When someone asks to hire a trencher, our first question is always—what do you mean? With around 20 different machines capable of trenching, the right choice depends on the width, depth, and length of the trench, the material you're digging through, and your ability to operate the machine. The question isn't how long is a piece of string—it’s how long is your trench?

Trenching machines are designed for soft soil but struggle with clay, rock, or sandstone, where excavators, bobcats, or backhoes are required. However, trenching machines are the best tool for irrigation or pipe trenches in backyards, homes, or commercial applications. Since hire costs vary by machine type, size, and project duration, comparing prices before booking is key—check out our Machine Hire Rates Guide for a detailed cost breakdown across earthmoving machines.

To temper expectations, this guide will focus on trenching hire, specifically chain trenchers, which excel at digging narrow trenches. While mini excavators, bobcats, backhoes, dingos, and kangas can also trench, chain trenchers are the best choice for precision trenching in soft materials.

What are typical self-propelled or walk-behind trencher hire rates?

• Very small self-propelled trenching machine (75mm wide x 300mm deep) hire rate: $150 per day
• Small self-propelled trenching machine (90mm wide x 450mm deep) hire rate: $165 per day
• Medium self-propelled trenching machine (100mm wide x 600mm deep) hire rate: $210 per day
• Large self-propelled trenching machine (125mm wide x 1000mm deep) hire rate: $310 per day

Self-propelled trenchers, or as we call them, 'walk behind' trenchers, are a compact unit that looks like a giant chainsaw on a push-cart. They are usually propelled and pushed by hand, and the diesel or two-stroke engine drives the rotary hoe on the front to run a trench through the ground to a certain depth and width, specified above. You can definitely get hold of one of these walk-behind trenchers from a lot of the larger national plant hire guys, but you won't find them at every depot.

How much trench can you dig in a day?

With a self-propelled or walk-behind trencher, you can dig about 70 feet of a 24-inch-deep trench in around 15 minutes – if you're enduring. That equals almost 9km in a seven-hour day. Mini trenchers, or mini trench diggers, are also available, cutting around 4cm wide and 70cm deep at whatever speed you can manage. These machines are versatile tools for small-scale trenching projects.

What are typical ride-on trencher hire rates?

Ride-on trenchers aren't easy to find, however, and their rates vary widely. You could be paying anything from around $500 per day to $1,000 per day (on dry hire only; you don't need a ticket to operate them).

Ditch Witch and Vermeer have the market for ride-on trenchers pretty well sewn up in Australia. They look like a ride-on lawn mower with a massive chainsaw fitted to the back of it, mounted on wheels for manoeuvrability. Ride-on trenchers are good for cutting a 1.2m—1.5m deep trench in the ground, laying pipes and cables, installing utilities, or irrigation. They can get through harder and denser materials than the walk-behind trenchers listed above.

How much trench can you dig in a day?

A ride-on trencher can dig up to 6 feet a minute in good soil conditions. That equals about a kilometre a day. For stronger people, a walk-behind trencher is faster. However, a ride-on trencher is more beneficial for long trenches, reducing the amount of manual labour required for excavation.

What are typical tracked trencher hire rates?

Tracked trenchers cost anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 per day, depending on size. It is very hard to get suppliers to commit to a day or even a week rate because transporting and mobilising a tracked trencher requires a semi-pull down and re-erection at the site (as they are too wide to travel on roads when fully assembled). Vermeer is the only company that makes these tracked trenchers in Australia.

These are a very specialist piece of gear and you would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of them in any major city. Luckily, iseekplant offers a wide network of tracked trencher suppliers. These trenchers are mainly utilised in agricultural settings, where large irrigation channels need to be dug across massive expanses.

The oil and gas industry of Australia also uses massive tracked trenches when installing natural gas pipelines across large expanses of the country. Tracked trenchers have a massive onboard engine, requiring skilled operators to handle the machine efficiently. These units power their rotary hoe through more substantial dirt and materials than other variants of machines.

How much trench can you dig in a day?

Tracked trenchers are about as fast as ride-on trenchers but just do better on rougher terrain. So think a kilometre a day.

How to get the best Trencher hire rates

Hiring the right trencher shouldn’t be a gamble. Whether you're cutting trenches for utilities, irrigation, or large-scale infrastructure, you need reliable equipment at a fair price—without the hassle of endlessly searching for quotes.

Use our Get a Quote tool today to take the guesswork out of the process by connecting you with a range of trusted trencher hire suppliers across Australia. With access to competitive rates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, and beyond, finding the right machine for your job has never been easier. 

Compare trencher hire rates today, get expert-backed quotes in minutes, or contact us to find the best hire solution for your needs. Also make sure to subscribe to the Constructionsht Blog so you don't miss great daily content including our trencher licences guide.