Commonly referred to as a dozer, a bulldozer is one of the most important pieces of equipment in large construction projects. It may be used in an array of industrial applications, including construction, waste management, mining, and farming.

This being the case, buying one may not be a sound business decision, especially if you only need it for a short period of time. This is actually one of the reasons why renting one is a feasible alternative for many contractors and project managers. So if you are wondering how much it costs to rent a bulldozer? 

On average, a 150 HP bulldozer may rent for as little as $325 to $400 a da , while  a 330 HP bulldozer will cost $900 to $1000 a day. The D6 Dozer rents for as little as $180 per hour to as much as $430 per hour for a dry hire D9 Dozer. However, renting a bulldozer will vary depending on the dozer’s power rating and whether you need it for a few hours, a day, or much longer.

If you need a wet hire D6 dozer, you can expect to pay $260 per hour for a D6 bulldozer to as much as $510 per hour for a D9 dozer for wet hire. Expect to pay as low as $4000 to $5000 for a 150 HP bulldozer to as much as $11,000 to $12,500 for a month for a 330 Hp bulldozer. 

Bulldozer Rental Rates (By Type)

Other Expenses Involved With Renting a BulldozerIf you need a bulldozer for only a portion of a day, you will most likely have to pay for at least four hours, whether you only need it two or not. A four-hour rental for most bulldozers will cost a minimum of at least $600. 

In addition to regular rental costs, you should expect to pay transportation expenses, repairs,  maintenance, and operational costs. 

Dozers are delivered to and from job sites by a truck. You will need to plan the cost for transportation which will vary depending on the distance to the job site and the size of the dozer you are renting. Short distances will cost about a thousand dollars for transportation. 

Be sure to figure in regular safety inspections and maintenance. To get a more accurate cost of these, you may look at these costs in the past. 

Operating costs will vary, but keep in mind that OSHA requires all dozer operators to train in operation and safety protocols. Certifications for handling a dozer need redone every three years. Operator salaries run between $12.85 to $34.78 per hour. 

Factors Affecting Bulldozer Rental Pricing

In addition to the daily, weekly or monthly rental rate, you will also include several additional costs when renting a bulldozer. For instance, you have to factor in such expenses as repairs and maintenance, operational costs and transport costs into the overall cost.

In this regard, here are some of the important factors that will affect your bulldozer rental cost:

Delivery and Pickup Costs

Basically, bulldozers are transported to and from sites by trucks. As such, your provider with definitely bill transportation costs for delivery and pickup of the equipment. Delivery and pickup costs mainly depend on the size and weight of the bulldozer, which determines the size of the truck to use.

Additionally, the cost will also be affected by the distance that will be covered delivering the truck to your site. The longer the distance, the higher the cost will be. On average delivery and pickup fees for a bulldozer will be about $1,000 for short distances.

Some providers will also have a maximum delivery distance stipulated in the agreement. In such a case, you may be charged an additional rate for each extra mile beyond the maximum distance

Condition of the Machine

Basically, a new bulldozer will be costlier to rent than an older one. The condition of a bulldozer mainly depends on its hours of use. Naturally, bulldozers are much larger than skid steers and backhoe loaders as they have to push away a great amount of debris.

Depending on the make, model and power if the machine, different providers charge different rates for new bulldozers, ranging from $300 to $800 per day and up to 12,500 a month.

The price for older bulldozers will be relatively lower. Again, the pricing of used bulldozers will also depend on their make and model as well as their logged hours of use. This being the case, it is possible to get a small bulldozer with noticeable wear and tear at an affordable price point.

Industries That Use a Bulldozer

Bulldozers are used for a variety of projects in several different industries. Construction projects commonly use bulldozers to move large amounts of dirt and clear land.

Other industries that typically use a dozer include:

• Mining
• Forestry
• Roadbuilding
• Agriculture 

The type of dozer and the blade will help determine which dozer is best for your project. Horsepower and lift capability are also important factors to consider when choosing a bulldozer for a project. Your budget can also play a factor. 

What to Consider When Renting a Bulldozer

When deciding which bulldozer to rent, you will need to consider several things to choose the best one.

• What are the volume and weight of the materials being handled?
• Are there any space considerations?
• What is the slope and terrain you will be working on?
• What are the weather and conditions of your working environment? 
• What are the transportation and hauling abilities? 
• Do you have any safety or environmental concerns?
• Does the dozer have any technology or features?
• Do you have any technical support available should you need it?
• What is the machine’s power capacity? Is it ample enough horsepower? 

These are all fundamental answers to consider to make sure you rent the best bulldozer to suit your needs. 

Types of Dozers

Many types of dozers are available in a variety of sizes. It depends on a variety of factors as to which one is best for your needs. 

Crawler Bulldozers

Probably the most common type of bulldozer is the crawler dozers. These dozers have tracks that help the machine grip the ground. Crawler dozers distribute their weight, allowing them to do well in various terrains, including sand and mud. When working in these two conditions, the tracks help reduce the pressure to the ground, which helps keep them from sinking into the ground as they would otherwise. 

If you have lighter work, then you can rent a smaller crawler like a 7-ton dozer. If you need to move large amounts of material, you might need 40 tons or larger dozers. At the same time, a 14 ton or medium dozer is the perfect size for most jobs in between. 

