Dozer
hire rates.
Indicative hire rates per hour for CAT dozers from the D1 to the D8 (8 to 39 tonne) — site strip to heavy rip and push.
Dozer hire rates in Australia
Dozers are the push-and-spread machines of earthworks — site strip, topsoil respread, bulk push, ripping. They are priced by the hour by weight class, and because production is so operator- and ground-dependent, larger dozers usually come wet. Benchmarks below from the same data behind our machine hire rate calculator.
Indicative hire rates
| Size | Dry hire | Wet hire* | Wet day (8 hr)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 (8 Ton) | $39/hr | $135–$155/hr | $1,090–$1,250 |
| D2 (9 Ton) | $45/hr | $145–$165/hr | $1,180–$1,340 |
| D3 (10 Ton) | $60/hr | $170–$190/hr | $1,380–$1,540 |
| D4 (13 Ton) | $74/hr | $190–$210/hr | $1,540–$1,700 |
| D5 (17 Ton) | $100/hr | $235–$255/hr | $1,880–$2,040 |
| D6 (22 Ton) | $116/hr | $270–$290/hr | $2,180–$2,340 |
| D8 (39 Ton) | $197/hr | $395–$420/hr | $3,170–$3,370 |
The D8 class is heavy civil plant — expect wet hire and serious float costs. Wet hire shown at $2.00/L diesel and a typical operator rate band for the machine — put your own fuel price and operator rate into the machine hire calculator for an exact figure. Indicative benchmarks, ex GST, guide only.
Which size does what
D1–D3 (8–10 tonne) dozers strip topsoil, respread, and push bedding and select fill around a subdivision — nimble, cheap to float, easy on finished levels. D4–D6 (13–22 tonne) is the bulk push and ripping band for real earthworks quantities. The D8 (39 tonne) is heavy civil: production ripping in rock, big push distances, and push-loading scrapers.
Price moves with ground (ripping rock is a different production world to pushing loam), push distance (dozer production falls fast past 50–80 m — beyond that, load trucks or scrapers instead), GPS blade control (extra, worth it on design-surface work), and float — the D8 needs a heavy haulage permit and planning.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dozer cost to hire per hour?
Indicatively, a D1 to D3 dozer runs about $135–$190/hr wet hire, D4 to D6 about $190–$290/hr, and the D8 civil class about $395–$420/hr — roughly $1,090 to $3,370 for an 8 hour day.
What size dozer do I need to strip a site?
For topsoil strip and respread on subdivisions and building pads, D1 to D4 (8 to 13 tonne) covers most work. Go D5 and up when strip depths, haul distances or ripping demand it — oversizing a strip job just burns float money.
Dozer or excavator and trucks for bulk earthworks?
Distance decides. Under about 50–80 m of push, the dozer is hard to beat. Beyond that its production collapses and excavator-and-truck (or scrapers in the right conditions) win on cost per cubic metre.
Can a dozer rip rock?
Medium and large dozers with rippers handle weathered and fractured rock — production ripping is exactly what the D6 to D8 class (22 to 39 tonne) is for. Hard, massive rock defeats ripping and moves you into hammer or blast territory, which is a different estimate line entirely.
More rate guides: excavators, tipper trucks, dump trucks, water carts, rollers, loaders, graders, scrapers, asphalt pavers, asphalt profilers, backhoes & skid steers. Or price any of 93 machines in the machine hire rate calculator.
Pricing the whole job?
Machine rates are one line in a real estimate. For water, sewer or stormwater work priced end to end, send the drawings. Acknowledged within two hours during AEST business.