Heavy Construction Equipment and Machinery

Make the right choice for your company's heavy construction equipment needs
By Christine Emmick Heavy construction machinery needs vary for different types of construction businesses. You must decide what to include in your fleet and what to rent, and after checking construction equipment prices, you need to decide whether to buy new or used equipment.
 

Having the right tools for your construction staff to get the job done is essential in saving man hours of labor. Here are some questions to ask before you make a heavy machinery equipment purchase:

1. Does renting or buying new or used heavy construction machinery make the most sense for my company?
2. Is my staff trained to operate this type and brand of heavy construction equipment?
3. Do I need my supplier not only to provide, but also service my fleet of heavy construction machines?

Do a cost comparison of rented, new and used heavy construction machinery

When you calculate the cost of renting versus owning your heavy construction equipment, you'll need to take into consideration rental fees, maintenance costs and man hours wasted on failed equipment. Heavy construction equipment management via rental may make sense for those companies that need specialized equipment for a specific job.
Try: RSC Equipment Rental has a handy calculator to help you determine the lost man hours you suffer when owned equipment breaks and the time it takes to manage and service a fleet. Machinery Stock is a free new and used heavy construction equipment advertising website for dealers and has a great advanced search tool that enables you to select things like price range, horsepower and year.

Get training for your employees from the right heavy equipment school

Now that you've decided what equipment you need and the acquisition method, you need to get your staff trained to operate the equipment. The right heavy equipment operator training school is one that teaches your staff to operate the brand of equipment safely and effectively, minimizing the possibility of personal injury and equipment damage.
Try: The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools has a training program for both crane operators and heavy equipment operators, including backhoe and skid steer training with certified instructors. National Training, Inc is an accredited school and its program, National Heavy Equipment Operators School, is part home study and part on campus, enabling the majority of the training to be done while your employees work full-time. The resident training includes a three week training session in Orange Park, Florida.

Provide service for your heavy construction machines

Don't forget about the service your new fleet of heavy machinery equipment needs. Even general maintenance tasks need to be done by a specialist. You may want to hire a construction equipment specialist to do the maintenance tasks if you've purchased a large fleet, but if your construction business is small, see if you can work out a service agreement with the dealer.
Try: At BuyerZone.com you can get free equipment leasing and financing quotes from multiple companies at once, some of which come with service agreements. Deere & Company, makers of John Deere products, offer a complete planned maintenance program with their products plus online support as well.

• You should always buy your heavy machinery equipment in person, especially if the equipment is used. It's nice to search online retailers to find what products are available, but make sure you choose a local supplier to make your actual purchases.
• Keep up with regular maintenance on your equipment, otherwise you may be in for costly engine repairs.