How Much to Rent a Mini Excavator?

Mini excavator rental costs are dependent on the size and type of mini excavator you’re looking for. In general, they will range from $80 to $500 per day depending on the size and length of the rental. The longer you rent, the cheaper your daily costs. Typically a daily rental is usually about 2.5 times more expensive per day than if you were to rent on a weekly basis. This is because they need to service and inspect the mini excavator each time it’s rented out.

Estimated Rental Costs by Size

3,500 lb Mini Excavator

Great for smaller jobs like landscaping or small trenches. Features a rotating turntable.
Daily – $150
Weekly – $500
Monthly – $1,500

6,000 lb Mini Excavator

For small to medium sized jobs like clearing debris, and trenching for piping.
Daily – $200
Weekly – $600
Monthly – $1,600

7,500 lb Mini Excavator

For smaller construction jobs like trenching or small building foundation digging.
Daily – $250
Weekly – $700
Monthly – $1,900

9,500 lb Mini Excavator

Larger enclosed cabs. Often used for roadwork, construction digging and backfilling.
Daily – $300
Weekly – $800
Monthly – $2,000

11,000 lb Mini Excavator

For medium sized construction jobs like demolitions and moving materials.
Daily – $320
Weekly – $900
Monthly – $2,300

13,000 lb Mini Excavator

Smaller than it’s big cousin the Excavator, but still very capable of construction work.
Daily – $350
Weekly – $1000
Monthly – $2,500

Additional Mini Excavator Rental Costs

When considering the costs of renting a mini excavator from various providers, be sure to check the fine print and add-on costs. While typically small, these costs can add up and significantly increase the price tag. The main additional costs you should keep in mind are:

• Fuel Costs

  – Rental companies will often include a mention of fuel costs in the fine print, if they don’t mention them upfront. It’s usually expected that you’ll return the mini excavator with a full tank, or the same fuel level that you received it at. When doing your initial inspection of the equipment, be sure to make note of the fuel gauge and let the company know if it’s not a full tank. They may have forgotten to refuel it but will still expect you to return it full and eat the cost difference.

• Transportation Costs

  – Be sure to check whether or not you’re responsible for picking up and dropping off the equipment, or if it will be delivered to your site. Since Mini Excavators are on the smaller side, you’ll often be responsible for your own transportation of the machine. If you’re using their trailer to do so, be sure to check if there’s an additional rental fee on it.

• Insurance Fees

  – This can be a bit of a scam in the rental market, but is sometimes necessary so be sure to check if your situation requires it. Usually, insurance is split into two parts. The first is for damage to the equipment itself and the second is for any liability relating to the use of the equipment should someone be injured. You may find that you have an existing insurance policy to cover one aspect, but not the other, or you may already be covered for both. It’s best to give your insurance provider a call versus trusting the word of the rental company.

• Attachments

  – Mini Excavators are versatile pieces of machinery that can have different attachments added. Rentals often come with a standard bucket attachment. If your job has special requirements you’ll want to inquire about the costs of those attachments. The most common attachments are: Grapple Buckets (buckets with closing jaws for picking up material), Hammers/Breakers (for breaking up concrete and material).

If you’re looking to rent a mini excavator, we strongly recommend you take advantage of our free pricing service. It searches a nationwide network of providers for your needs. You can then compare quotes to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Save with Free Quotes Here.