TLB Hire in South Africa
Free quotes from plant hire companies across South Africa. One request, no obligation.
- Size class
- 8–9 t · 1 m³
- Gets to site
- Drives to site
- Job stage
- Dig & load
TLB hire gives you a tractor-loader-backhoe, the most common digging machine on South African building sites, with a loader bucket on the front and a backhoe on the back. PlantHiring.co.za is a free quote service. Fill in one form and we send it to independent TLB owners and plant hire companies near your site, who quote you directly. We do not hire, operate or transport any machine ourselves, and there is no fee or obligation. Tell us what you are digging, the site address and how many hours or days you need.
What a TLB can do on site
A TLB weighs roughly eight to nine tonnes and does two jobs in one. The front bucket loads, levels and carries material, while the backhoe digs trenches and holes to a depth of around four to six metres, depending on the model. Typical work includes:
- Strip footings and foundation trenches for houses and boundary walls
- Service trenches for water, sewer, stormwater and electrical cables
- Site clearing, backfilling and spreading topsoil or imported fill
- Loading rubble into a tipper truck
- Breaking concrete with a hydraulic hammer, where one is offered
Four-wheel-drive models cope better on soft or wet ground. Ask for a narrow bucket if you are digging for pipes, so you remove and replace less soil.
TLB hire price and what affects it
A TLB hire price is usually quoted per hour with a minimum of several hours, or as TLB hire per day for a set number of machine hours. Most TLBs are hired wet, with an operator and often fuel included. The things that move the total are:
- Hours on site and the minimum charge
- Travel or float to and from site, charged each way
- Attachments such as a hammer, auger or extra buckets
- Standing time while the machine waits for trucks, inspections or weather
- VAT, and whether fuel is included or billed separately
Agree in writing how hours are recorded, by the hour meter or a site time sheet signed each day. Our plant hire rates page has more on comparing quotes.
Finding TLB hire near me
A TLB can drive on the road over short distances, so a machine based close to your site often costs less to bring in than one that needs a lowbed. Searches for TLB hire near me, or for TLB hire Johannesburg and other metros, turn up many owner-operators as well as larger fleets. A local operator usually knows the soil, the municipal rules and the nearest tip sites.
Driving a TLB on a public road needs a licensed driver and a roadworthy, registered machine. On site, the Construction Regulations 2014 require the operator to be competent for that class of plant, so ask to see a valid competency certificate.
TLB or another machine?
A TLB is the all-rounder, but it is not always the best choice. For long trenches, deep excavations and bulk digging, a 20-tonne excavator is faster and steadier. In tight back gardens where a TLB cannot fit, a mini excavator or bobcat does less damage to paving and lawns. Describe the job in the form and suppliers can suggest the right machine.
What to include in your request
- Say what you are digging and how deep
- Mention rock, clay or wet ground
- Give the site address and gate width
- State the hours or days you expect
- Say if you also need a tipper truck
TLB Hire on different jobs
- House plots and renovations: digging strip footings, pool holes and drain trenches, then backfilling and levelling the plot
- Housing estates and townships: service trenches for water, sewer and electricity across new stands and internal roads
- Shopping centres, offices and schools: trenching for services, kerb lines and light earthworks around offices, schools and clinics
- Factories, warehouses and logistics parks: digging footings and cable trenches and clearing spoil around warehouse and factory sites
- Roads, pipelines and civil works: stormwater trenches, culvert excavations and loading material for road and pipeline works
- Mines and quarries: general cleanup, drain trenches and loading spillage around plant areas and workshops
- Farms, dams and game lodges: digging pipe trenches, cleaning furrows and fixing farm roads and small earth dams
Frequently asked questions
Does PlantHiring.co.za hire out TLBs?
Do I need to supply the operator?
What is the minimum TLB hire?
Can a TLB dig through rock?
TLB Hire by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Lephalale
- Kimberley
- Kathu
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
More plant and equipment for hire
Dig & load
Machines that excavate, trench, load and clear
Haul & lift
Trucks that move material, machines that lift it
Compact & finish
Level, compact and mix for layer works and slabs
Site power & tools
Power, breaking, small plant and access
Plant hire services
Hire with operators, rates and buying equipment