Backhoe loaders are very versatile and useful pieces of equipment in many different industries. They‘re in high demand in construction, agriculture, landscaping, and mining, to name the most important. But if you need one temporarily for a project, renting is the best solution.
Like all heavy plant, they‘re expensive to buy. But, the average cost of renting a backhoe is relatively reasonable.
Depending on the machine‘s specifications and where you are in the country, average backhoe rental rates vary around $300/day, $1100/week, and $2,000/month. Some providers even offer hourly rates when renting a backhoe loader. Still, they aren‘t much cheaper than a daily rate, so it‘s not usually worth it. We‘ll show the rental rates in more depth later.
Remember, backhoe rental prices differ according to a few factors. But, we’ll talk about those later on too.
Main Topics
What is a backhoe loader?
Basically, it‘s a small tractor with an excavator on the back and a bucket as a front loader. They also use other attachments for many types of work. The most common industries to use them include:
- In agriculture, farmers use them for moving feed and manure, digging holes and trenches, and burying livestock.
- Similarly, in construction and mining, they’re used for moving earth and rubble, roadmaking, digging drainage trenches, and grading slopes.
- Finally, landscapers use them for digging ponds, excavating holes, and tree stump removal.
Unfortunately, because a backhoe loader is useful, it’s also expensive to buy. However, just because backhoes cost a lot doesn’t mean you have to miss out on such a useful piece of equipment. Leasing or hiring a backhoe loader are two ways to pay without using up your business capital, especially if you don’t expect to use one very often.
Although you can lease equipment for long-term use, we’ll explore rental prices in this guide. You can then consider the facts and be more informed before deciding on expenditure when planning your next project.
How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Backhoe?
The comparison table below gives a quick overview of different capacity backhoe loaders and their respective daily rental rates.
Remember, rentals vary depending on make, model, size, whereabouts you are in the country, and the provider’s company policy. For a more accurate quotation, get in touch with us. We have a wide range of equipment and can probably offer you a competitive deal.
| Backhoe Loader Model | Daily Rate |
| Terramite Mini 60 to 90 HP | $240 |
| John Deere 310 Standard Backhoe. 60 to 90 HP | $300 |
| John Deere 410 Large Backhoe loader. 91 to 105 HP | $440 |
The Terramite Mini Backhoe 60-90 HP
The Terramite Mini Backhoe Loader has a digging depth of 6 to 8-feet. The small machine has outrigger legs to help prevent over-turning. And, it’s generally used for jobs in small and confined spaces. As well as a daily hire, you can also rent this machine for around $880/week or $2,500/month.
John Deere 310/Case 580 Standard Backhoe 60-90 HP
This machine is very popular among earthmoving contractors for its digging, backfilling, trenching, and loading abilities. It’s equally at home in the industrial and agricultural industries as well as in general construction. The tractor has a 4.5L engine and uses diesel as fuel. Furthermore, the backhoe has a maximum dig depth of about 14 to 15-feet. You can also rent one for around $900/week or $2,100/month in addition to daily hire.
John Deere 410/Case 590 Large Backhoe 91-105 HP
This machine is perfect for larger excavation jobs. It does all the usual jobs such as loading, trenching, digging, backfilling, and. The backhoe can dig to a maximum depth of 16-feet. It has a 113 HP engine and a turning radius of just under 14-feet when in 4WD. As well as daily rates, backhoe rental costs range around $1,000/week and $2,700/month.
Hourly Rental Rates
Generally, not many providers offer this option. When they do, backhoe rates per hour aren‘t much different from the daily rate. This might seem strange at first. But, consider that the machine needs the same preparation before being sent out on hire; local delivery and collection; checking, and repairs after the rental, whether the hire period is 1 hour or 1 day. This work takes up a lot of the cost of any hire. It partly explains why longer rental durations attract relatively lower prices.
Which Backhoe Features Do You Require?
Every earthmoving job is different, and the features you need on the machine have a large impact on backhoe rental prices.
To assist you when choosing, rental companies publish the specifications of the machines they offer. If you inspect the machine‘s details beforehand, you find:
- Engine horsepower specifications indicate the engine size. This, in turn, indicates how easily the machine can cope with heavy tasks and how long. It also indicates fuel consumption.
- Bucket width shows how much earth the machine can move.
- Dig depth shows the maximum depth hole it‘s possible to excavate. You should know how deep you want to go, so you choose a machine with an appropriate arm length.
- Operating weight is the basic weight of the machine, including fuel and operator. This gives an idea of the amount of weight the machine can handle. Generally, a heavy backhoe can lift more than a light one.
