Construction machinery on hire or to buy: how to choose well
The job first, then the machine
It is hard to choose a machine until you know what it will do. A trench for a foundation, levelling a plot, demolishing a garage and compacting the base for paving all need different machines. The universal choice for private building is a backhoe loader like the JCB 3CX: it digs, loads and levels.
For narrow passages and city yards a mini excavator is handier. For compacting a base, people take a plate compactor or a roller. If the job is single and short, hire with an operator. Owning a machine pays off only when the work is constant.
Hire with or without an operator
Hire with an operator is more reliable: the person who sits at the controls knows the machine. Without an operator you take it only if you have experience and the papers to run it. Always ask who pays for fuel and for delivery on a trailer, and whether idle time is charged.
What to put in your request
- Type of machine — backhoe loader, mini excavator, roller, plate compactor.
- Buy or hire — with or without an operator.
- Scope of work — for example a 30 m trench for a foundation, its depth and width.
- Location — city and type of soil, access to the plot.
- Period — for an hour, two days, a week.
- Model, year, engine hours — if buying, for example up to 6,000 hours.
- Condition — running, needs repair, no investment needed.
- Budget — for example $17 per hour.
Example: “I need a JCB 3CX type backhoe loader with an operator in Brisbane for 2 days: a 30 m trench for a foundation, 1.2 m deep, then backfilling. Access is clear. Budget $17 per hour; please state the cost of delivery separately.”
How to get a good price
Instead of calling numbers from listings, describe the work in a request on BlaBlaPrice. Equipment owners in your region reply in the chat with a price, terms and dates. They see where their offer ranks among the others and can improve their terms, so the rate often comes down. The best offer, judged on what is offered, is shown first, with reviews next to it. Your phone is not shown to everyone; details are on the “How it works” page.
What to look at in the answers
- Whether travel time is charged, and what the minimum booking is.
- Whether the rate includes the operator, fuel and extra attachments (bucket, breaker).
- Model and year: an old machine may often stand idle.
- Whether there is a backup in case of a breakdown.
When buying used, check the engine hours, play in the boom joints, hydraulic leaks and the condition of the tracks or tyres. For specific jobs, look at the narrower sections: excavators, mini loaders or a roller, and the “Heavy equipment” section.
Safety on site
Before earthworks, find out where cables, gas and water pipes run, because a bucket can catch them in a moment. Prepare access to the plot: clear obstacles and take down the fence if it blocks the way in. Also agree on removing the soil, because without that a heap of earth quickly becomes a problem. If the ground is wet or clayey, say so in advance: the machine will need more time, and in the rainy season work may have to wait.
