Compact tractor and attachment rentals

[BossTractor]

Looking to add a rental fleet to my business. Renting out attachments for 25-100hp tractors.

Attachments like cultivators, discs, harrows, post hole augers, rotary cutters, rototillers, box blades, broadcast spreaders, sprayers, seeders, etc.

There's only 2 rental company's in an hour of me that rent tractor attachments.

I have 10+ years experience as a service manager and sales in equipment rentals and know the business.

Only think I'm not sure on is renting out equipment with pto shafts. I know some shafts require cutting to fit a particular tractor. How much do 3 point hitch arm lengths and geometry vary between tractor manufactures? If a rotary cutter pto shaft fits a 1-3 series John deere. Will it fit a 1980s kubota? Or a ford 8n?

Kinda thinking for pto driven equipment I'll rent it out with a tractor that I know it works with.

 

[RjCorazza]

I have never bought a properly sized implement that the pto shaft from the manufacturer didn't fit my tractor. I never gave it much thought, but I suspect that as long as customers don't try to fit a 7' brush hog to a 20hp subcompact, there will not be an issue.

 

[Bronco82]

My neighbor brought me his older 5' bush hog he was using on his old Ford 3000 and it mounted up to my 2015 Kubota B2650 no problem. Granted it may have been undersized for his machine and ideal for mine, he didn't seem to mind.

I THINK for the most part, that the majority are all quite similar.

 

[N2DFire]

ok - this may come across as smart-@$$-ish and I do not mean it that way so I apologize in advance.

But implement manufacturers (let's pick on King Cutter) don't make different implements for every different flavor of tractor out there. There's not a King Cutter John Deer model and a King Cutter Mahindra model and a King Cutter Kubota model, etc.

There is simply a X foot width, Class 1 (or two and so forth) hitch and it's expected to work with the majority of tractors that were built to that class spec. So in that sense I don't think you have much to worry about as long as you keep the right size/class equipment on the right class tractor (like RjCorazza said).


Now - where things get sticky is for folks who have added a Quick Hitch or (as in the case of our 8N) an external override clutch onto the PTO shaft. Both of these are going to change the geometry / length of the PTO shaft required.

For situations like that, the choice is yours. You can go with your idea of mating tractor to equipment as a package or you can add a stipulation to your rental agreement that states any modifications made to the tractor that result in damage to your equipment will be the responsibility of the renting party (along with any damage to their tractor that resulted from misuse of your equipment is not your responsibility).

Good luck which ever way you go.

 

[BossTractor]

ok - this may come across as smart-@$$-ish and I do not mean it that way so I apologize in advance.

But implement manufacturers (let's pick on King Cutter) don't make different implements for every different flavor of tractor out there. There's not a King Cutter John Deer model and a King Cutter Mahindra model and a King Cutter Kubota model, etc.

There is simply a X foot width, Class 1 (or two and so forth) hitch and it's expected to work with the majority of tractors that were built to that class spec. So in that sense I don't think you have much to worry about as long as you keep the right size/class equipment on the right class tractor (like RjCorazza said).


Now - where things get sticky is for folks who have added a Quick Hitch or (as in the case of our 8N) an external override clutch onto the PTO shaft. Both of these are going to change the geometry / length of the PTO shaft required.

For situations like that, the choice is yours. You can go with your idea of mating tractor to equipment as a package or you can add a stipulation to your rental agreement that states any modifications made to the tractor that result in damage to your equipment will be the responsibility of the renting party (along with any damage to their tractor that resulted from misuse of your equipment is not your responsibility).

Good luck which ever way you go.

3 point hitch categories is only a standization of pin size and spacing based on a horse power range.

How a tractor manufacture builds there 3pt hitch (draft link length, pto shaft to end link spacing, hitch travel) varies between manufacture. Also equipment manufactures don't have a standardized spacing between hitch pins and gear box. Also top link position and length changes distance between tractor pto shaft and implement gear box can change throughout the travel and would be different between tractors. That's why every manufacturer of implements has a section in the manual about test fitting and trimming shafts.

I'm guessing though that most modern compact tractors are all pretty close and shouldn't be a problem.

But like you said, a well written rental agreement would be the best bet. And tractors I can confirm compatible I can add to a list.

