Self drive or operated hire: which one actually saves you money?

Both options are available on every machine we hire, and the right answer depends less on price than on how many hours the job will take you.

Self drive suits confident, straightforward digs

If you have operated a machine before, the ground is open and the work is simple, self drive is usually the cheaper route. You control the pace and you can spread the work across a weekend hire.

Operated hire suits tight, technical or time critical work

Sloped gardens, work close to walls and fences, deep trenching and anything with services in the ground all take real skill. An experienced operator will often complete in one day what an inexperienced one takes three days to do, which changes the total cost considerably.

Questions worth asking yourself

• Have I run this size of machine before, or only watched one?
• Is there anything buried in the area I am digging?
• Does this need to be finished by a specific date?
• Am I confident loading, tracking and positioning the machine safely?

If more than one answer gives you pause, take the operator. Call us and we will talk it through honestly rather than simply quoting the larger option.