Wet hire, Tweed Valley to Lennox Head
Excavator, posi-track and tipper hire with operator
Hire a 5.5 t Kubota excavator, an ASV posi-track and a Fuso tipper with Luke operating them, for builders, landscapers, farmers and homeowners with ground to dig, level or cart away.
Or send the job details online
- Google 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews
- Liability and equipment insurance held
- ABN 58 346 068 875
- Kubota U55-4 excavator, 5.5 t class, 2020
- ASV RT-60 posi-track for levelling and spreading
- Fuso Fighter tipper, about 7.5 t a load
- Owner-operator Luke runs every machine
- Owner-operatorLuke, over 10 years operating machinery
- Based in MurwillumbahWorking the Gold Coast to Lennox Head
- Insurance heldLiability and equipment, certificate on request
- Google 5.0 out of 5From 2 reviews, October 2026
- ABN 58 346 068 875Registered business name DIRT WERKS
Wet hire: the machine comes with Luke
Wet hire means the machine comes with its operator. Book the Dirt Werks excavator, posi-track or tipper and Luke turns up with it and runs it himself. He quotes the job, brings the machine that suits your access and ground, then digs, levels and carts until the work is done. You don't need a ticket, a trailer or a day learning the controls. Luke has over 10 years operating machinery.
He is based in Murwillumbah and works across the Tweed Valley, Tweed Heads, Kingscliff and the Tweed Coast, Pottsville and Cabarita, Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads, Lennox Head and Ballina. Whether you call it digger hire or plant hire, you get the same three machines, and you deal with Luke from the first phone call to the clean-up.
The gear
Three machines, one operator
A 5.5 t excavator to dig, a posi-track to level and spread, and a tipper to take spoil away and bring material in. Luke runs all of it.
- Buckets
- Auger
- Grab
- Compaction wheel
- Laser level
Kubota U55-4
- Machine
- Excavator
- Class
- 5.5 t
- Fit
- Air-con cab, lifting point and load chart
- Best for
- Digging, trenching, clearing, loading
ASV RT-60
- Machine
- Posi-track (compact track loader)
- Fit
- Rubber tracks, attachments
- Best for
- Levelling, spreading, grading
Fuso Fighter
- Machine
- Tipper truck
- Payload
- About 7.5 t
- Best for
- Spoil out, gravel and soil in
What each machine is best for
Excavator: digging, trenching and loading
The 5.5 t class Kubota digs trenches for plumbing, power and drainage, plus dams and creek crossings, and takes out stumps. On rural jobs Luke also lays culvert and drainage pipe. On plumbing and electrical trenches, Luke digs and backfills, and the licensed plumber or electrician lays and connects.
See morePosi-track: levelling, spreading and grading
The ASV RT-60 levels and spreads gravel, road base and soil, grades driveways and backfills. Send the gate width and Luke will tell you which machine fits.
See moreTipper: spoil out, material in
The excavator loads spoil straight onto the Fuso for the tip, and the truck brings gravel, road base and soil in from the quarry. Luke tips loads on level, firm ground after checking for overhead lines.
See moreExcavator and tipper hire: how the combo works
Luke is one operator, so he runs one machine at a time. The point of the combo is that each stage gets the right machine on one booking, and you don't have to line up a separate truck or contractor. The excavator digs and loads the tipper, the tipper carts spoil out and brings material in, and the posi-track levels and tidies up.
A gravel driveway re-sheet shows how it fits together. Luke preps the base, tips gravel through the tailgate and levels it with the posi-track. The base is then watered with a hired water truck and compacted with Luke's roller. Any sealing is done by others afterwards, on the base Luke has prepared. See driveway repairs for more.
Attachments and what they're for
- Buckets for digging, trenching, loading the tipper and spreading.
- Auger for post and pier holes on fences, farm sheds and rural jobs, drilled clean rather than dug out with a bucket.
- Grab for picking up logs, branches, rocks and stumps when clearing a block.
