Have you been asking: how much does it cost to hire an excavator? DCB Plant Hire provide trusted mini digger hire services for Devon And Cornwall. We look at mini digger hire costs and typical jobs that require hiring a mini digger?

Mini Digger Hire Costs

Mini diggers are an incredibly useful piece of equipment for those working on DIY projects. If your project involves excavation work, then a mini digger is a no-brainer. Rather than spending hours toiling away with a shovel to dig your hole, hiring a mini digger can make things much easier and quicker.

However, hiring any machinery is an added expense, and mini diggers aren't cheap. Hiring one will mean increased costs for your project, which might put you off if you're working to a budget. But most plant hire services offer very reasonable rates for daily or weekly use. Initial deposits might be a bit of a shock for some DIY-ers. But for the time these mini diggers will save you, you'll find they're worth the money. If you want to know more about hiring mini diggers and the costs involved, read on, and we'll take you through everything you need to know. 

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Mini Digger?

Naturally, the cost of hiring a mini digger will depend on various things. Considerations such as the size of your project and the size of the mini digger you need will have the greatest effect. Here we'll take you through the different costs for different sizes of equipment and what you'll need to work with them. These prices do not include VAT.

At the very bottom end, the rates for hiring a basic micro digger are roughly around £200 per week. At the other end of the scale, hiring an electric digger can cost around £550 per week.

And then in the middle, we have the mini excavator at between £300 and £400 per week. But it's not just the equipment itself that you have to think about. You'll also need to hire digging accessories to perform the work you need.

These include things like breakers, augers and buckets. For the latter, a drainage or riddling bucket will cost you around £20 per day. Screening buckets cost much more at £75 per day. 

Augers are mainly used for digging straight down to create fence post holes. Hiring an auger will cost around £55 pounds per day. You'll also need a fence post knocker to drive it into the hole, which will cost around £75 per day. For tree stumps, a planer attachment for a mini digger costs around £75 per day.

Another attachment you might need is a breaker for busting through concrete, which will cost roughly £100 per day alongside hiring your mini digger. The weight of the mini digger you need is another factor to consider. Costs are naturally higher for heavier machines, given they are more difficult to transport. 

Small micro diggers can weigh around 0.8 tonnes, and hiring one through the week will cost between £75 and £130. 

Moving up through the weight classes, a 1-tonne mini digger will cost roughly £70 on a weed day. A 1.5-tonne digger will naturally cost more, around £100 to £150 per day. 

If you need some serious digging power, a mini excavator weighing around 2.8 tonnes will cost £100 to £250 to hire on a weekday.

You'll have noticed that these last few prices are quoted for weekdays. It's naturally cheaper to hire a mini digger or excavator during the week. Therefore, if your budget is particularly tight, you might want to plan your DIY project during the week when rates are cheaper. 

This is the best way to make your money go further, regardless of the equipment you think you'll need. Most DIY projects take place on weekends, but if you can find the time to get them done during the week, you can save yourself some money. It makes more sense to hire your mini digger during the week and try to be as efficient as possible. 

What Affects the Cost of Hiring a Mini Digger?

We've covered a few of the factors that determine how expensive your mini digger hire will be, but there are more to consider. This section will give you a fuller overview of the things you should bear in mind when hiring your mini digger. 

 The size of the digger

Again, the size of the digger you need is the most important factor affecting the hiring costs. The size of the digger is usually determined by how deep you need to dig. Micro diggers can achieve a depth of around 1.6 metres, with mini diggers reaching deeper, up to 2.3 metres depending on their specifications.

If you need to reach deeper than this, then you'll want to choose an excavator rather than a digger. Excavators are larger and more expensive, but if it's depth you want, excavators are the tool for the job. It's important to get the right machinery from the start to avoid the cost of hiring a tool you won't use. Think about how deep you need to dig and choose the right digger or excavator for the work.

 When you want to hire the digger

As we mentioned above, hiring a mini digger through the week will be cheaper than hiring one at the weekend. Therefore, if you want to cut down on your costs, try and plan your project for then rather than at the weekend. Weekend rates are more expensive, and if you have flexibility mid-week, it's far more affordable. 

 If you need to hire an operator

If you can't operate the mini digger yourself, you'll likely need to hire a competent operator as well. Operator costs are roughly £150 to £300 per day. Obviously, this depends on the size of the machinery and the number of operators you need. 

 Fuel Costs

Much like hiring any other vehicle, you'll typically receive the equipment with the fuel tank half full. When you eventually return it, the hire company will want at least this amount of fuel in the tank when they take it back, so account for fuel costs in your budget too. 

 Attachments and accessories

Again, depending on what your project involves, you'll need to hire the right accessories and attachments for your mini digger. These naturally eat up more of your budget, and normally cost between £20 and £75 per day. 

 Insurance & additional fees

There are a few additional fees involved when hiring mini diggers, including:

Deposits: If you don't have a regular account with your local plant hire company, they'll usually request a percentage of the daily rate as a deposit.

Insurance: Most tradespeople will have their digger hire covered under their public liability insurance policy. However, DIY-ers and homeowners may need to purchase a one-off policy to cover the hire, which can cost around £350.

Damage Waiver: These usually cost between £20 and £50.

Delivery and Collection: These usually cost between £20 and £30.

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Are you looking for mini digger hire for landscaping and construction? DCB Plant Hire provides specialist equipment throughout Devon and Cornwall. We maintain all of our tools, ensuring that they are in excellent condition when you require them.