All these have an impact on the speed at which a backhoe can complete the task. Therefore it‘s often worth paying the higher cost for a larger machine so that it can complete the task in less time.
Backhoe Rental Cost Factors
Not all rentals are priced in the same way. Some factors significantly affect your rental plan.
1. Deposit
Although you eventually get this money back, you have to put a deposit on the machine up-front, in case of excessive damage. Also, you might have to pay a downpayment on the expected rental cost depending on your credit score. Typical deposits range from $500 to around $1,500.
2. Insurance
As a rental condition, you must usually take out insurance on the machine to cover any damage. Usually, damage waiver costs around 10% to 15%.
3. Operator Rental Costs
You can either provide an operator yourself or use the rental company‘s operator. But, whoever operates the backhoe must be fully trained in its use. So, unless you have experienced backhoe operators as employees, it‘s probably better to choose the ‘backhoe rental with operator‘ option. We‘ll talk about training requirements later.
4. Additional Attachments
A backhoe can do many different jobs depending on the type of attachments you choose. Some of the available ones include an auger for boring fence post holes, a concrete breaking drill, a compaction wheel, and a snowplow. All these add more to the original rental cost. You also can choose different width front and rear buckets, which changes the cost to rent a backhoe accordingly.
5. Transportation Costs (Deliver & pick up)
Some companies include transportation costs for local trips within a certain radius into the hire costs. Travelling outside the local radius costs more per mile. In contrast, some other companies charge separately for transportation.
6. Cleaning
Backhoes work on muddy or dusty sites, so you‘d expect them to get dirty. Although a small amount of dirt is unavoidable, providers expect their equipment to be returned as clean as it was received. If the provider has to clean excessive soil from the buckets or tires, you can expect to pay from $30 to $70/hour.
Benefits of Renting a Backhoe Loader
There are many benefits to be had from renting a backhoe loader rather than purchasing one.
- Renting a backhoe allows you to benefit from the equipment without having to purchase it. This is very useful if you haven‘t enough money to pay the many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, even for a low horsepower model.
- Suppose you only use a backhoe from time to time. In that case, a capital purchase isn‘t economically viable. Furthermore, it‘s not advisable to have your company‘s money tied up in a piece of equipment that spends most of its time in storage. The only other options you have are rent (for small durations) or lease (for longer durations of 2 or more years).
- You get to choose from a range of backhoes, many of them new or almost new. And all of them with the latest technology.
- Machines like a backhoe need ongoing maintenance to keep them at the peak of efficiency. If you purchase a machine like this, you immediately take on the responsibility of maintenance and repair. In comparison, the hiring company looks after a rental machine. They will either send out a repair guy to do the work on–site or deliver a replacement if it is too difficult and takes too long.
- Unlike a lease or finance purchase, you won‘t have any long term commitments. You only pay for the time it‘s in your possession.
- Rental is very straightforward. You can either pay per hire using cash, cheque, or credit card. Or, pay monthly by check or card. In contrast, a leased machine needs regular payments directly from your bank, and this arrangement affects your credit rating.
Do You Require A License To Operate A Backhoe?
Suppose you intend to drive the backhoe on a public road, perhaps between job sites. In that case, you need an official state driver’s license and adequate vehicle insurance. Furthermore, backhoes are dangerous pieces of equipment and much more difficult to control than a car. So, before operating a backhoe loader, OSHA insists operators take a training course designed for the specific machine.
In addition to these, operators must know about OSHA‘s standards on excavation and trenching. Many companies and training centers provide OSHA compliant training courses. Alternatively, you can gain training online. Many equipment manufacturing companies such as Caterpillar offer training on their machines. At the end of the training course, the operator comes away with a three–year backhoe loader training certification. Additionally, they can learn and gain experience with trenching, grading, and excavation.
Summary
Hiring a backhoe loader allows you to use the machine without paying tens of thousands of dollars out of your business capital.
Renting is the ideal way to use a backhoe for a short period. In comparison, leasing is a good way to handle a longer-term arrangement.
If your project needs a backhoe loader, and what earthmoving project doesn‘t? Get in touch with us. We have a complete range of backhoes from which to choose and can usually find a machine to suit the task. Furthermore, our attractive backhoe rental rates are very affordable.
Jason is a B2B sales veteran spanning 3 decades and Founder of ApprovedCosts. Jason has scaled sales and marketing teams at a variety of enterprises and is a recognized expert in the field. Jason holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.