Is hiring-in equipment a valid and often used solution in your business ?
If so, what type of equipment do you end up hiring-in for jobs and why - is it to replace broken equipment, to fill in machinery gaps or to react to those specific one-off jobs where it makes little sense to purchase ?
Who do you go to for hiring equipment - local depots or specific industry suppliers and do you find what you need ?
Does anyone consider long term hiring/leasing - If so, has it worked ?
If you hire-in, how do you recover the cost(s) within the job ?
Just looking at equipment we may need or replace this season and it got me thinking about it all (dangerous, I know ;)........
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I think I would only lease a large item long term if it was cash flow and tax efficient.
i now hire very little equipment. I have found in the past that we waste too much time waiting for machinery to come in or be picked up from us on site. If we use machinery enough then to me that justifies buying it and some machinery you end up using much more when you own it than when you hire it. for example 3 years ago i spent 5000 on a mini digger and trailer. its paid for itself many times over and every job i quote on where it will be used i make an allowance for it and the fuel etc within that quote. we have used it on so many little jobs, that before i would have left a few guys for the day to dig out by hand.
when i buy plant i also work on the basis that even with a large capital outlay i ensure that i will be able to recoup a large proportion of the costs back if i sell it on. always have an escape plan!
chipper and operator for the day @ £150? is that a joke?most of the hire places here are best part of £100 just for a chipper.
To hire in a guy with chipper and to take away chip is £250 if he is cutting also then its £300 a day round here.
I've hired scarifiers in the past. It's not a job I enjoy (other than if it's a minor,routine de-thatch), so try not to make a habit of it! I've also hired a chipper/shredder, another job I'm not keen on. Funny how I can't wait to buy a new bit of kit for the work I like, but the few tasks I really don't enjoy, I tend not to push them. Last November I quoted for a job that needed hire of a flail mower but got undercut and didn't go for it, I think I could have found plenty of use if I'd bought one of those years ago. If I had another 25-30 years to do in the trade, I'd definitely go for a mini-digger but at my age now I really can't justify it.
We also hire in towers - they cost less than £50 (and again, delivered to site and collected) which makes it cheaper than storing one, loading and unloading it ourselves.
Big jet wash with FSC.
I have a small petrol karcher with FSC for the small patios and cleaning the van etc....
Wacker plate, local place is £20 for a day. May hire one twice a year.
Cement mixer as storage is a pain due to size. Use plastic mixing tray the bulk of the time if its only a few hundred kgs..
Digger, 1 ton hi tip dumper, hi tip powered barrow all hired for jobs.
As a Designer the only items I hire is a laser level, from a speicalist survey equipment place locally. This cost is charged to the client. Complex or large sites I get a surveyor to do. I only do a few surveys a year and so this way I ensure I have a serviced and fully calibrated piece of kit, and don't clutter my place up too.