Buying a Rental

[grsthegreat]

this really depends on the rental outfit your buying from. there are a few places here where i live where its 50-50 you will make it thru the day without a breakdown.

there is this one place i rent from now that maintains their stuff 100% clean, greased and tight. ive never had an issue with their equipment and id like to buy a Kubota mini excavator of theres if it ever goes up for sale. its a great machine......i rent it alot and love it.

in my business its always better to rent in town and only have to transport it a few miles to jobsite instead of driving mine 30 miles to the job. but id make an exception for this excavator :laughing:

 

[crazyal]

Can you find out the name of the rental company? If so you can take a trip over to it and look for yourself how well they maintain their equipment. You can also ask about it but you may or may not get a good answer as they may want to sell you something. But around me you can tell the rental companies who take care of their equipment and ones who run it then sell it once it gets too beat up sell it while they still can.

 

[RidgeHiker]

I would really check it over. There are a lot of things to be looking at with a rental unit before purchase.

We have friends that are very capable around tractors / heavy equipment that will check it out for us.

 

[PHILIP8N]

It is owned by a 2nd owner now - not the rental company.

Ok, will the 2nd owner let you use it for a few days with the intent to buy if nothing major breaks or no serious issues? It cost nothing to ask. If he is not hiding anything, he may agree. Philip.

 

[Buster57]

Stay away...
I would never buy a rental. People try to wreck them.

 

[MarkV]

I bought a rental. Kubota B21 with 400 hours. It now has 1500 hours and is 10 years older. Never has gone to the shop.

I agree that it would be nice to know the rental agency and how they maintained their equipment. I bought from one of the national chains and they gave me maintenance logs when I bought. I believe I may have gotten less documentation and true maintenance from many private owners so I would consider a rental again.

MarkV

 

[RidgeHiker]

Interesting how dramatically different the various perspectives can be.

 

[Big Wave D]

I've held this conversation on several occasions with friends of mine.

One school of thought that has been presented to me was that if the piece of equipment had any weak spots, they've been found and addressed. Sort of like the people that swear the only power tools to buy are the ones that are reconditioned but sold with the new warranty.

Their thinking is that if someone has gone through the tool, top to bottom, it was, in a way, built to a higher standard of production. I can see their point.

The rental agency who owned it first and how they conduct their business and their adherence to good maintenance would play a HEAVY factor in whether I'd pull the trigger or not.

Yes, the equipment has usually been ridden hard, but not necessarily put away wet.

I wouldn't rule it out, but I'd bring to bear all the 'magnifying glasses' I could. If you're not such a good horse trader, then you'll definitely want to find someone who'll go with you, or certainly pay to have a knowledgeable mechanic check it over for you. Could be the best $100 or so you've ever spent.

Best luck, which ever way you go.

 

[RidgeHiker]

Thanks for all your help.
Our friends felt the tractor was OK but the price turned out to be higher than we were willing to go.
We'll keep looking!

 

[marks146]

I posted this in the general buying section earlier but this may make more sense.

My son and I are looking at a late 90's L35 with 1200+ hours that for the first 1000 hours was a rental unit. I am, like many of you, concerned with abuse as a rental. I have a few questions:

1. I know the L35's are very heavy duty. Is rental abuse less of a concern with a tractor like this, especially if it checks out OK?
2. Have any of you bought rental units? What was your experience with them?

Thanks!

I watched a guy abuse a rental tractor/brush hog clearing out an overgrown lot outside my office window last summer. When they delivered it, it was new. When he was done it looked like junk. I can't imagine he was returned his deposit. The brush hog deck was all torn up from hitting rocks and stumps and the tractor was scratched and bent from pushing through scrub brush.

I suppose the dealer will replace the panels and buff out the scratches, but the inside of the trans and engine will remain untouched.

Buyer beware.......