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A Guide To Large JCB Excavator Hire Costs

Excavators are one of the most important pieces of plant/ construction equipment out there on the market to hire. With some much many different variations, styles and sizes, it can be difficult to know what to budget for. That’s why we have put together this guide to large JCB excavator hire costs. During this article, we are going to cover absolutely everything you need to know about hiring a large JCB excavator.

The excavator hire industry has boomed over the last 20 years with a massive focus on the building of future infrastructure throughout the UK. If you enjoy travelling around the UK, there is doubt that you will notice a huge amount of continuous work happening wherever you go!

What is a JCB Excavator

JCB are just one of a long list of manufacturers of excavators throughout the world. These excavators are famously known throughout the world for their bright yellow appearance. They are somewhat unmissable and iconic.

JCB started manufacturing excavators back in 1953 when they launched their original “hydro-digger”, more commonly known these days as a backhoe. It was not until 1982 after coming under pressure from Japanese competition did JCB introduce tracked excavators.

More recently JCB launched their latest large excavator range the X Series, which has won best in class for power, strength, safety, operator comfort and increased efficiency. In 2020, JCB was the first company in the world to manufacture a hydrogen-powered tracked excavator to lead the sector on zero and low-carbon technologies.

When choosing a large excavator to hire, JCB is the ideal piece of equipment for both novice and experienced operators. But during your research, you will discover several different manufacturers. Knowing what brands to trust can make a huge difference. Therefore, we have hand selected a few brands that we can recommend from hands-on experience with these machines.

Other large excavator manufacturers

Kubota Machinery

Kubota

These excavators are one of the leading Japanese manufacturers of tracked excavators that stemmed from the same time the JCB launched their own. They are renowned for their reliability, performance, and sales of their mini excavator range. Branded as the UK’s No.1 bestselling excavator in the UK for 25 years, Kubota offers quality, high-performance machines from micro up to 9T.

CAT Machinery

CAT

Worldwide CAT or Caterpillar are known for their large machinery. From giant earth movers to draglines, dozers and mining machinery, CAT pretty much covers it all. They are a well-renowned company for their build quality and reliability at high-stress levels, with a catalogue of over 300 different products. Caterpillar excavators have become a firm favourite in the US and in Australia since their production began.

JCB, Kubota and CAT are three of the longest-standing excavator manufacturers in the world. Trusting the manufacturer is only part of the hurdle. As we dig a bit deeper into this resource we will find out other factors you need to consider when choosing where to hire your machinery from.

What influences the costs of hiring a JCB Excavator

There are a few key factors that influence the cost of hiring an excavator. These are as follows:

  • Who you hire off
  • Size of the machine
  • Period of hire
  • Age of the equipment
  • Maintenance of the equipment

Who you hire off

Choosing an excavator hire service can be a difficult task and one you shouldn’t take likely. Different companies will have various rates, some more than others. However, excavator hire costs should start from as little as £75.00+VAT/day. If the price is sustainably lower than this, it should raise some questions in your mind. If it’s too good to be true, you could be setting yourself up for unwanted additional fees.

Size of the machine 

The size of the excavator will either increase or decrease the cost of your hire. The larger the machine, the more expensive it will be to hire for the period you need it. When budgeting for excavator hire, you should always enquire about the latest rates.

Period of hire 

How long you hire an excavator will have a direct impact on the cost of hire. Expect to come across rates for a single day, weekend, three days and week hire. If you are looking to hire an excavator long-term, then always enquire. Most plant hire suppliers will offer long-term rates saving you money over your hire duration.

Age of the equipment 

One of the key factors in pricing equipment is the machinery’s age. The older the machinery, the higher the possibility that the cost will be less. What does this mean for you? Hired excavators go through far more work than purchasing equipment. This means older equipment is more likely to break down and cost you money in the long term. Older equipment is far less productive and less fuel efficient. Sticking to newer, low hours machinery will always reduce your risk of any nasty accidents happening.

Maintenance of the equipment

As we have already noted, hired excavators go through far more work than purchased machines, therefore a higher level of maintenance is required of them. A lot of suppliers will have in-house engineers that attend to the equipment; however, this is not always the case. Lower-priced excavators could be a clear indication that there is far less service and detail going into the machinery you wish to hire. To cover yourself, you should always enquire about maintenance with your hire proposal.

To find out more about how you can save money on plant hire you can check out our exclusive resource here.

An example of Large JCB Excavator Hire costs

To help you get started with some examples of large JCB excavator hire costs we have put together these 3 different large excavator sizes for you.

8T Excavator (JCB 85Z1)

8 Tonne JCB Excavator Hire
8T JCB Excavator Hire

Hire rates for 8T Excavator: (Day/Weekend/3 days/week) Prices +VAT

£225.00/ £272.00/ £360.00/ £450.00 

14T Excavator (JCB 140X) 

JCB 140X Excavator Hire
14T JCB Excavator Hire

Hire rates for 14T Excavator: (Day/Weekend/3 days/week) Prices +VAT

£247.00/ £297.00/ £396.00/ £490.00

20T Excavator JCB220X

20T Excavator Hire

Hire rates for 20T Excavator  (Day/Weekend/3 days/week) Prices +VAT

£340.00/ £408.00/ £544.00/ £680.00

Additions you should budget for with a large JCB excavator hire

Now you have got a pretty go idea of what type of cost you could be facing when hiring a large excavator, there are some additional costs that you should take into consideration to determine a true cost. These are as follows:

  • Hire insurance
  • Delivery costs
  • Fuel costs
  • Cleaning costs

Hire insurance 

When dealing with any hired equipment, especially large JCB excavators that value more than £100,000, you must insure it. Temporary hire cover can be organised from several different suppliers, however, WHC Hire Services highly recommends JCB Insurance. If you think you may already have coverage from your business insurance, it is always worth checking first if the worst-case scenario is to happen. Ensure that your insurance covers the entire cost of the machinery.

Delivery costs

Moving large machinery like a JCB excavator is not as simple as you might think. 99% of the time it needs transporting to where it is needed, which incurs a cost. When you enquire to hire large excavators, you will want to be aware of the additional delivery costs. For more information on delivery costs for 2022 and what you should budget, click here.

Fuel costs

The current cost of fuel in 2022 fluctuates from week to week. No one in the construction sector can avoid it. However, to avoid additional hire costs, you should always return your machinery full of fuel. Otherwise, you will be charged a set rate per litre at the discretion of your supplier. All terms should be laid out in your hire contracts terms and conditions.

Cleaning costs

Large excavators are big machines to clean and take hours to decontaminate. Therefore, you should always clean your machinery before returning it, or having it collected. Failure to do so, your supplier could charge you a cleaning fee. Again these terms will be highlighted in the contract agreement.

Where to hire a large JCB excavator in the UK

If you are looking to hire a large JCB excavator for your project, then our state-of-the-art fleet of equipment could assist you. For over 20 years, WHC Hire Services has been supplying JCB excavators of all sizes to businesses and DIYers across the country with the latest machinery. Our extensive fleet of equipment comes from JCB, Kubota and Thwaites. All equipped with the latest stage V emissions engines, these machines are the most efficient and reliable available on the market. All our equipment is less than 48 months old and all at low hours. Backed by our in-house team of expert engineers, we guarantee our customers peace of mind when it comes to getting the job done.

Speak to one of our hire experts today on 01684377977 or click the link to see our online catalogue of brand new large JCB equipment.