneumatic breaker for concrete and rock breaking is priced per job: exact price on WhatsApp, with the hose length and breaker size you need. For smaller breaking, a heavy electric jackhammer is R380–R610 a day and a medium breaker R270–R440 a day, machine only. For bigger slabs, a TLB with a hydraulic breaker (R5,000–R6,550 a day with operator) is faster. See compressor, breaker and mixer hire.

Lowbed transport in Port Elizabeth

Excavators, graders, dozers and rollers travel on a lowbed. A 30 t lowbed runs R23–R90 a km with a driver, and taking a 20–25 t excavator to a site in the city and back is R6,000–R9,500. Lowbeds also move machines between Gqeberha, Kariega and Coega, and to and from the port. See lowbed hire and machine transport.

Equipment hire in Port Elizabeth

Smaller equipment for builders and DIY jobs, machine only: a plate compactor R270–R370 a day, a rammer R350–R470, a concrete mixer R370–R470 and a portable generator up to 10 kVA R320–R520. Transport there and back is R1,300–R3,840.

Cherry picker and generator hire in Port Elizabeth

A 12–15 m cherry picker is R2,400–R4,000 a day with operator, for signs, lights, gutters and factory roofs. Generators run from R320–R520 a day (portable) to R2,400–R4,600 a day for 80–150 kVA, machine only. Detail on cherry picker hire in Port Elizabeth and generator hire in Port Elizabeth.

Kariega, Jeffreys Bay and the rest of the Eastern Cape

Kariega

Kariega (Uitenhage) is the car-plant town of the metro, with component factories and housing around it. Work here is factory yards, forklifts and crane trucks, and house foundations. Kariega (Uitenhage) is about 37 km from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) by road. Transport for a TLB there and back usually comes to R3,180–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote.

Jeffreys Bay

Jeffreys Bay is a holiday and surf town west of the city, with homes and complexes on sandy ground. Jobs are foundations, pools, sewer connections and clearing. Jeffreys Bay is about 82 km from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) by road. Transport for a TLB there and back usually comes to R7,060–R8,520, shown as its own line on your quote.

East London and the rest of the province are on plant hire in the Eastern Cape.

Choosing a plant hire company in Port Elizabeth: what to check

Price in writing before the machine moves, with transport both ways, minimum hours and standing time on it.
Certificates for lifting machines: a load test not older than 12 months and a certified operator.
Wind plan for crane and cherry picker jobs, with a buffer day on long work.
Breakdown terms. Ours are a replacement machine or no charge for downtime.
Wayleave, zone or port permits sorted before the machine arrives.

Booking step by step: how it works. Certificates on request: safety and certificates.

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Questions people ask

Is Port Elizabeth now Gqeberha?

Yes. In 2021 the city's official name changed to Gqeberha, and Uitenhage became Kariega. Both old and new names are still used every day, and the metro is Nelson Mandela Bay. We use both on this page, and a machine booked for “PE” or “Gqeberha” goes to the same place.

Does the wind stop cranes and cherry pickers in Gqeberha?

Sometimes. Mobile crane load charts are calculated for wind up to about 9 m/s (33 km/h) on a normal load, and less for panels, sheeting and other flat loads that catch the wind. Cherry pickers have their own wind limit on the machine. When the wind is over the limit, the operator stops lifting or lowers the basket. In Gqeberha, plan outdoor lifts for the calmer part of the day and leave a buffer day on long jobs.

Do I need a wayleave to dig in Nelson Mandela Bay?

Yes, for any trench or excavation in a road reserve, such as across a verge or pavement: apply to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality first. Inside the Coega zone or the ports, the zone's and the port's own access and work rules apply as well. Inside your own property line no wayleave is needed, but find the underground services before we dig.

When does it rain in Gqeberha?

In any season. The South African Weather Service notes that all but the south-western and southern parts of South Africa rely on summer rain; Gqeberha is on the southern coast, so rain can come at any time of year rather than in one wet season. Agree standing time on your quote for outdoor earthworks whatever the month.

Sources we checked

Need a TLB in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)?

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