How Much to Charge for Skid Steer Work Per Hour
Skid steer work with operator typically runs $85–$150 per hour, mini excavators $95–$175, and larger excavators or dozers $150–$300, with attachment premiums of $25–$100 per hour for breakers, mulchers, augers, and grapples. Most operators charge $150–$500 mobilization per move, hold a 2–4 hour minimum, and offer a day rate at roughly 7–8 billable hours.
Hourly rates with operator
- Skid steer / compact track loader — $85–$150/hr
- Mini excavator — $95–$175/hr
- Standard excavator — $150–$250/hr
- Dozer — $150–$300/hr
- Dump truck with driver — $95–$150/hr
- Additional laborer — $45–$75/hr
- Hand digging near utilities — premium hourly
Attachment premiums
- Hydraulic breaker — $50–$100/hr
- Forestry mulcher — $75–$150/hr
- Auger — $25–$50/hr
- Grapple / brush rake — $25–$50/hr
- Trencher — $35–$75/hr
The lines around the hour
Mobilization runs $150–$500 per move, minimum is usually 2–4 hours, and a day rate lands around 7–8 hours.
Short jobs die on mobilization. A one-hour task twenty minutes away is really a three-hour commitment, and the minimum is what makes it a job instead of a favor.
Standby is billable time
You’re on site, the machine is running, and someone else isn’t ready.
State the standby rate on the quote up front. Inspectors, concrete crews, delivery trucks, and locate tickets all delay dirt work routinely, and a stated rate tends to get sites ready faster than any amount of asking ever will.
Price the risk you’re carrying
An operator working near a gas line is holding risk a rental customer never even thinks about. Your rate covers insurance, experience, and the judgment to stop — say that plainly when someone compares you to a rental yard, and most people stop comparing.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I match a rental yard's day rate?
Because they rent a machine and you deliver finished work with an experienced operator, insurance, and responsibility for what the bucket hits. Customers who genuinely want a bare rental aren't your customer — and they usually come back after one weekend.
What should mobilization be?
$150–$500 per move depending on distance and machine size, charged both ways when the job is short. Loading, hauling, unloading, and returning is often two hours of the day before any dirt moves.
Should I offer a day rate?
Yes, at roughly 7–8 hours of your hourly rate — it's easier for customers to approve and it protects you from a half-day that consumes a full day of logistics. Just define what a day covers, in hours, on the quote.
How do I price rock or water when I hit it?
As a change order at a premium hourly rate, written and approved before you continue. Put the possibility in the original quote as a stated allowance so it's an expected process, not an unwelcome surprise.