Should I Rent or Buy??

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
I need a backhoe or dozer to clean a field that has small trees that have grown up in it. Im debating on renting a piece of equipment or buying a piece of equipment? If I buy I would have the option of keeping or reselling after the work is done. Would like to get some opinions. Thanks.
 
i was debating the same thing 12 years ago and wound up buying a dozer with same plan of selling after my work was done...bottom line is i coulda hired somebody to do the work and it would be done and i'd have alot more money in azz national after repairs,etc.
 
Check with the rental places for "other costs." I checked and all require a $1 million liability insurance and that I was a licensed operator or contractor. Other areas might not be as expensive.
 
(quoted from post at 08:15:06 11/21/12) I need a backhoe or dozer to clean a field that has small trees that have grown up in it. Im debating on renting a piece of equipment or buying a piece of equipment? If I buy I would have the option of keeping or reselling after the work is done. Would like to get some opinions. Thanks.

I got a TLB a couple of years ago with the same thought. Do my work and resell it.......when I needed a little exrta cash this spring I mentioned to my wife the idea of selling it and she went through the roof! This is teh same woman who went through the roof when I got it. Don't use it much but having it has saved my butt so many times.....

Rick
 
If you can afford to purchase it, it is much better in the long run. Provided that it isn't a junker. You will probably find many more uses for it after you have it as well.
 
I'm sure there are a lot of us that have been in the same place. I decided to buy a CAT mini-excavator a few years back and have been happy with that decision. It's mine, I know the history and service, and it's there when I want it. Part of my calculus is that I have almost never rented a piece of equipment that actually worked right. Something was always wrong with it. In fact, I'm so satisfied with the CAT buy that I just added a D3 dozer to the herd. And, like every tool you've ever bought, you find new and unexpected uses for it.

I vote to own.
 
It can work both ways, if you absolutely know the work you have is "one of" a one time deal whereas once done the machine will sit, consider renting.

On the other hand, ownership has advantages, though a rental you don't have to perform repairs, own something decent and you have it to your avail and its usually worth it for that reason alone, both dozer and rubber tire backhoe are handy, I think you'll get more use out of the backhoe, what I find is the best combo is like a ford 545 D, industrial tractor loader, put a 3 pt or heavier hoe on it, 3pt though light, you then still have a 3 pt for implements, its wise to get the most use out of a machine by virtue of how its set up, won't sit as much and does more things for the same price.

For clearing and grubbing, a dozer in the wrong hands can make a mess, cut the trees and try and de-stump the area can make holes, you lose valuable top soil, ideally a root rake and a non 3 way dozer blade, just push arms will be a lot stronger for heavy work. A backhoe though on tires, you have to watch for things projecting, you can get more use overall and still do some clearing and grubbing, use the hoe to take stumps out, knock the soil off. Bucket to grade, sometimes you need both but the backhoe will do more tasks, add a set of forks, thumb on the hoe, little more versatile.
 
How long do you expect the project to take? If you'll only need the machine for 2 or 3 days renting probably makes the most sense. If you'll need it for several weeks you'll probably be money ahead to buy rather than rent....as long as you don't buy something that needs a lot of work.
I suggest a TLB rather than a dozer. You should be able to find a used but not used up TLB for 7-10K. Get a set of forks and you won't want to sell it.

One other thing to consider is there may be some tax advantage to buying.
 
Tractor-loader-backhoe...
As in a Ford 555 industrial.
Not like a Ford 3000 ag tractor with a loader and a 3point hoe.
 
The problem with renting is if you've never run a equipment like that before, it will take 10 times longer than you expected and not look anything like the job your neighbor hired out to a pro operator. Hiring an experienced operator is often the best way to go. If you have lots of continuous work, buying might be an option but be aware that all machines break down and repairs aren't cheap.
 
I bid on a used Galion grader with an IH UD14 engine from the state once and got it. We used it to all fall to clean out ditches and dig out rocks.

When the snow started to fall; I sold it for 2-1/2 times what I paid for it. We figured that it would be 5 - 10 years before those ditches would need to be cleaned again, so sold the grader rather than keep it around that many years.
 
I had the same idea about 7 years ago. Bought an old backhoe to dig a barn foundation figuring I'd recoup my money when I re-sold it. Even with repairs and maintainence I realized how useful it was and now can't imagine living without it. If you buy one you might as well consider the money gone.

Jim
 
Hire a professional to do the job. Everyone that I work for tells me how easy I make it look. With 30 years experience under my belt I can get in there get it done and move on. If you rent, and have no experience running heavy equipment, my guess is that you will still hire someone to come in and fix your mess. Been there done that. I've seen guys buy an old HD 6 Allis, go to work, final drive goes out. It usually cost more to repair those old machines than what they are worth.
It will be cheaper to hire someone who has experience.
Just my two cents worth.

Kerry in Mid-MO
 
if your removing tree stumps a dozer will do it, but you will find that renting a medium size tracked excavator, say a catipiller 325 with a hydraulic thumb will make the job go much fsater, [ assuming you can run one reasonably proficiently] dig around it lift the stump out backfill, throw the stump on a truck or trailer or whatever you got if your not a regular operator, hire it done you'll spend less to have a guy in that business to come in and do it, he'll be fast and good , if you rent, dont rent a toy, rent a real machine that has the power to get something done
 
When one of my friends needs excavating done they ask me what we need to do the job , then they RENT what i tell them and i run it . a couple years back a friend called me to come look at what they had planned for a new cattle barn and needed a site leveled on a hill side . They had bids from three different excavating contractors from 7800 bucks to 12000 bucks and were told that they would hace to bring in two pans two dozers and a sheeps foot roller and it would take them a week to do the job. Vernon asked me what i thought and what we needed to do it . I told him ONE dozer his one farm tractor and his home made dump wagon . It was a cut and fill and had to be compacted . He rented a 750 J D dozer and i went to work . Took me five days to do the site with a 9 foot cut across 350 feet and a fill of 12 foot plus rough grading at the end to get water to flow around the site . His cost was under two grand with fuel. and i was paid well for the job . The contractor that was to do the footers and alley ways and feet bunks was amazed to find that i had the whole location within 1/2 to one inch of grade and asked who did it and was it done with lazer . and no we did not have a lazer just and old builders level and a story pole and a old fart in the seat that can cut a grade by feel . when you rent you get a fairly new machine that is somewhat tight and if it breaks down not due to your fault they bring out another one or fix it .
 
I'd go with a backhoe over a dozer for small trees. Dozers make a mess. I cleared about 10 acres of peat ground filled with trees, brush, and rocks. Bought tracks for my skidloader and used the fork bucket a lot. Bought a Ford 4500 TLB for 6 grand, spent about a grand in repairs the last 9 years. Either machine, the buckets work well for trees and brush.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top