If you're starting a construction business in which you will need an excavator, but you don't have the budget to buy your own, you will need to contract with an excavators hire company. To help you understand some of the factors that go into this rental, here are important things to consider before you make your final decision:

Insurance

Like cranes, excavators are pieces of heavy machinery that can cause property damage and injury if not used in the proper manner. Although most excavator hire companies are required to carry liability insurance for any equipment they rent, this insurance does not protect you if you damage the equipment during the rental period.

That means you will either have to obtain damage insurance from an outside insurer, or obtain that insurance from the excavator hire company if they offer it. Many excavator hire companies will not let you rent their equipment without damage insurance, because they have to protect their investment.

Operational Guidance

Another important consideration is whether the excavator hire company will provide you with an experienced operator to guide you in the proper safety requirements of the machine. There are some companies that assume you have a skilled operator to run the excavator, and there are other companies which will provide you with one of their own operators, who can come to your worksite and supervise the excavator operation.

However, if you choose to use the company's operator, you will pay an additional fee that is separate from the cost to rent the machine. But it may be worth it, because having one of the excavator hire company's own employees at your site can help ensure the safety of your workers, and protect the excavator from being damaged through improper use.

Licensing

It is no longer a requirement for a company that rents an excavator to have a licenced operator. Years ago, you or one of your workers would have needed to possess a class LE licence, but that requirement has been voided. But it behooves you to have a skilled operator, because anything that goes wrong with that excavator will be your responsibility.

Mechanical Breakdown Procedure

It's very important that you know the procedure to follow if the excavator you rent stops working. Some excavator hire companies will send a replacement excavator (if available), but won't guarantee same-day delivery. Other excavator hire companies guarantee that any mechanical breakdown of their equipment will result in a replacement that same day. Typically, this means that the company contracts with others in the area on a loan rental to satisfy that guarantee.