The current supply chain issues and rising costs of construction projects attributed to the high cost of labour and raw materials (and logistics to a certain degree) have resulted in a transformation within the mechanics of the construction industry.
The tremors of the COVID19 pandemic that plagued most industries from 2020 to 2021 is still being felt by the industry in a wide variety of ways which has resulted in most construction companies turning to specific strategies that reduce project costs and ensure stable and healthy cash flows.
Among the strategies that have been employed by industry players include renting heavy construction machines on daily or weekly basis. This report provides answers to some frequently asked questions related to renting construction equipment such as skid steers for example which is used as an example, however the same criterion applies to other equipment such as hire of mini excavators and standard excavators.
1. How much does a skid steer for hire cost?
The rental cost of a skid steer is mainly dependent with machine type as there are a variety of skid steers that do not only range in size and power, but also type such as the wheeled skid steer, compact track loader types or mini skid steers.
The obvious fact is that the more features a skid steer is fitted with and the more power the machine comes with the more the cost of hiring. A mini skid steer hire could cost around $450 whereas a fully electric skid steer may cost nearly $1200.
Bigger models (standard skid steer) cost around $850/ day. However, the prices also differ depending on the duration of hire as hiring costs are lower for longer durations.
Any additional tools such as hydraulic attachments are charged separately (at daily/ weekly or monthly rates). Therefore it is critical that project owners or managers plan their project schedules and sequence to a tee so that the hired machines are not left idling about. In case, you are looking for your options in construction careers, you need to put some efforts and look for the role that you feel you can perform well.
Also being prudent with everything that is hired and scheduling the delivery of the equipment to the project site only when they are needed in one total hiring contract will also help to reduce the hiring cost as most rental companies offer bigger discounts based on the total value of business.
2. Skid Steer Operators/ Driver
Unless the project owners or hirer of the skid steer is well connected within the industry or is able to operate the machine on his or her own, the best way to go about it is to hire the operator from the same company that provides the skid steer.
This may not be the most cost-effective way, but it is surely the guaranteed approach to ensure that man and machine are ‘well fit’.
Project owners could opt to shop around project sites and hire machine operators from other project sites, but nothing is guaranteed as these operators may have discipline issues, may commit to shoddy work or may not even show up for work when the machine is already hired.
3. Transporting Skid Steers to Project Sites
Among the best things about heavy equipment rental companies is that they actually provide pickup and delivery services for most places for absolutely no charge at all. Just name the time and place and these companies will do the rest.
However, if the project site is outside their area of delivery, they usually add on the fee. However, this is only for larger machines, because if what is being hired is a mini skid steer, then all one needs is a pickup as most mini- machines fit nicely on the back of a pickup truck and this is not against law (but check the weight capacity of the pick-up truck before loading it – no matter what)
