There’s no getting around it: cost is an important factor when choosing heavy machinery. Both businesses and DIY renovators strive to find the best bargain they can without compromising on quality or safety. Whether you’re working in construction, planning a backyard landscaping project or resurfacing your driveway, equipment hire rates will inevitably play a role in the choices you make.
Saving money on equipment hire involves weighing up your options (e.g. wet or dry), planning for your needs in advance and choosing the right hire company to book with.
There are several factors that affect the cost of machinery: the size of the excavator, how long you need it, any attachments and extras. You also need to factor in fuel and transport costs for the machinery if you’re covering those yourself.
As a dry hire equipment company in Brisbane, Ryno Hire provides heavy machinery and equipment for all kinds of projects, including construction, mining, landscaping, demolition, earthmoving, gardening and site clean-up. Here’s the Ryno Hire guide to saving money on equipment hire rates so you can get the most bang for your buck.
Wet Vs Dry Equipment Hire Rates
One of the first questions you’ll have to answer when hiring machinery is ‘wet or dry hire?’ This is a question that impacts both the practical aspects of the job and the equipment hire rates as well.
Wet hire is when you hire both the equipment and the operator to go along with it. Wet hire means you’ll be paying for the operator’s labour as well as covering the price of fuel and additional costs. Wet hire can be perfect for smaller and more straightforward jobs, but can require significant additional costs for longer-term projects.
Dry hire is when you rent the equipment only, and its operation is entirely up to you. Dry hire can be as simple as showing up to a rental office with a driver’s licence and taking the equipment home.
Equipment such as dump trucks, excavators, forklifts, and tipper trucks comes in a range of different sizes, which will affect the typical hire rates. Likewise, having to pay an operator makes standard wet hire cost a lot more than standard dry hire. While average dry hire rates in Australia start from around $40+ GST per hour, wet hire rates average as high as $115+ GST per hour. This is before other factors, such as minimum hire times and penalty rates.
Tips for Minimising Equipment Hire Rates
Here are some tips for saving on equipment hire rates and getting the most out of your hired machinery:
Choose the right equipment for the job
It may sound obvious, but paying for a larger machine when a smaller one will do is just throwing money away. On the other hand, you don’t want your machine to be too small for the task either. You might find that you need it for a longer hire period than you initially planned and end up paying more in the long run.
The most efficient approach is choosing the equipment that best suits the project’s size, scope, nature and timeline—that’s something a good hire company can help you with. You don’t need to hire additions like accessories just because they’re available. Sometimes you can get the job done with just the basics.
Confirm what the rental rate includes
Sometimes what seems like a cheap rate can come with hidden costs and surprise fees further down the line. Check with the company upfront to find out what the rental rate covers, such as fuel, excess kilometres or hours used, and cleaning fees, so you know the precise amount you need to budget for.
Plan the hire period effectively
For quick jobs, shorter hire periods are obviously better. However, too short, and you may not get the job done within the allotted time frame. For longer periods, it can be more efficient to take advantage of weekly or monthly rates. Last-minute hires are frequently more expensive, so make sure you plan ahead.
Reduce job costs
Another way to save money on equipment hire is to simplify the job itself. Before you start the project, thorough research and planning can help you mitigate unexpected additional costs and keep the budget in check. Some cost-saving strategies for a DIY home job include bulk buying materials, finding budget-friendly materials and recycling materials you may already have around.
Shop around and negotiate
Get a few quotes for comparison before committing to machinery from a particular hire company.
Hire locally
When you’re paying extra for someone to transport the equipment, the extra costs can add up fast over long distances. An equipment hire company in your area is a more cost-effective option.
Pick up the equipment yourself
If you have a vehicle with the ability to tow the minimum weight requirements of the equipment, handling the pick-up yourself will stop you from incurring additional costs for transportation.
Convenient Dry Hire Equipment with Ryno Hire
If you’re looking for dry hire in Brisbane? Ryno Hire makes the dry hire process easy and convenient. A family-owned and operated business with over a decade of experience in earthmoving, we provide reliable machinery and equipment at some of the best rates around.
Ryno Hire’s range of machinery hire in Brisbane includes excavators, loaders, micro loaders, tipper trucks, compactors and mini dumpers. We have machines capable of going through gaps as little as 770mm and up to 1600mm in height. So, there are very few places you can’t get to, and very few jobs you can’t accomplish. We’re always updating our range of equipment.
You can hire for as little as one day or as long as a year, and Ryno Hire welcomes hires of all lengths. All you need is a valid Australian open driver’s licence—no special licence or permit required to operate the equipment.
We offer fair equipment hire rates that keep your project affordable and deliver value for money. No deposit required if you can provide a valid VISA, MasterCard or AMEX credit card.
To find out more and make an inquiry, contact the Ryno Hire team.
