When you have a need to use an excavator, and you don't want to buy one, you have two choices. You can hire a company to do the work for you, or you can opt for excavator hire and do the job yourself. If you know how to use an excavator, the latter option is worth considering as it is likely to be cheaper than paying for the machine and a driver. However, there are additional fees that come with excavator rental. By knowing what these charges are in advance, you can read the rental contract carefully. There are four main fees to be aware of when it comes to excavator hire.
Cleaning
It goes without saying that excavators get dirty pretty quick. One of the main costs that may be additional to your hire fee is the cost of cleaning the excavator. While you obviously have the choice to clean the excavator yourself, so you don't have to pay this charge, the better option is to hire from a company who covers the cost of the clean in their rental fee. These companies often have a power washer that makes short work of this task, and it won't cost you an extra cent.
Bucket Charges
The size of the bucket you need with the excavator depends on the size of the job you are tackling. The bigger the bucket, the more dirt you can move at a time. However, the cost of the different buckets depends on the company you are hiring the excavator from. Some companies will include whichever bucket you need in the hire charge, but others will limit the "free" bucket to a certain size range, and then charge accordingly if you go to the bigger sizes. Make sure to ask the question about bucket charges, so you don't get an unexpected cost added to your rental contract.
Excavator Delivery
The cost to deliver the excavator is normally additional to the cost of the hire. However, there are some companies which include it as part of the all-inclusive cost package. By finding out what the delivery charges are, if any, you again are not paying more than you expected for the hire of the excavator.
Outside Office Hours Fees
Sometimes a job doesn't go exactly to plan, and it's possible that you cannot return the excavator exactly on the dot of the time it is to be returned. If you are an hour late, and the rental company is closed for the night, what additional cost will you be liable for? Additionally, if your excavator is being collected, there may be a cost if you are not ready to put it back on the truck, so knowing these fees in advance means you can avoid them.
By knowing about these four fees before you go to hire your excavator, you can ask the right questions of the rental company, so you get the most cost-effective excavator hire possible.