 

[jimmysisson]

Or, you could start out w non PTO and see how the business develops and then think about PTO stuff. Moving parts take abuse from many renters. Jim

 

[ericm979]

The longer the pto shaft the more leeway it has between binding up and having too little overlap to transmit the torque. Pto shafts for implements with long shafts like rotary cutters should work ok on appropriate sized tractors. But maybe not with short shaft implements like tillers or chippers.


I'm curious since you're already in the rental business and would know this- whose liability is it when a customer hooks an implement to a tractor that's too big and the shaft comes apart? Do you have to carry insurance for all sorts of dumb customer tricks?

 

[roadhunter]

When I have rented brush hogs in the past it was mandatory to use their tractor and it was all hooked up when I picked it up, only choice was my trailer or theirs. I can see the benefit of going that route and assume insurance companies might as well.

 

[BossTractor]

I'm curious since you're already in the rental business and would know this- whose liability is it when a customer hooks an implement to a tractor that's too big and the shaft comes apart? Do you have to carry insurance for all sorts of dumb customer tricks?

That would probably depend on a few factors. I can't say for sure cause I have no experience renting out tractor implements.

Our contracts usually put the liability onto the customer unless the fault was due to unmaintained equipment, neglect, sending an item out broken or missing key safety equipment. If you told the customer it wouldn't work with his piece of equipment and he does it anyways. Than they are at fault. And yeah the insurance is expensive and covers a lot. Most contractors with insurance have liability for rented equipment covering damages. I know my liability insurance covers any equipment I rent.

 

[BossTractor]

When I have rented brush hogs in the past it was mandatory to use their tractor and it was all hooked up when I picked it up, only choice was my trailer or theirs. I can see the benefit of going that route and assume insurance companies might as well.

I'm kinda leaning that way unless it's a contractor or someone with the credentials/ experience to deal with pto shafts and hooking up equipment. Don't want some weekend warrior acreage owner fresh out of the city wrapping themselves up in a pto shaft.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Or, what about requiring the customer to bring their tractor down to your yard, and your employees are required to do the connecting/disconnecting (which is also what Uhaul does when you rent their trailer)?

That way your "trained" employee can ensure proper hitch size, pin size, height, travel and pto shaft clearance and fitment?

 

[kthompson]

I would suspect a good many who would want to rent implements such as being discussed will not have the ability to haul their tractor to you for many who need to rent the implement will not have the necessary truck and trailer. My thought.

My brother has a Massey I think a 283, he had a Long that was about 50 hp no idea now the model number, my Father in Law had a Ford 601 a 1962 gas tractor, we did have a Case about 45 hp about a 1995 model, I have a Kubota M6800 1999 bought and I have a Kubota B2710 about a 2000 model. I have used rough cut mower, post hole digger, ditch bank cutter, whirly bird spreader, and rear finishing mower between these machines. Not each implement on each tractor but have used a good mix over the years and I can not think of ever having to change a pto shaft except once and that was found the first time the implement was put on a tractor the factory shaft was too short.

I like the recommendation your trained person hooks up the shaft but if that is nor workable I would want to have a printed guide on how to hook it up and require a signed release they received it and understood to verify the pto shaft was proper length...well ask the insurance company for suggestions.

 

[Redlands Okie]

For the limited number of pto tools I assume you will have in your fleet how hard would it be to have a spare tractor side of the pto shaft and coupling that is a different length if it was needed. You or your trained guys could determine which was needed and it would be a quick swap.

 

[ericm979]

They'd have to depend on the customer to make the correct measurements (unless the customer brings the tractor in that is).

I think that the customer getting the implement off or on their truck or trailer would have more risk of accident than when they're attaching or removing the implement from the tractor.

 

[aerojunkie]

What about offering delivery of the implements, and the trucks would have a few different length pto shafts on hand to get the right fit? I think there would be a lot of people into renting the implements that would also be people without a means to haul the implement, and delivery would expand your customer base.

 

[BossTractor]

What about offering delivery of the implements, and the trucks would have a few different length pto shafts on hand to get the right fit? I think there would be a lot of people into renting the implements that would also be people without a means to haul the implement, and delivery would expand your customer base.

Delivery was already in the plans. Already got trucks and trailers for my current business. Been looking for a nice international durastar 4900 s/a truck or or f550 with a deck and gooseneck hitch, could throw a knuckle boom picker on it for delivering to people with small tractors that don't have the height and reach on the FEL. Probably could get a few 4x8 and 5x10 tilt deck utility trailers a person could use to haul something home.