Riverina Diggers › 1.7t Zero Swing Excavator hire

What it costs

Hire	Price	Notes
1 day	$195	8 hours, extra hours $35
Weekend	$345	Saturday and Sunday
1 week	$825	Best value on longer jobs

Why zero swing matters on a tight block

Most mini excavators have a counterweight that swings out past the tracks when you slew. On a narrow block, against a fence line, or beside a shed wall, that overhang is what stops you working — you end up repositioning constantly or simply can't get in.

Zero tail swing means the back of the machine stays within the width of the tracks. You can sit hard up against a boundary fence and dig a full arc without clipping it. Around Griffith that matters most on residential blocks, between trellis rows, and working alongside sheds and tanks.

What comes with it

• Three buckets — 300mm, 450mm and a 1000mm mud bucket, included in the hire
• Hydraulic quick hitch — swap buckets from the seat, no pins, no spanner
• ROPS canopy — rollover protection
• Augers available — 300mm ($70/day) and 450mm ($80/day) for post and pier holes
• A run-through on drop-off — free, if you haven't operated one before

What people around the MIA use it for

Irrigation and drainage is the big one — trenching new poly runs, chasing a leak on a mainline, re-cutting drainage after a wet season. The 300mm bucket is the go for trench work.

Vineyard and orchard work: post holes for new trellis or fencing with the auger, pulling dead citrus and vine stumps, tidying headlands.

Around the house: footings for a retaining wall, digging out for a tank or plunge pool, levelling for turf, septic tank holes and absorption trenches, stormwater and conduit runs.

Demolition and clean-ups — old slab out with the concrete saw, straight into the tipper, gone in one hire.

Do you need a licence or a ticket?

For work on your own residential property in NSW, no licence or ticket is required to operate a mini excavator. If you've never used one, we'll run you through the controls on drop-off at no charge — just ask when you book.

On a commercial site you'll generally need a verification of competency and a White Card. That's between you and the site supervisor, not something we assess.

Before you dig anywhere, lodge a free Before You Dig Australia enquiry — call 1100 or do it online at least two business days out. Hitting a gas main or a Telstra line is your cost, not ours.

Check your access before you book

Measure the narrowest gate or gap the machine has to get through, and think about ground conditions. Soft, wet or steep ground is worth a phone call before you lock in dates. Hard clay or rock? You'll want the auger or the saw as well.

Common questions

How much is excavator hire in Griffith?

$195 for a day, $345 for a weekend, or $825 for a full week. Delivery is free on hires of three days or more within 30km of Griffith. A $500 bond applies and comes back once the machine is checked over.

Can I tow it myself?

You can pick up from the yard if you have a suitable vehicle and trailer rated for it. Most people take the delivery — it's free on 3+ day hires within 30km, and it means the machine turns up where the work is.

Does it fit through a standard side gate?

A 1.7 tonne machine is compact, but gates vary. Measure the narrowest point on the access path and give us the number when you book — we'll tell you straight away whether it will go through.

What if it rains?

Ring us. Wet ground can make a job unworkable and we'd rather move your dates than have you fight it or damage a lawn.

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