Large crawlers have rippers, which are fantastic to clear dense terrain. 

Wheeled Bulldozers

Wheeled bulldozers have better maneuverability and can move faster than track dozers, but they do not do as well on the softer ground as tracked dozers do. 

Distributing the weight at four points on the wheeled bulldozers can also cause the wheeled dozers to lose the power conversion and the pushing power that tracks provide. 

Swamp Bulldozers

Areas considered swampy where the terrains are swampy or bogged down because of excessively wet conditions. States that have swampy conditions include Florida and Louisiana. 

Swamp dozers come with extra-wide tracks with triangular or arc-style shoes that help distribute the weight of the dozer. Swamp bulldozers when used with extended track frames, broader machine gauge and waterproof connectors, newer relays, and injection molded instruments to create better buoyancy. 

Angle Dozers

Angle bulldozers have blades attached to their front side that are at an angle but not 90-degree angles. They are used to push materials to either the right or left side instead of the front. 

Compact Bulldozer

Compact or mini bulldozers are great for smaller projects that require more maneuverability than a larger dozer can give. Mini dozers are excellent for grading and clearing lots. 

Military Bulldozers

Often used in war zone areas, military bulldozers can be controlled remotely to up to 400 meters away by combat engineers. They have unique features such as armored cabs, emergency hatches in their roofs, foldable blades, and removable cabs to help move them by air transportation. 

What Are Dozers Use to Accomplish?

You can use bulldozers to complete many tasks. Bulldozers perform a lot of different tough jobs in mining, road construction, and getting construction projects. 

• Construction crews use bulldozers to clear construction sites and help level the land before starting housing or apartment sites. 
• Bulldozers can easily remove tree stumps and other forestry for agriculture and farming. They can pull out trees with more extensive root systems. Bulldozers quickly move large rocks and boulders. 
• When combining a winch with a bulldozer allows you to pull rather than push. A hydraulic winch is best to use when you need to have precise line speed. A PTO winch provides faster speeds and brute force instead of a hydraulic winch. 
• Bulldozers help manage landfills but may require some special modifications to protect the dozer from getting harmed. 
• Forestry services use bulldozers to drag logs for cutting and pushing and loosening compacted forestry materials. When used in landfills and forestry, dozers may require some modifications to do their best jobs. 
• Sometimes dozers may be used to spread materials in roadways like cliché and gravel. 

Uniquely made to perform various tasks, bulldozers enable people to get some of the most challenging jobs done in record time and without manual labor. 

Technology and Reliability

Equipped with various technologies, today’s bulldozers come with features, such as real-time monitoring and air-conditioned cabs. 

Dozer Blades

There are many different blades available for bulldozers. Each type of blade has different purposes and handles different types of materials and load weights. 

Straight Blades (S-Blades)

Straight blades are the shortest blades made and do not have side wings. S-blades are excellent at stripping and ditching-type projects. They work best with fine-grained and medium to hard materials. S-blades attach to the arm in the lower back corners of the blade instead of in an angle like an angle blade. The straight shape, however, does limit the dozer’s capabilities of lifting and carrying materials.  This type of blade is excellent for stumping, grading, and evening soil and back-filling tasks. 

Universal or U Blade

Universal or U-blades is best when working with soft to medium soil. They are excellent blades for pushing and material handling. Universal blades attach to the bottom corners of the blade. 

These blades have large side wings and a curved shape that helps push materials along even long stretches of land. An advantage of the wings is that it helps prevent the material from spilling over the line. 

Universal blades are excellent to use for ditching, pushing, and crowning, and pushing. 

S-U Blade

S-U Blades are narrow blades that are slightly curved with long wings—located on the back bottom corners. Since this blade combines the S and U blades, it gives more substantial penetration and much better versatility. These blades are narrower and less curved and have smaller wings than a U-blade. 

This blade is ideal for pushing soil long distances. Using angle stabilizing braces, the blade attaches to the lower back of the blade. It works well with one or two hydraulic tilt cylinders. These blades work well to push soft to medium-density sand and soil. These blades are great for tasks like crowning, moving heavy materials, ditching, and stumping. 

Angle Blade

An angle blade is a two-way blade with an angled motion. It is located on the center panel. It works well for shaping and stumping. This blade works well with soft to medium-hard soil, snow, and gravel. It works well to move the debris to the side since it can angle 30 degrees left or right. It does not have wings, so that it can spill materials. 

Power-Angle-Tilt (PAT) Blade

The PAT blade is a multi-directional blade. Attach in the center panel. The PAT blade is excellent for scraping and leveling. The material it is best used with is the medium to hard materials.  This blade is one of the most versatile blades because of its maneuvering and multifaceted motions. 

The driver can easily control the blade in the cabin, where it can be tilted, angled, and lifted in almost any direction. It is mounted in the center panel. It is a great blade to use when clearing land, leveling, backfilling, scraping, or grading. 

To Conclude

Renting the correct size bulldozer is very important to the success of the job. Several factors will help you figure out which dozer is the best for your needs. You can expect to pay as little as $325 to as much as $1000 per day for a bulldozer.

Renting a bulldozer for an hour will cost as little as $180 to $430 an hour, usually a four-hour minimum. The least amount to rent a bulldozer for a month is $4000 to up to $12,500.