How Pricing Works

We do not publish a price list. Not to avoid transparency — the same machine can cost twice as much on one job as on another. A published list price would simply be wrong for most jobs.

Six things that set the price

1. Duration

The single biggest factor. Daily hire carries the highest unit rate; monthly and long-term rates drop sharply. Holding a machine for three weeks instead of three days cuts the cost per day considerably.

2. Machine class

Tonnage, engine power, model year and attachment requirements all feed into the price. Often a smaller class will do the job just as well — we will tell you so at the quote stage. An oversized machine is inefficient on site and in nobody's interest.

3. With or without operator

Operated hire includes the operator's wages, social security and certification. If you have your own operator, non-operated hire is more economical.

4. Distance

Transport is a separate line and lowbed cost rises with distance. The closer your site is to our yard, the lower the total.

5. Intensity of use

A machine running 8 hours a day cannot be priced the same as one running 14; wear and service intervals differ. The overtime rate is stated separately in the quote.

6. Site conditions

Ground, gradient, access and refuelling facilities all affect the price. Service intervals shorten on demanding sites.

Why no published list price?

If we published one, one of two things would happen: either we would quote for the worst-case scenario and lose customers who never needed to pay that much, or we would publish a low figure and revise it upwards in the meeting. The second is the industry habit customers complain about most.

Instead: describe the job, get a firm quote the same day. The quote sets out line by line which cost belongs to whom.

How a quote is produced

1. Enquiry — Fill in the form or call. Machine, duration, location and start date are enough.
2. Clarification — One call if anything is missing. The aim is to price it correctly, not to keep calling you.
3. Quote — A written quote reaches you by email or WhatsApp within [the same day / 24 hours].
4. Contract — On acceptance, the rental agreement and handover report are prepared.
5. Dispatch — The machine is delivered on the agreed date with the hour meter recorded in the handover report.

What the quote contains

• Make, model and year of the machine — not "an excavator", the actual unit
• Unit rate and the basis of it (daily / weekly / monthly, hours per day)
• Hourly overtime rate
• Transport cost — outbound and return shown separately
• Who carries fuel, operator and consumables
• Insurance cover and policy excess
• Payment terms and any deposit requirement
• How long the quote stays valid

Ways to bring the cost down

• Extend the period: A monthly rate is markedly cheaper than the same days billed daily.
• Give us flexible dates: If your dates match a machine already idle in the yard, the rate can come down.
• Take more than one machine: The second unit on the same transport costs less to move.
• Use your own operator: If you have a licensed operator, non-operated hire is cheaper.
• Have the site ready: Standby time is chargeable. With the access road and working area ready, no days are lost.

No hidden costs

Nothing that was not in the quote appears on the invoice. If a cost outside the quote becomes necessary — for example, site conditions differ from what was described — we ask you before the work is done.

This page explains our approach to pricing; it is not a quotation. Binding figures appear in the written quote.