Forklift Hire Rates Guide: How much does it cost to rent a forklift?

A great way to minimise forklift hire costs is to only hire machines that meet the requirements for your job and are rented at a fair price. But how do you know if the forklift hire package you’re looking at is at a competitive rate? With an overwhelming range of plant hire options available in today’s marketplace, it can be tricky to know if your forklift hire is fairly priced.

What are the different types of Forklifts?

iSeekplant has many different types of forklifts for hire. However, the most common and vital distinctions are how the forklift is powered (electric, gas, diesel), whether it is 4WD or 2WD and the weight it can safely lift. There is also a separate class of forklifts for hire called Rough Terrain forklifts which, as the name implies, is built to handle rough terrains. All of these forklifts for hire have slightly different uses and hire rates.

What are the typical forklift hire rates?

The ideal first step to knowing your forklift rates are reasonable is comparing typical forklift hire rates. There are three main categories of forklifts for hire, these include:

• Diesel Forklifts for hire

Diesel forklift hire is ideal for a range of material handling tasks including loading and unloading goods into vehicles, moving materials from one place to another, as well as shifting materials in and out of storage and containers. As diesel forklifts for hire are noisy in application, and produce exhaust fumes which can be both bothering to people and trigger smoke alarms, these machines are better suited to outdoor applications. iSeekplant has suppliers offering diesel forklifts for hire ranging from under 3 tonne up to 50 tonne machines.

• Electric Forklifts for hire

Electric forklifts have a lower maximum lift capacity compared to combustion powered forklifts for hire. The largest electric forklift for hire typically has a maximum lift capacity of around 3 tonnes. However, they are typically cheaper to operate and also operate silently (other than the back up alarm). For smaller, indoor warehouses and storage facilities, electric forklift hire is a better suited choice.

• Gas Forklifts for hire

Gas and petrol powered forklifts for hire are great performance machines that offer indoor and outdoor flexibility. They are a popular choice for forklift hire as they are often competitively priced and suitable for a large range of material handling applications. iSeekplant lists gas forklift hire suppliers across Australia ranging from under 3 tonne up to 20 tonne.

What are the typical Diesel Forklift hire rates?

Diesel Forklift Hire Rates:

• 1.5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $85 / Day
• 3 Tonne Forklift Hire - $145 / Day
• 4 Tonne Forklift Hire - $150 / Day
• 5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $160 / Day
• 6 Tonne Forklift Hire - $170 / Day
• 8 Tonne Forklift Hire - $200 / Day
• 10 Tonne Forklift Hire - $220 / Day
• 12 Tonne Forklift Hire - $250 / Day

What are the typical Electric Forklift hire rates?

Electric Forklift Hire Rates:

• 1.5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $100 / Day
• 2.5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $110 / Day

What are the typical Gas Forklift hire rates?

Gas Forklift Hire Rates:

• 1.5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $85 / Day
• 3 Tonne Forklift Hire - $120 / Day
• 4 Tonne Forklift Hire - $150 / Day
• 5 Tonne Forklift Hire - $160 / Day
• 6 Tonne Forklift Hire - $170 / Day

Need to hire a forklift? Get the best rates through iSeekplant!

What are the minimum forklift hire hours?

Most forklift hire suppliers will specify a minimum amount of time that they will hire out forklifts for. The larger the forklift, the longer the minimum hire length. This is due to an increase in transportation or shipping costs.

The minimum wet hire duration for forklifts is 3 hours, because Australian employment laws stipulate that you cannot hire a casual worker on less than a 3 hour shift/call out. So with the forklift operator driving to your site, the company needs to pay them on a 3 hour minimum, even if your project takes 10 minutes.

It is worth considering that although the minimum amount of time you can legally wet hire a forklift is 3 hours, each company sets their own minimum hours which may vary from that amount of time.

What are the benefits of long-term forklift hire?

A great way to keep your forklift hire costs down is to discuss longer-term plant hire options with suppliers. It is very common for forklift hire suppliers to discount rates on both wet and dry hire packages if the project will require the equipment for an extended period of time.

Almost every company offers a more competitive rate for long-term contracts, so the longer you hire the forklift, the greater the discount you can get. Obviously this forklift hire option takes a greater deal of commitment from you, but most companies will start offering significant discounts from around the 3 month mark.

How do I get the best forklift hire rates?

If you’re looking for expert advice about the best forklift to hire for your next project, get in touch with iSeekplant. You can browse through thousands of access equipment hire suppliers and find the best hire rates on available forklifts.

Learn more about what you should be paying from our comprehensive machine hire rates guide. Otherwise, you can use the iSeekplant get a quote tool to get competitive forklift hire quotes.

We have thousands of forklifts available for hire across Australia - Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide being some of our most popular locations. 

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