Own vs contract means to transport?

[LoneCowboy]

Looks like a really super setup very similar to what the big equipment rental places and professional equipment movers use around here but i'll bet anything that you move your equipment around a lot more often than 2 or 3 times a month. i think that's what we're looking at here at least for feasibility and planning purposes. seems that upgrading my dump truck (something i've been looking to do anyway) could make good sense or same for contracting out but buying a whole new rig like that would be tough to justify unless i got into the equipment moving business myself (not likely).

Theo

I must have missed that you only do it 3x a month, yeah, couldn't justify it at that. (and yeah, the trailer comes from a rental place, it's a 2000).

But a newer/bigger dump truck certainly would with a good sized 20 ton/25ton tag trailer would work nicely too.

 

[JDeereman]

I must have missed that you only do it 3x a month, yeah, couldn't justify it at that. (and yeah, the trailer comes from a rental place, it's a 2000).

But a newer/bigger dump truck certainly would with a good sized 20 ton/25ton tag trailer would work nicely too.

The fact is that we can't accurately predict how often the equipment might need to be moved and we only care right now because we may need to downsize the equipment we propose to buy if moving the equipment by ourselves is to be the plan.

Theo

 

[bontai_Joe]

Great thread! Certainly educational for me. I had never contemplated the costs of moving stuff bigger than what I own (pickup truck works for me).

 

[AlanB]

The fact is that we can't accurately predict
Theo

That part sums it up.

Right now I am thinking along the lines, of just keep going, and hiring it out, until it bites me in the rear and I get frustrated and go buy my own stuff.

All the points about someone not showing up, not doing what they said etc. etc. are how most of the step up equipment got bought for our business.

 

[ddigger]

I have been an owner operator with an 80,000lb excavator that measures 11ft2in wide since 1989. I have always just hired a truck when I need a transport. 95 percent of my work is hourly rental, the cost of the moves are passed on to my clients. I have it now where my transport guys just bill my clients direct which saves them the mark up I would put on plus not to mention less paper work for me. Even after so many yrs I still could not justify owning a transport rig. If you develop a good relationship with your transport guy or in my case guys you will rarely have a problem. As stated in an earlier post my machine does pretty much live from job site to job site, I have gone as long as 2yrs between bringing it home, which is fine for me cause when its home I seem to just create more work for myself.

 

[Groo]

you can always go halfway, and get a trailer, and pay for someone with a tractor when needed.

another option might be to get an equipment trail and a dump trailer, and 1 tractor, letting you dump a dumptruck.

 

[JDeereman]

I have been an owner operator with an 80,000lb excavator that measures 11ft2in wide since 1989. I have always just hired a truck when I need a transport. 95 percent of my work is hourly rental, the cost of the moves are passed on to my clients. I have it now where my transport guys just bill my clients direct which saves them the mark up I would put on plus not to mention less paper work for me. Even after so many yrs I still could not justify owning a transport rig. If you develop a good relationship with your transport guy or in my case guys you will rarely have a problem. As stated in an earlier post my machine does pretty much live from job site to job site, I have gone as long as 2yrs between bringing it home, which is fine for me cause when its home I seem to just create more work for myself.

Thanks for the input. you are clearly in a much larger class of machine than we ever expect to be in and it makes total sense for you to contract out. we are debating the above 40000 lb or below 40000 lb decision on the excavator. i keep forgetting that for some this is considered a "small" excavator.

Theo

 

[JDeereman]

you can always go halfway, and get a trailer, and pay for someone with a tractor when needed.

another option might be to get an equipment trail and a dump trailer, and 1 tractor, letting you dump a dumptruck.

I like the idea of going halfway, but not quite as you have laid it out. i'll admit that i am loathe to give up the convenience, practicality and low operating cost of a smaller dump truck merely for the sake of gaining a high enough towing limit to never have to contract out heavy equipment movement. i keep thinking that there must be a middle ground here. maybe it makes the most sense to upgrade the dump truck enough to move the backhoe and dozer but give up on the idea of being able to transport the excavator on our own.

Theo

 

[mouse]

I have gone as long as 2yrs between bringing it home, which is fine for me cause when its home I seem to just create more work for myself.

and aint that the bottom line!!

i do not plan to acquire a truck for the simple reason that i then need a license to operate it that i don't have or an employee I don't want, murphy's law says that it'll always be exactly where i don't want it when i need it and, lastly, trucks are not my business so why add a layer of complexity??


far better imho to build a relationship with someone who wants to drive his own truck... he can focus on doing what he does best and likewise you only need worry about what you know.

 

[JDeereman]

At this point, i have pretty much decided to stick with a single axle dump truck. don't mind buying a newer, bigger truck, but the tandem axle dumps are way too big for what i need a dump truck for every day. what does that mean in terms of a practical towing limit? don't really know yet cause numbers are proving very hard to come by for the used dumps i've looked at. why are dump truck towing limits so hard to come by?

Theo