Whether you’re in the warehouse, manufacturing, home building or lumber, you’ve got a job to do and a little (or a lot of) snow can’t get in the way. Winter brings additional challenges when it comes to inclement weather. Renting snow removal equipment that can handle the job is a great solution for the temporary season of need.
Snow Removal Made Easy
Our blog readers come from many industry segments and winter plays a role in all of them. Whether you’re in the warehouse, manufacturing, home building or lumber, you’ve got a job to do and a little (or a lot of) snow can’t get in the way. Winter brings additional challenges when it comes to inclement weather. Winter can create harsh conditions for operations that conduct part or all of their business outside. It can slow down shipping and receiving process and can create inconveniences to customers and employees driving to the facility. For large scale companies and businesses, investing in snow removal equipment might make sense, but for the rest it can be a major cost burden for such a temporary need. That’s why renting equipment that can handle the job is a great solution.
What equipment can you expect to see for this work? You’ll see mid-size tractors, skid steers, wheel loaders, and full-size tractors. Various attachments including blades, buckets and blowers can be used to push or blow snow out of the way and remove snow from needed areas.
Renting Equipment:
Renting snow removal equipment is great in a couple of aspects. Renting fills the temporary equipment need. There’s no need to purchase large and expensive equipment and additional attachments that will only be used for three or four months out of the year, at most. With rental options for a period of daily, weekly, monthly or long-term you can relieve a few headaches of owning and maintaining equipment that’s used minimally.
Since you will only be renting equipment for the time(s) that you actually need it, you’ll be saving cost and space. For the other three quarters of the year that the equipment isn’t in use, the equipment and attachments take space for storage and must be maintained. Service of equipment is also a vital aspect to its life expectancy and performance. When renting, the provider takes on those responsibilities so you don’t have to worry.
Asking the Right Questions:
What equipment do I need? This is probably the number one question that needs to be answered. Your time is time is valuable, so spending hours outside with a shovel or even a personal snow blower can cost more in time than its worth. For small to moderate snow removal projects, a mid-size tractor and skid steer with a blade might be a great solution. For larger areas and projects, a little extra power might be necessary to get the job done efficiently and timely, so a snow blower attachment might be needed along with larger equipment. Not to mention, remember that you’ll probably want a heated cab since it’s winter and the temperatures can be nearly unbearable. You’ll also need to identify if one piece of equipment will be sufficient or if multiple will be needed.
How long is the equipment needed? When winter weather decides to hit, we typically have less than a few days’ notice (if we’re lucky). Daily rental of equipment might be difficult with short notice needs, so it’s important to know if the scope of your project will be for the entire winter season. Other projects may be planned for a few days or couple of weeks. Regardless, renting your equipment in advance will ensure availability.
Will the equipment be used for any other projects? Remember that equipment has versatility. There may be other projects that can be done while you have the availability of a skid steer or tractor, even in winter. Otherwise, knowing of multiple projects ahead of time might allow the rental company to adjust the equipment needed to meet the needs of all tasks. Versatility, efficiency and productivity make a huge difference in equipment, especially when time equates to money for all businesses.
Keep Well-Serviced and Efficient Equipment in Mind
It’s extremely important to rent equipment from a trusted resource. When working with a trusted and local source, you’re ensuring that you receive a well-maintained machine. A machine that has been properly serviced and maintained will help make sure it runs efficiently for your project. In most cases, you’ll be able to rent newer or low-hour equipment that will provide updated technology that also aids the efficiency of equipment. It’s basically a glorified test drive; you get to experience the best equipment on the market while being able to get your job done without the price tag of new equipment.
Get Ready Before the First Snow Flies?
Even in the early autumn months, it’s a good idea to call ahead to see if there’s equipment available and schedule your equipment rental needs.
Make sure to work with Fairchild Equipment. As your local resource for rental equipment, Fairchild Equipment offers a full-line of rental equipment from materials handling, warehouse, construction and agriculture equipment. Contact us to make Fairchild Equipment your go-to rental equipment provider.
Sources:
1 https://www.turfmagazine.com/snow-ice-management/snow-removal-tricks-of-the-trade/
