A mini excavator is easy to operate and fun to use. Renting one saves you time by not having to dig by hand and money by not hiring out the work. Most small excavators aren’t powerful enough to scoop tree stumps, but they’ll dig 6-foot-deep trenches all day long.
Mini Excavator Rental Cost
Mini excavators rent for around $250/day, $800/week, or $2,400/month. Many places offer a weekend deal where, if you pick up the unit after 3 p.m. on Friday and return it by 9 a.m. on Monday, you’re charged for only one day. The caveat is that you can only put eight hours on the meter. However, eight hours is a lot of run time, and it’s nice to be able to spread it out over a couple of days.
Rates will vary by region and company. Before renting from a mom-and-pop shop, check out larger rental yards like Herc and Home Depot to compare rates and return policies. I find the service at larger yards much better. I mean, how easy is it to return items to Home Depot, right?
Took this picture in front of a Home Depot today. All three of these excavators are under 3′ wide. How convenient is this? Awesome!
Delivery Cost
In my area, having the excavator delivered can cost $140 each way. Hauling it yourself should qualify you for a trailer discount. I usually haul it myself, return the trailer the same day, and then have them pick it up if I’m keeping it for multiple days.
Tip
One way to get extra time at no charge is to call in the pickup near the end of the day on Friday. This gives the rental yard little time to schedule the pickup until the following week. The paid time ends when you call it in, so unless you’ve used up all the hours on the meter, you’re free to use it until they come to get it.
There’s no guarantee they won’t come right away, so make sure the must-do work is finished. In my experience,it usually takes a few days for them to pick it up. One time, it took over a week, at which point it became anuisance.
Bucket Size and Cost
Extra buckets cost about $20 per day, which adds up, so take only what you need. You can easily swap them outyourself by maneuvering the excavator arm into place and removing or inserting a cotter pin.
I dug this ditch with a 12-inch bucket. You can see that in the narrowest section, it’s wide enough to work in andlay pipe. For wider ditches and other clearing tasks, I use and recommend larger buckets.
Mini Excavator Operation
It’s a good idea to give yourself a couple of extra hours to learn the controls. You’ll become more productive asyou progress. In the video below, I demonstrate how to operate a mini excavator in SAE mode. A switch underthe seat changes the controls from SAE to ISO mode. This determines whether the left or right joystick controlsthe lower arm (stick) and the upper arm (boom), which I refer to as a crane in the video. Try both to see whichmode works best for you.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. See ya.
