posted 8 years ago
Stump height does not matter if you are using an excavator.
I rent a lot of equipment because for some strange reason people seem to want me to clear land for them. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but with stumps, bigger is better. I know money is money, but with a small excavator it might take 4 times longer to pull a stump then it would take to pull it with a machine twice as big. The cost per week is twice as much, but you get way more done. This is especially true if you might run into rocks.
To get the most from your excavator plan on using it a full 40 hours. Make a list of things that HAVE to get done, things you really hope get done, and things you wish would get done. They do a fair amount of work so get the work out of them by pre-planning. Also, you are not paying for the starter so shut it off and never let it idle, those minutes add into hours, and hours you are not getting work done. Also watch the weather, without question as soon as the machine arrives, its going to rain...Murphy's law. Work the wet sections first. Again planning work with the machine around the weather really pays off.
If you run out of time with the machine, assess whether or not to keep working it. The biggest mistake you can make is sending it back. It costs a fee to have it delivered and you might not be able to get it again for awhile.
Schedule the rent well in advance. Availability of the machine you want does not always coincide with your time to work it. Last year I waited all summer for a big bulldozer that another renter kept, and kept, and kept...
There is a lot of hidden costs with rental equipment. Delivery fees, diesel fuel, break-downs and repairs. I say break downs because, while my rental company pays for them, the question is can you sit by doing nothing on vacation from your real job as you are waiting for parts to come in. I have dealt with this before and it sucks! If you are using vacation time from a traditional job, be ready to be flexible because I have never rented a piece of equipment yet that did not break.
Sometimes it was my fault and so plan for 30% above the rental price. Last summer I rented an excavator and cleared 18 acres of mountainside. In dong that I absolutely stove that excavator all to crap. I spent my own money fixing it only to have the rental company say I scratched the counterweight and it needed to be repainted. ($300). As I said, a lot of hidden costs with rental equipment.
But it makes sense. They are actually pretty cheap IF you get the seat time in. You have to work them, rain or shine and from dawn to dusk. Usually I run out of days before I run out of hours.