As the demand for new buildings, houses, business headquarters and commercial providers is constantly on the rise, the construction industry is flourishing more and more as each day passes. Those in charge of construction projects know how important it is to use highly secure and reliable machines to carry out their jobs, otherwise a safe working environment can turn into a troubling situation in a matter of seconds. Naturally, heavy duty projects require heavy duty equipment to get the job done safe and sound. For that, we want to present all the information you need to know about heavy equipment rental services so you can make a documented decision.
Advantages of Heavy Equipment Rental
Why heavy equipment rental instead of purchasing, you ask? If you do not own or work for a major construction company with constant projects with generous budgets in this field of activity, you will realize that the costs for buying heavy equipment are huge. For all other situations, renting heavy equipment is the smartest decision you can make. By choosing to benefit from heavy equipment rental services, you can enjoy great prices and some of the most reliable products on the market for short term projects.
You can carry out your construction project safely and wisely, without spending a fortune on buying some equipment that you will definitely not need once your project is over. Furthermore, you have the option of insuring your rentals (most often it’s even mandatory), so that you don’t risk anything in case something goes wrong or the equipment turns out to be damaged. Just like car leasing became a huge hit because of all the right economic reasons, so is equipment rental bound to become even more popular than it is in the present, for the same pragmatic reasons.
Things to Consider Before Renting Heavy Equipment
To make sure you receive the best rates you can find for the heavy equipment you need, don’t be embarrassed to reach out and talk to all the companies in your area in order to have them send you an updated list of rates for your service. Don’t judge those rates by hearsay until you have them before your eyes and sent especially to you; most companies adapt their list of prices depending on your location and how far you are from them, so whatever worked for your friends or acquaintances may not work as well for you.
Also, if you have a choice, make sure you go for the better insurance options, even if it costs a few dollars extra. Protecting yourself or your company from liability should be a higher priority than cutting costs on the short term.
Best Heavy Equipment Rental Companies
While there are numerous suppliers that you can rent heavy duty equipment from, there are a few major companies that are the most respected in the industry. Sunbelt Rentals, United Rentals, Home Depot Rentals and Lowes Rentals have some of the best rates on the market and a wide range of products for rent that you can choose from, as well as Hertz Equipment Rental. Learn more about these four companies below.
1. Sunbelt Rentals
With more than 500 locations all over North America, Sunbelt Rentals is one of the most sought after heavy equipment rental companies. The construction rental giant offers industrial tools, scaffolding equipment, restoration and remediation equipment, power generation equipment and pumps, trench shoring equipment and, of course, general construction equipment. Log onto their official website and search either by the piece of equipment you need or your location to see the products and stores near me. Also, this is the only way to reach an accurate list of prices, and why we can’t offer them to you here, precisely because the rates vary according to your location.
2. United Rentals
An even larger company than Sunbelt, United Rentals has almost 900 locations in almost all American States, and more than 3000 pieces for heavy equipment rental. This makes United Rentals the biggest heavy equipment rental company in the entire world, so you can always count on their services and their expertise (18 years in the business) for meeting all of your construction project needs.
3. Home Depot Rentals
Another very popular provider for heavy equipment rental services in the United States is Home Depot Rentals. Their diversified catalog offers countless pieces of equipment for various construction fields, such as fastening and welding, moving and trailers, floor care and sanding, cutting and concrete and, of course, heavy equipment rental. Additionally, they also offer used tools for sale at competitive prices.
4. Lowes Rentals
No matter what state you live in, you can count on Lowes Rentals for truck rentals, as well as carpet cleaning equipment rentals. For other types of equipment, you can visit the Lowes Rentals stores in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee to benefit from their tool rental program and other heavy equipment rental services.
List of popular companies by location (in USA and Canada):
Whether you are in the United States or Canada, there are more than enough companies in major locations for you to choose from for heavy equipment rental. You can see five companies for some of the most sought after locations in this area below and compare their prices and services, according to your needs and construction project.
San Diego, CA
- BJ’s Rentals
- Clairemont Equipment
- Hertz Equipment Rental
- Neff Rental
- El Camino Rental
Indianapolis, IN
- Lawrence Tool Rental Inc.
- MacAllister Rentals
- Runyon Rental
- Sunbelt Rentals
- Bobcat of Indy
Denver, CO
- Wagner Equipment
- Honnen Heavy Equipment Rentals
- Ahern Rentals
- Power Equipment Company
- Compact Power Rents
Houston, TX
- BlueLine Rental
- Aztec Rental Center
- Champion Rentals
- Harris County Rentals
- Mustang Cat Rental Store
Concord, NH
- Beauregard Equipment Inc.
