Things To Consider Before Renting A Mini Excavator For The First Time
If you're the adventurous type of person who loves to take on new challenges, perhaps you should consider renting a mini excavator for digging trenches, moving around huge rocks and piles of debris or various other mechanized excavating activities. Learning can be a rewarding experience on its own and you'll certainly save a decent chunk of cash doing it on your own rather than leaving it to the professionals. But there are some important downsides you should consider before renting a mini excavator for the first time.
Time Consuming
Learning to operate the mini excavator takes some time. Learning to operate it effectively takes even longer. Don't get too ambitious with the work you plan on getting done with your excavator if you're still learning. You'll likely be surprised at how long it'll take you to do even the smallest of chores. And if you're using the mini excavator to say, dig a ditch, then you'll have to prepare for quite the mess as well.
Slightly Dangerous
Whilst mini excavators are fairly stable and have good balance, they're still susceptible to tipping over. While the mini excavator is very small and lightweight compared to its bigger brothers, it's still a piece of heavy equipment and needs to be respected as such. Getting the excavator off of your trailer can be an extremely tense and stressful moment, especially for first timers. It's got to go down the ramp, something veteran machine operators can no doubt do with their eyes closed. But if you don't have a lot of experience with an excavator then it's comparable to jumping in a creek to learn how to swim.
Unless you get it delivered to your property and dropped off, the first thing you're going to be doing whilst learning this piece of heavy equipment is navigating it down the ramp. If this sounds a bit too daunting for you, be sure to get it delivered. Likewise, you'll need an automobile with a fair amount towing capacity and a heavy duty trailer to haul it too.
But It Can Be Fun Too!
If all those cons don't dissuade you, you're probably quite the tough trucker. So, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you probably will enjoy the challenge of operating a mini excavator for the first time. And best of all, at the end of the day you'll have a new skill under your belt. And the next time you rent a mini excavator, you'll no doubt be far more efficient at whatever tasks you choose to tackle. But alas, if you're less of a hands-on person, you can always leave it to the professionals who will be more than happy to do the dirty work for you.