MINI EXCAVATOR RENTAL.
From $105 for four hours. $185 for the day.
Two machines, both narrow enough for a backyard gate. Delivered across the Salt Lake Valley, or pick one up in Midvale. If you've never run an excavator, we'll walk the job with you and get you started before we leave.
COMPACT EXCAVATORS FOR REAL PROJECTS.
A mini excavator is the machine you want when the job goes down rather than across. Sprinkler and drain trenching, french drains, footings, stump removal, digging out a window well, pulling up an old concrete pad, digging post holes, prepping a shed pad — all excavator work.
The reason homeowners rent these rather than hiring the job out is straightforward. A contractor quote for a day of trenching in the Salt Lake Valley generally runs well into four figures. A machine for the day is $185 to $260. If you have the weekend and you're willing to learn something, the math is hard to argue with.
Both of ours have expandable tracks — they narrow to get through a gate or down a side yard, then widen back out for stability once they're in the yard. That single feature is what makes them usable on normal residential lots where a full-size machine simply cannot go.
TWO MACHINES
One bigger, one smaller. The right pick usually comes down to how tight your access is.
1.5 TON DIESEL
HOE MALONE
The bigger digger. Expandable tracks, an adjustable dozer blade for backfilling and levelling as you go, and smooth pilot controls that are forgiving if you've never operated one. Digs to 8.5 feet — the machine for a real trench, footings, or a stump you're not confident about.
1 TON DIESEL
DIGLET
The small one, and the cheapest way into a machine. When access is genuinely tight — a narrow side yard, the gap between a fence and a foundation, through a basement walkout — Diglet goes where the bigger machine won't. Digs to 7 feet — still deeper than most residential jobs ever need.
SPECS SIDE BY SIDE
The numbers that decide which machine fits your job.
WHICH ONE DO I NEED?
Measure first. Then pick.
MEASURE YOUR ACCESS
Walk the route the machine has to take and find the narrowest point — the gate, a sidewalk, the gap between the house and the fence. That one number rules out more machines than anything else. Write it down before you call.
WORK OUT YOUR DEPTH
Sprinkler lines in the valley usually run 8 to 12 inches. Main water lines and drains go deeper. Footings depend on what you're building. If you're not sure how deep you need to go, tell us the project and we'll tell you.
CALL BLUE STAKES
Dial 811 before you dig. It's free, it's the law in Utah, and they'll come mark your gas, power and water lines. Give it a couple of business days, so make this call before you book the machine, not the morning you pick it up.
The most common mistake is renting too small and running out of day. Hoe Malone costs $75 more than Diglet and moves considerably more dirt per hour. If access allows it, take the bigger one — it usually works out cheaper than a second rental day.
WHAT PEOPLE RENT THESE FOR
The jobs we see most across the valley.
SPRINKLER & DRAIN TRENCHING
New irrigation runs, replacing a failed line, or cutting in a french drain to move water away from a foundation.
STUMP REMOVAL
Digging a stump out whole rather than grinding it. Slower than a grinder but you get the root ball, and the hole is ready to backfill.
FOOTINGS & PADS
Shed foundations, deck footings, a concrete pad, RV parking. Dig it, level it, backfill it with the blade.
CONCRETE & DEMO
Breaking up and lifting out an old patio, walkway or driveway section. Pair it with the dump trailer so you can haul the debris out the same day.
WINDOW WELLS & EGRESS
Digging down alongside a foundation where a full-size machine has no chance of fitting.
GRADING & DRAINAGE
Reshaping ground that slopes toward the house. The dozer blade does most of the levelling work.
EXCAVATOR ATTACHMENTS
Daily rates. Add any of these to your rental.
Availability depends on which machine you're renting. Call and we'll tell you what fits.
HOW RENTING WORKS
Four steps, no runaround.
TELL US THE JOB
Call or text and describe what you're doing. We'll tell you which machine and what attachment you need.
PICK YOUR DATES
Half day or full day. Weekends book out fast in spring and fall, so reserve early if your dates are fixed.
DELIVERY OR PICKUP
We deliver across the valley — run your address through the estimator. Or collect it in Midvale if you've got a truck and a rated hitch.
WE GET YOU RUNNING
We walk the job, show you the controls, and stay until you're comfortable. Call us mid-job if you get stuck.
ACROSS THE SALT LAKE VALLEY.
Midvale, Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, West Jordan, Riverton, Herriman, Murray, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, West Valley City, Taylorsville, Bountiful, Farmington, Magna, and out toward Lehi, American Fork and Pleasant Grove. Outside that? Call us anyway — we go further than the map suggests.
QUICK ANSWERS
What people ask us most.
How much does it cost to rent a mini excavator in Salt Lake City? +
Do I need a license or experience to operate one? +
Will a mini excavator fit through my gate? +
Do I need to call Blue Stakes before digging? +
Will it wreck my lawn? +
How deep can it dig? +
Can I pick it up myself instead of paying delivery? +
What happens if it breaks down mid-job? +
THIS IS HOW YOU GET SH*T DONE.
Tell us about the project. We'll tell you what it takes.
We align technical insight with disciplined execution to provide measurable gains across operational, financial, and strategic domains.
