Have you recently started your own construction business? Are you noticing that contractors who already have equipment seem to be outbidding you for jobs because they don’t first have to make rental arrangements?
There may be many reasons why you’re considering the option of buying your own machinery. Especially if you’ve seen affordable ads for a Kubota mini excavator for sale in your local listings. Is it more beneficial to own your own mini excavator?
Plenty of Good Reasons to Own Equipment
There’s no denying that owning equipment sometimes simplifies the job at hand. This is especially true in instances where a specific piece of machinery is needed more urgently than you anticipated. If you’re still not convinced that owning is better than renting, you’ll find our list of reasons an interesting read.
1. Guaranteed Availability
Owning a mini excavator ensures that you always have a machine on hand when you need it. There’s no waiting for local rental agencies to coordinate schedules and draw up rental agreements.
You also won’t have to rush around looking for an available unit if your preferred agent doesn’t have a machine available. Ownership also eliminates you having to look for a new rental agent if you take on a job in a different area that’s outside of your usual scope.
2. More Value for Money in the Long Run
While it’s true that the initial capital required for a mini excavator can be quite extensive, the reality is that it may be more affordable in the long run. This is because repeated rentals will eventually add up and will require constant budgeting.
If you use an excavator often, rental costs can mount up. Opting to buy an excavator will only require budgeting for the initial purchase and routine maintenance costs.
3. Increases In-House Skills
Owning equipment makes it easier for you and your team to become familiar with all the tricks of operating it. This not only increases your team’s skill set but will also reduce the need to hire external operators for a specific project.
You can also focus on getting your team trained on the repairs and maintenance, which will make it easier to fix a problem when they’re out on the job site. In many instances, this will reduce any potential downtime caused by a sudden part or component failure.
4. Makes for a Lucrative Investment
Mini excavators are a good investment, no matter how you look at it. Some of the impressive factors that highlight this include the following:
- Versatility: Mini excavators are remarkably versatile. Since they can be used with a variety of attachments, you’ll be able to perform countless jobs. Mini excavators can be used in construction, farming, landscaping, maintenance and utility work. Mini excavators are compact enough to work in the smallest spaces, making it easy to get a wide range of jobs done on time.
- Reduces the need for additional labour: Using a machine that can perform an array of tasks from digging to grading means that you can easily work with limited workers.
- Durability: Kubota excavators have a reputation for being durable. Not only can work in the toughest conditions, but they can also withstand a lot of wear and tear.
- Easy to maintain: Most mini excavators are very simple to maintain. As an owner, the onus will be on you to follow routine inspections and care guidelines to keep maintenance at a minimum. It’s a good idea to set aside a maintenance budget that will ensure you always have funds available in the event of emergency maintenance.
- High resale value: Excavators also have a higher resale value because of their durability and versatility. It’s a good idea to keep your machine maintained and in good working condition to ensure that you can easily resell it when you need to.
5. Allows You to Take on Smaller Side Jobs
One of the concerns that business owners may have is that owning a machine means it will be standing idle on days that it’s not needed. An innovative way to combat this is to offer small-scale demolition services to other contractors.
By renting out your excavator plus the services of a trusted operator, you can let your machine earn money when it’s not needed on your current site. With the correct type of attachments, you will be able to take on jobs such as the following:
- Removing fences
- Breaking up old timber structures such as sheds and decks
- Digging up driveways or roads
- Landscaping jobs such as land grading and debris or rubbish removal
- Attachments such as pushers, ploughs and blowers will also allow you to do snow removal, depending on where you live
- Assis with loading and unloading jobs for other contractors or local warehouses
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that owning a mini excavator can be more lucrative than continuously renting one. The biggest benefit is that you’ll have the machine available when you need it and with its durability and versatility, you definitely won’t go wrong!
