Small job, short hire, no reason to buy. Our portable range runs from 1kVA to 8.5kVA and covers most of what a portable generator gets asked to do: power tools, market stalls, film and TV, home backup during an outage, and sensitive gear like laptops and test equipment that needs a clean supply.
Quiet inverter units are available for anywhere noise is a problem - events, residential streets, anything with neighbours.
Fuelled, oiled and run before it reaches you.
The most common thing that goes wrong with a hire generator is that it won't start on site. Stale fuel, flat battery, sat in a yard for three months.
Every unit we hire out is PDI-tested before dispatch - fuelled, oiled, run and load-tested in our workshop. What you collect is a machine we've already proven works.
We're also the people who sell and service these units, so the one you hire is maintained by technicians who know it, not by whoever was free.
Also available to hire
Why hire from Macfarlane
Powering Australia since 1949
Founded in Melbourne, still 100% Australian owned and operated.
Every unit PDI-tested
Fuelled, oiled, run and load-tested before dispatch. Most competitors just send the box.
We hire and install
Licensed electricians connect, load-test and commission on site. Not a delivery driver.
4 branches, 1 supplier
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Perth. National delivery, in-house servicing and genuine parts.
What size do I need?
Add up everything you'll run at once, then leave headroom for start-up surge. Motors, compressors and pumps can draw three to four times their running load the moment they kick in, which is exactly where most DIY sizing goes wrong, and why a 2400W generator won't reliably run a 2000W tool.
The Power Calculator does the maths, including motor starting loads. Or send us the list and we'll size it.
What our customers say
Portable generator hire FAQs
An inverter produces cleaner, more stable power, so it's the safe choice for laptops, test equipment and anything with a circuit board in it. It's also quieter and uses less fuel at light load. A conventional petrol set is cheaper and fine for tools and general site work.
It depends on your total load and whether you need single or three phase. Motors, compressors and pumps draw far more on start-up than when running, so a simple wattage total usually undersizes the unit. Use our Power Calculator for an estimate, or send us your equipment list and we'll size it properly.
Our inverter units and silenced acoustic-canopy industrial sets are built for noise-sensitive sites - events, film and TV, hospitals and built-up areas.
Not without modification. Portable units generally need work before they can be connected to a switchboard. Call us and we'll talk through your application.
Call us. Every branch has in-house servicing, genuine spare parts and technicians who know the equipment.
Every hire is quoted per job, because size, duration, delivery, installation and fuel all vary. Longer hires reduce the daily rate. Send an enquiry for a free, no-obligation quote.
Yes. We hire from single-day jobs through to long-term site contracts.