From Backyards to Big Builds – Why 1.7T Excavators Dominate Equipment Hire
Most heavy machine equipment rental companies in Australia carry a range of machines that range from heavy duty augers, mini dumpers, compact rollers, mini and standard excavators and even skid steers among others. These companies cater for construction outfits managing projects which range from home improvement projects to mega sized projects and in general act as partners to companies involved directly with projects.
Based on statistics, among the most frequently hired machinery are excavators and this is simply due to the fact that almost any given project regardless of the project size, generally benefits greatly by taking an excavator for hire. According to these companies that provide equipment such as excavators for hire, apart from standard sized excavators that weigh above 15Ts, the most frequently hired excavator class for urban projects are 1.7T excavators.
Heavy machine suppliers are generally quick to promote 1.7T excavators to potential clients because of the practicality of these machines in terms of size, power and cost and for the most part, seasoned heavy machine suppliers who have been long enough in the industry understand the overall needs of clients. 1.7T excavators offer a good balance or rather trade-off between size and power, 1.7T excavators are capable of handling a range of tasks and bridge the gap between mini and standard excavators quite nicely.
They are small enough to manage tasks that usually require mini excavators (especially for projects where excavator working space is limited) and powerful enough to manage what normally standard sized excavators are used. This particular class of excavators are suitable for demolition work, landscaping, digging, trenching and even grading as long as the right hydraulic attachment tools are fitted to them.
Transporting 1.7T excavators is also as easy as transporting mini excavators and could be rapidly moved to different project sites to optimise the hire. In terms of cost, the cost hiring a 1.7T excavator is significantly lower when compared to standard excavators and only slightly higher compared to mini excavators. The positive cost difference renders this particular class of excavators as a benefit for smaller construction outfits that have limitations within the scope of their working capital.
In contrast to outright buying excavators, which is a costly business strategy that could result in construction operation disruptions due to insufficient working capital as excavators are generally expensive. In addition to the initial purchase cost of the excavator, other cost considerations that are linked to owning heavy machines include ownership costs.
Ownership costs are costs that are incurred directly from owning such machines which include maintenance cost, storage costs and transportation costs among others. These costs are avoided when construction firms lean towards small 1 tonne and 2 tonne excavator rentals as all maintenance, transportation and repair costs are managed by the rental companies which ensure that the possibility of the machines breaking down is minimised significantly.
Apart from preventing delays attributed to machine breakdowns, by renting, construction firms have access to different types of excavators and are able to choose the right type of excavator class for different construction projects.
