Earthmoving hire covers the machines that dig, push, load and shape ground: mini and midi excavators for house sites and service trenches, 20–30 tonne excavators for civil work, dozers for bulk cut and fill, wheel loaders and skid steers for stockpiles and clean-up, backhoes for mixed small jobs and graders for final trim.
The machine name is rarely the hard part. Production depends on the material (sand, clay, shale, rock), the distance spoil must travel, how many trucks can be loaded and whether the site allows the machine to work at full swing. A 5 tonne excavator loading trucks all day on an open site can out-produce a larger machine boxed in by fences and services.
Most Australian suppliers offer both dry hire (you operate) and wet hire (operator supplied, usually charged hourly with a minimum). Attachments—tilt buckets, augers, rock breakers, rippers, grabs and compaction wheels—often decide whether one machine can do the whole job.
Earthmoving classes and sizes
The table below lists the classes of earthmoving equipment most commonly available for hire in Australia. Exact specifications vary by make and model—confirm dimensions, weight and capacity with the supplier before booking.
| Class | Size / spec | Typical jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Mini excavator | 1–2 t · ~1 m wide track | Landscaping, footings, pool and plumbing trenches, narrow side access |
| Midi excavator | 3.5–8 t | House sites, driveways, service trenches, small retaining walls |
| Medium excavator | 12–25 t | Civil trenching, bulk dig, dam work, loading trucks |
| Large excavator | 30 t + | Mass excavation, quarry, mining and heavy rock breaking |
| Skid steer / posi-track | 0.7–1.2 m³ bucket | Site clean-up, spreading, trenching and augering with attachments |
| Dozer | D4–D10 class | Bulk push, clearing, dam walls, ripping, rough grading |
| Wheel loader / backhoe | 1–5 m³ bucket | Stockpile handling, truck loading, mixed small civil jobs |
| Grader | 12–16H class | Road formation, pads, final trim and drainage shaping |
How to choose the right machine
Size to the material and cycle
State the material, estimated volume in cubic metres and where spoil goes. Loading trucks, side-casting and double-handling each point to a different machine size and bucket.
Measure the access, not just the gate
Check gate width, side passage, overhead lines, tail swing clearance and whether a zero-swing machine is needed next to a boundary or live traffic.
Pick attachments up front
Ask for a tilt batter bucket, trenching bucket, auger drive, rock breaker or grab as part of the quote. Adding one on day two usually means another float movement.
Match undercarriage to ground
Rubber tracks protect paving and driveways; steel tracks and wider pads suit soft or abrasive ground. Wet clay can stop a wheeled machine completely.
Licences, tickets and compliance
- No High Risk Work Licence is required to operate an excavator, loader, dozer or skid steer, but principal contractors routinely require evidence of competency (RII civil construction units or a verification of competency).
- A general construction induction (White Card, CPCWHS1001) is required for construction work in every state and territory.
- Lodge a Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry and locate services before excavation. Trenches deeper than 1.5 m trigger additional WHS duties including a safe work method statement.
See our plant licences and tickets guide for the full list of High Risk Work Licence classes.
What drives the cost
The hire rate is only part of the total. On short hires these items often add 20–50% to the bill—ask every supplier to quote them the same way:
- Float transport in and out (often the biggest line item on short hires)
- Wet hire minimum hours (commonly 4–8 hours per day) and travel time
- Attachments, GPS/machine control and hydraulic hitch charges
- Fuel, cleaning and damage waiver
- Standby rates when rain or other trades stop work
For indicative 2026 rates, see the plant hire cost guide.
Where it fits in a project
- Prepare a house site — Clear, strip, cut, fill, service and compact a residential building platform without letting each activity become a separate guess.
- Repair a farm dam — Plan investigation, dewatering, excavation, clay placement and compaction around weather and safe access.
- Build a stormwater trench — Connect excavation, shoring, lifting, dewatering, bedding and reinstatement in a constrained corridor.