- Compaction wheel for compacting trench backfill once the pipe or cable is in.
- Laser level so Luke cuts to a set height rather than by eye.
Who the hire suits
Builders
Service trenches dug and backfilled for the licensed plumber or electrician to lay and connect, soil carted out and material brought in, on commercial, farm and rural sites and smaller residential jobs. The builder's offsider is often on site with Luke, and a certificate of currency is available on request.
See moreLandscapers
Digging out, spreading soil and road base, levelling with the posi-track, and old soil carted away on the tipper.
See moreFarmers and rural blocks
Dams, creek crossings, access tracks, culverts, and trees and stumps removed at the owner's request.
See moreHomeowners with smaller jobs
A potholed gravel driveway, a drainage trench, a pile of soil to go or a load of gravel to come in.
See moreFor builders and site managers
How Luke works on your site
The habits builders ask about, done as standard.
- Luke lodges his own Before You Dig enquiry, and potholes services by hand before the machine digs close
- At least 3 m from overhead power lines, and 6 m or 8 m from higher-voltage transmission lines
- Open holes barricaded, and nobody in the hole while the machine digs
- Silt fences where runoff could reach drains or creeks
- Spoil only to lawful tips and approved sites, with dockets
- Daily pre-start checks on every machine
- RIIMPO301E Conduct hydraulic excavator operations
- RIIMPO334E Conduct skid steer loader operations using attachments
- Liability and equipment insurance held, certificate of currency on request
Statement of Attainment issued 19 October 2026.
What shapes an excavator hire quote
| What Luke looks at | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which machines | A small trench may only need the excavator. A driveway re-sheet also uses the tipper and posi-track. |
| Access | Gate width, side access and slope decide which machine can get in. |
| Spoil going out | How much there is and what it is (clean soil, rock, roots or rubbish), which decides where it can lawfully go. |
| Material coming in | How many tipper loads of gravel, road base or soil the job needs from the quarry. |
| The ground | Clay, sand and rock dig differently, and low-lying coastal ground can hold acid sulfate soils. |
| Services and power lines | Buried services and overhead lines limit where the machine can work. If a line can't be isolated, a SafeWork NSW safety alert sets a 3 m approach distance for mobile plant near energised lines up to 132,000 volts. |
Rates aren't listed on this site, but quotes are free. Luke prices each job from your photos, or from a quick site look if the job needs it.
What to send for a quote
Call or text 0488 987 325, or use the form below.
- A wide photo of the whole area, showing the slope, trees and what's nearby.
- A photo of the gate or way in, with a tape measure across the narrowest point.
- A close photo of the exact spot. Mark it with paint, pegs or a hose if you can.
- Anything overhead near the work: power lines, phone lines, branches or eaves.
- What you want done, with rough sizes: trench length and depth, driveway length, or loads of soil or gravel.
- Whether spoil stays on site or goes on the tipper, plus the suburb and any timing to work around, such as a plumber's booking.
- Any private buried lines you know of, such as septic, irrigation or a power run to a shed.
Moving soil or machines out of a fire ant area
Fire ants have been detected in the Tweed. A NSW Biosecurity (Fire Ant) Emergency Order controls moving fire ant carriers, including soil, mulch, turf, quarry material and earth-moving equipment, out of fire ant areas. Under Emergency Order (No. 10) 2026, issued 1 September 2026, the Murwillumbah and Wardell (Ballina Shire) movement control areas were still in place, and the NSW fire ant infested area covered NSW land within 5 km of detections in Queensland and at Tweed Heads South. Zones change, so check the current NSW fire ant map before soil or machines move.
Trenches, stumps and tracks
Need a machine and an operator?
Text Luke a wide photo, the gate or access and the exact spot, with a rough idea of the job. He'll tell you which machine suits and quote it.
Excavator hire questions
Does the excavator come with an operator?
