You can get your hands on all kinds of heavy equipment if you want to use it at home. Maybe you have a large enough yard that you feel it’s warranted to get yourself a bulldozer to move some earth around. Perhaps you have a house sitting on a few acres, and you need to tear up a stump or something similar.
In this article, we will talk a little bit about heavy equipment for home use. We will review whether it makes more sense to buy or rent it and whether you need a license to operate it.
Should You Rent Heavy Equipment for Home Use or Buy It?
First, you’ll need to look at your particular project and decide what heavy equipment you need. If you’re not an expert in this area, you’ll probably want the opinion of someone who is.
Once you know what kind of heavy equipment you need, you can determine whether renting or buying it makes more sense. You should know that there are many businesses like MTC Equipment out there. They both sell and rent heavy machinery and vehicles, so you can talk to them about either possibility.
The key when deciding whether to buy or rent a piece of heavy equipment for home use is whether you’re going to use it once or twice or whether you’ll use it many times over the months and years to come. If you have a single project that warrants using a piece of heavy machinery, it makes little use to purchase it. You’ll need to look into companies that rent these pieces to the public.
If you’re going to buy a piece of heavy equipment, that probably indicates you’re a farmer, a landowner who enjoys DIY projects, or something similar. Short of that, renting your heavy equipment is the only thing that makes sense.
Do You Need a License to Operate Heavy Machinery for Home Use?
You’ll probably want to know whether you can operate heavy machinery legally in your yard or on your land if you feel the need to rent a bulldozer or something equally large and heavy. The answer is a little complicated, though.
You only need to have licenses to operate heavy machinery in certain states. Some states have more stringent regulations, while others are relatively lax. Also, the definition of what constitutes “heavy machinery” varies from state to state.
For instance, in New York State, if you want to operate something that you might use to drill holes in rock or earth, lift materials, or anything similar, you need a valid driver’s license graded appropriately for the vehicle you’re trying to operate. Technically, you can get a citation if the police catch you operating heavy machinery without a license, even if you do so on your own property.
If you want to rent or buy some heavy machinery to use on your property, it is best to do some research before you move forward. If you don’t have the requisite license in your state, you will need to hire a professional to do the work, even if you feel confident enough to handle the heavy machinery yourself.
Usually, to get the proper grade to operate a bulldozer or something similar, you will need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. You’ll need to pass a written test, practical test, and a vision test as well.
What Should You Look for from Companies that Sell or Rent You Heavy Equipment?
If you have the proper license to operate heavy equipment for home use and you’ve determined whether you’d like to rent or buy, the next step is finding a company close to you that can get you what you need. You can start the search by simply Googling “heavy equipment rental near me” or “buy heavy equipment near me.” Any similar keyword combination should get you on the right track.
You might also talk to anyone you know who lives close to you and has also bought or rented heavy equipment for home use. They might have a recommendation if they’ve had a positive experience with a particular company.
You can narrow down the options further by making a short list of possible companies and then looking at their websites to see the specific pieces of equipment that they have. Some of them might have exactly what you need, while others may not.
Then, you can compare prices. Several companies might have what you need, but they might have dramatically different price points. A price comparison should get you closer to making a decision.
At that point, you can begin reaching out to the remaining companies on your list to see about the availability of the pieces you want. They might have certain pieces advertised on their website, but they may not have what you need in stock.
Assuming they have what you need, you can ask if they have any discounts if you buy several pieces from them. If you’re giving them quite a bit of business, they might be willing to give you a break on the price.
Finally, if you still haven’t decided which company to give your business to, you can look at the interactions you’ve had with their employees up to this point. Let’s say you’ve narrowed the list down to two companies, and they both have the equipment you need, and their prices are identical.
The company with employees that were more helpful to you and who made a better overall impression on you should be the one that gets your business. If either company’s employees don’t seem courteous and respectful, you can withdraw your patronage for that reason.
It might make sense for you to rent or buy heavy equipment to use at home. If so, make sure to find a company with competitive prices, the specific machinery you need, and friendly employees eager to assist you.