- Milton Cat
- Bobcat of NH
- Trusted Rentals NH
- Chapell Tractor
Austin, TX
- Ahern Rentals
- Neff Rental
- Compact Power Rents
- Equipment Rental Austin
- BlueLine Rental
Trenton, NJ
- Ransome Rents
- Volvo Rents
- Grand Rental Station
- Pac-Van Inc.
- Modern Group, Ltd.
Saint Paul, MN
- Hejny Rentals, Inc.
- ABC Rentals, Inc.
- Total Tool Supply, Inc.
- Oakdale Rental
- Northern Source Rentals
San Antonio, TX
- Rocky Hill Equipment Rentals
- A to Z Rentals
- Holt Cat Rentals
- Tejas Equipment
- Texas First Rentals
Augusta, Maine (ME)
- Eagle Rental
- Rent It
- Anderson Equipment Company
- U Rent It
- Easy Rental
Edmonton, Canada
- Briggs Trucking & Equipment Ltd.
- Hertz Equipment Rental
- Volvo Rents
- Wajax Equipment
- Ironworks Machinery Ltd.
Useful Heavy Equipment Rental Tips:
Make sure than you company is covered for any potential damages to the heavy equipment you will rent out, to avoid being liable for said damage. If you and your company are covered by a good and well-encompassing insurance, all should be fine. Usually, this insurance should be offered by the very company you rent out the equipment from, and the fact that they offer it is another sign that you are dealing with a good and reliable rental service company.
Also, take into account that for larger orders, perhaps you should have an accountant or lawyer (or any kind of legal consultant) take a look at your contract for renting the equipment, just to be on the safe side and make sure everything is alright. We would especially advise this in the case of larger orders, which amount to a consistent invoice.
Conclusion: renting out the heavy equipment you need to complete an out of the ordinary project is starting to be a more and more popular option with companies and public administration offices everywhere. It’s easy to understand why, since the costs and security of such a heavy equipment rental are much more attractive than the increased costs and diminished security of buying that equipment for good.
Still, in the case that this purchase would become necessary, the option of completing it from the same rental company you’ve been working with for a while is also on the table (for a lower price than buying new equipment, obviously). All in all, heavy equipment rental companies are becoming numerous and popular precisely because the services they offer are a welcome change to a previously closed niche.
Photo Credits: Oztrac.com.au, Gregorypoole.com, Gtindu.com, Bigprojectme.com.
I agree that it is wise to reach out to multiple machine rental companies to get an idea of the rates and machines they have. I think that it’s important that you have the right equipment for the right job. That way, you can get the work done effectively and safely. Plus, renting is nice because you at least get a chance to try equipment out without being wholly committed to it.
That’s a great tip to make sure the company you choose is insured for damages to the equipment. You wouldn’t want that liability to fall on your project. That would defeat the purpose of renting to lower costs, since renting means you don’t cover the usual costs associated with ownership.
My husband and I are looking for some equipment to help us with our relandscaping project. We just need a skid steer that will be able to move some dirt and rocks around. As we look for a company to rent from, we will be sure to talk to all the companies in our area and ask for an updated list of rates, as you suggested.
This is some really good information about heavy equipment rental. I liked that you talked about how you should have a lawyer go over the contract for the rentals. That does seem like a good thing to do if you are going to be renting a lot of equipment.
I found it interesting that you talked about renting equipment is smart, reliable, and safe. My godfather is looking to find an equipment hire service so he can start a project on his property. I’ll be sure to talk to him about finding a reliable service to rent from.
I didn’t know you could buy insurance for the equipment you rent. My husband and I recently bought a greyhound puppy and we are wanting to renovate the yard to make it more level for him. We don’t want to buy our own equipment because we are only going to use it this once. I’ll have to look into good companies to help us get this equipment.
It’s good to learn more about heavy equipment rentals. It makes sense that it’s smart to shop around to make sure you find the best rates possible. We may need to rent some heavy machines to help us with our landscape project, so I’ll remember this.
That’s good to know that most companies will adapt their prices depending on how far the location is from them. This is helpful for smaller businesses wanting to rent heavy equipment since they can look for companies nearby they can rent from to save money. It would also be good to look at what they provide since it would be best to rent from one company to save even more on the equipment.