How much does a skid steer rental cost in Maryland?

Key takeaways

• Skid steer: $325/day ($344.50), $529/weekend ($560.74), $1,050/week ($1,113.00).
• The weekend rate covers any 2 or 3 days in a row, for less than two day rentals.
• Machine rentals carry a $500 card hold, released within 24 hours after check-in.
• A mid-size skid steer like the Bobcat S650 weighs 8,061 lb, so plan a tilt trailer and a heavy-duty truck.
• Maryland law: contact Miss Utility at least 3 business days before you dig.

What does a skid steer rental cost?

Our rate is $325 a day, $529 a weekend or $1,050 a week, plus 6% Maryland sales tax.

Machines carry a $500 card hold, released within 24 hours after check-in. If there's ever a charge, you get an itemized notice with photos first. Machines are currently on a waitlist. Join it on the skid steer and track loader page.

Is a weekend or weekly rental the better deal?

If the job runs more than one day, the weekend almost always wins. If it runs more than three days, take the week.

The weekend rate covers any 2 or 3 days in a row for $529 ($560.74 with tax). Two separate days would cost $650 ($689.00 with tax). The week costs about the same as three and a quarter days. For a grading or drainage job that may stretch because of rain, the week buys you that cushion.

Done early? Text OFF and billing stops.

Pick up Friday afternoon, and you can learn the controls and stage materials before Saturday. The weekend rate covers 3 days, so a Friday afternoon pickup runs until the same time Monday. A machine that isn't back by then is charged another day.

What does it cost to get the machine to the job?

Plan on a 24-foot tilt trailer and a 3/4-ton or larger truck, or plan for delivery.

For scale, Bobcat lists the S650, a common mid-size skid steer, at 8,061 lb operating weight. Our 24-foot RawMaxx tilt is rated 14,000 lb GVWR with about 9,700 lb of payload (dealer figure). That leaves room for a bucket and an attachment, but the loaded rig will weigh roughly 12,000 lb or more. That's beyond any half-ton. A 2026 Silverado 2500HD is rated 14,500 lb (gas) to 18,500 lb (diesel) for conventional towing.

Your vehicle's manufacturer ratings and manual always win. Check your truck with the tow checker, and see our guide on moving a skid steer on a tilt trailer.

Load and unload on flat, firm ground, with the truck in park and the trailer wheels chocked.

What other costs should I budget?

Fuel, attachments, disposal and a dump trailer for the spoils are the usual extras.

• Fuel: ask how the machine should come back. Ours go out with a full tank: bring the machine back full, or we refuel at $8 a gallon.
• Attachments: a bucket is standard on most rentals. Forks, grapples and augers vary.
• Spoils: dirt and rock are heavy (topsoil about 2,100 lb/yd³, stone about 2,700). A 7x14 dump at $165/day ($174.90 with tax) carries up to 9,820 lb per load.
• Disposal: Alpha Ridge may refuse soil or large concrete, and Carroll's Northern Landfill refuses concrete over 6 inches. Plan where clean fill goes before you dig.

Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go.

Pair the machine with a 7x14 dump trailer to haul spoils off the job.

What does a typical weekend machine job cost all-in?

A homeowner grading and hauling project with a skid steer, a tilt and a dump trailer for the weekend comes to about $1,107 before tax, or $1,173.42 with tax, plus disposal.

Disposal is extra and billed by weight at the scale. Each unit carries its own card hold: $500 for the machine and $250 for each trailer. If one machine doesn't cover the job, our mini excavator vs skid steer guide explains when to add the other.

When is a skid steer the wrong rental?

When the job is mostly digging, when the work area is tight, or when the material is small enough to move by hand.

• Trenches and footings: a mini excavator digs down; a skid steer pushes across the surface.
• Tight backyards: measure the gate and any path between houses. A 4-ton machine also needs firm ground to cross.
• One or two yards of mulch or stone: a dump trailer and a wheelbarrow are usually cheaper than a machine day.
• No safe way to haul it: without a 3/4-ton or larger truck, plan delivery before you book.

If you're unsure, text us a photo of the site and a sentence about the job. We'll tell you which machine and trailer fit, or whether you need a machine at all.

Do I need to call Miss Utility first?

Yes. Maryland requires you to contact Miss Utility no sooner than 3 business days and no later than 12 business days before you dig, at any depth.

The request is free, by phone (811) or online. Don't dig until every utility on the ticket has responded. Within 18 inches of a marked line, hand dig only, with no powered equipment. A contractor working on your property needs a ticket in its own name.

Before you start, confirm that every utility has responded through Miss Utility's Ticket Check (Search & Status online, or 1-866-821-4226). Marks fade and get scraped off by tracks, so work around them carefully and keep the ticket handy on the job.

Questions

Sources

• Bobcat: S650 skid-steer loader specs (8,061 lb operating weight)
• Miss Utility: Information for homeowners (notice window, free, hand-dig zone)