buying rental equipment

[Outdoorstom]

I'm in the market for a used 8,000-10,000 lb mini excavator for use around my farm. I've been told by some to stay far away from buying used rental machines, others have told me you can rest assured these machines have been serviced regularly and they don't get beat on because renters would be paying for damage, so they take good care of them. I'm thinking if they are like rental cars...stay away! Can I get some opinions on this? Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[CM1995]

IMO it's hit or miss buying rental equipment. Some rental companies take better care of their equipment than others and that can vary from region to region. For example in our area RSC machines are usually in better shape than Sunbelt's.

Typically the smaller rental companies that rent to anyone, IE homeowners and DIY'ers, have the worst equipment.

The dealer rental stores, like Cat Rental, usually have better maintained equipment as well.

Like any used equipment purchase, make sure you either know what you are looking at or take someone with you that does. A couple $100 paid to a good local equip. mechanic to check out a potential machine can go a long way in saving you money in the future.

Good luck!

 

[spitzair]

My dad bought a 303 from a rental company and it's been great so far. It has a brand new cab on it because a renter (ironically our neighbour)had rolled it down a bank and busted the cab all to pieces. My dad actually went and pulled it out of the hole so he knew all about the damage when it came up for sale... I went and looked the machine over closely and tried it out as best as I could at their yard before we bought it and got a good feeling from it. I highly reccomend going over the machine and giving it as thorough of a test run as possible. If it's been abused by renters it should be obvious...

 

[Outdoorstom]

Thanks for the responses guys....much appreciated. I'm a newbie with excavators, so I'll be taking a knowledgeable friend with me to give it a good looking over when I find one. Trouble is, I live in the middle of nowhere so I'll have a 2-3 hour drive, so I'll owe him big time!

 

[maddog]

My mini's were rentals, been very pleased with them. Rental or not a used machine is just that, some are beat to death while others are kept up. I agree with the others, go over with a fine tooth comb. I'd also like to add get a feel for the person that owned previous(even the rental business). Chances are if the person is a slob then their machines will be sloppy also. The machine will only be as good as the owner kept it.

 

[willie59]

I know there are prevailing opinions about purchasing rental equipment, but I personally haven't experienced anything that would indicate it's any worse for the wear than a machine owner that doesn't know what a grease gun is. If we put the rubber to the road, it matters little where the machine came from and more how it was cared for and serviced.

Check the machine out. Does it fire right off, or does it have to run the battery down from cranking so much to start it. Does it smoke excessively. Very important, pin and bushing connections of joints. Leaks. Pump noises. Condition/color of hyd oil. Tightness of slew ring bearing. Wiring, has it been butchered by some jack wagon with a pocket knife and electrical tape. Condition of cab interior and seat. Does all the switches/functions inside cab work.

I've seen machines with only 1500 hrs that look like they dug a trench through Hades, then find a machine with 6K hrs in excellent condition. Condition of the machine matters more than where it came from, imho.

 

[Outdoorstom]

Thanks for the great tips on what to look for......this is a very helpful forum. I've been on here reading and learning for hours!

 

[raytheone]

Hey all,

Hoping someone can help. I'm looking at a used JD 50D with under 400 hours. I have a little concern with how much play should be in the boom swing joint. This has about an 1/8" or so.
Everything else seems pretty tight. The only other thing is some play in the front pin in the bucket coupler. Not so much play in the pin bore, but side to side play. Not sure if there should be any shims in there or not.
Most of the other joint have what looks to be stainless shims in them.

Thanks!!

 

[rabia]

I also used rentals mechanize and in my point of view its better to stay away from it. we are nor sure about their services and maintenance.

 

[Landworks]

We purchase alot of rental equipment for our fleet. I worked in management for RSC Equipment Rental for 5 years and can tell you that their equipment is serviced meticulously. Some rental companies are better than others. And machine condition can vary greatly. Buying direct from the rental company is the way to go. I will say that some rental companies dump problematic machines at auctions (RB etc) and I would generally stay away from those. You can request a detailed service report on any machine and it will show every time a mechanic did maintenance. Machine condition can vary greatly between stores too so do your homework. Get the salesman out of your hair and walk out back and talk to the mechanics. They will tell you the truth.