Yes. Every Dirt Werks machine comes with Luke operating it, which is called wet hire. The person who quotes your job is the person in the seat on the day, so you explain the job once and talk to one person about any changes. Luke runs the excavator, posi-track and tipper himself, and has a Statement of Attainment for RIIMPO301E Conduct hydraulic excavator operations.
Will the posi-track or excavator fit through my gate?
Measure first rather than guess. Run a tape across the gate opening and the narrowest point between the street and the job, then text Luke a photo with the tape in it. Mention anything low overhead, such as eaves, carports or branches, and how steep the way in is. He'll tell you which machine fits, or whether the job needs a different plan.
Do you bring the tipper?
Yes, when there is spoil to go out or material to come in. The Fuso Fighter carries about 7.5 t a load. Luke loads it with the excavator and carts the spoil to a lawful tip or approved site, with dockets. The tipper can also bring gravel, road base or soil from the quarry, so the dig and the cartage sit on one booking.
Is a posi-track the same as a skid steer?
Not quite, but they do the same kind of work. A skid steer is a small loader on wheels, and a posi-track, or compact track loader, does that work on tracks. Plenty of people call either one a bobcat, which is a brand name. Luke runs an ASV RT-60 posi-track and has a Statement of Attainment for RIIMPO334E Conduct skid steer loader operations using attachments.
Do I need council approval before the excavator starts?
It depends on the job and the land. As at October 2026, Tweed Shire Council says filling land needs development consent in most cases, that written approval is needed in most cases before acid sulfate soils are disturbed, and that driveway work in the road reserve needs Section 138 approval. Read the council approval guide and check with your council or certifier before booking.
Service areas
Based in Murwillumbah, working the Gold Coast to Lennox Head
Gold Coast
Coolangatta, Currumbin, Palm Beach, Burleigh Heads, Robina, Mudgeeraba, Nerang, Southport, Helensvale, Coomera, Ormeau
Murwillumbah & Tweed Valley
Murwillumbah, South Murwillumbah, Bray Park, Uki, Tyalgum, Chillingham, Stokers Siding, Burringbar
Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads, Tweed Heads South, Banora Point, Terranora, Bilambil, Chinderah
Kingscliff & Tweed Coast
Kingscliff, Cudgen, Casuarina, Salt, Kings Forest
Pottsville & Cabarita
Pottsville, Cabarita Beach, Bogangar, Hastings Point, Mooball
Byron Bay & Brunswick Heads
Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores, Mullumbimby, Suffolk Park, Bangalow
Lennox Head & Ballina
Lennox Head, Skennars Head, Ballina
Not on the list? Call Luke on 0488 987 325 and ask.
Sources
- Before You Dig Australia: free underground plan requests
- SafeWork NSW safety alert: mobile plant operating near overhead power lines
- Tweed Shire Council: fire ants
- Tweed Shire Council: fire ant update, what you can and can't do (28 November 2023)
- NSW Government: fire ants confirmed and treated at a Tweed Heads site (2 July 2025)
- NSW DPIRD: Plain English Guide to the Biosecurity (Fire Ant) Emergency Order (No. 10) 2026 (PDF)
- NSW DPIRD: map of fire ant infested areas and movement control areas
- Tweed Shire Council: disposal of fill
- Tweed Shire Council: acid sulfate soils
- Tweed Shire Council: driveways
Related
Soil removal and tipper
Soil, spoil and rubbish removal to lawful tips, tipper hire with driver, and gravel, road base and soil delivered. Tweed to Ballina.
See more
Trenching and drainage
Trenching for plumbing, power and drainage, Gold Coast to Lennox Head. Before You Dig checked, dug to grade, backfilled.
See more
Driveway repairs
Potholes, washouts and worn gravel fixed: regrading, re-sheets and base prep for sealing. Tweed Valley and coast.
See more
Meet Luke
Meet Luke, owner-operator behind Dirt Werks: his excavator, posi-track and tipper, training and safe-work habits. Murwillumbah based.
See more