Estimation for renting backhoe?

[Digger]

About how much would it cost to rent a backhoe for a few days? I'm in Florida if that makes a difference. This is an awkward situation where the guy wants me to make an offer. He does not set rates or anything like that.

 

[Nora]

You can rent a 3.5-ton mini excavator from Home Depot for a little over $350 a day or a little over a grand a week. A 1-ton mini excavator goes for less than that. It's about $300 a day and $800 for the week. I hope this helps give you a starting point for negotiations.

 

[GrowPro]

$300 per day sounds high to me. I've seen them rented out for much less on Craigslist. I don't rent my equipment out because it's too much hassle and not worth the risk since I use it for my business.

 

[MC]

$500 for three days would be great deal for you for a friendly neighbor rental.

 

[jjp8182]

Just me, but I think I'd look to rent elsewhere if at all possible (unless borrowing from someone I know). I have rented from a car company who kept records so poorly that when I returned the car they couldn't find any record of me having rented it and then asked how many days I'd had it. While that instance worked out okay (and was thankfully reserved by my employer) there was a lot more squishinness to the situation than I'd like .....

If there are no other alternatives, then I think I'd look at the rental rates for a similar piece of equipment from either Sunbelt Rental or United Rentals and offer less (perhaps much less depending on the situation) than that just due to my having to price it out. Which to me also raises questions as to whether any support would be available if the equipment experiences a failure while I'm using it, and if transport is available or if I'd have to supply it. Basically every service they offer that isn't contractually included in this offering a rate rental would be reason to reduce the rate I'm willing to pay .....

Have had fittings/hoses start leaking on equipment I've rented before (a 9,000-10,000lb excavator). Was simple enough to troubleshoot & fix once the rental place mechanic showed up (the extra set of eyes and a wrench larger than any I owned were needed to fix the issue).

That's just me though..... ?‍

 

[Digger]

Thanks for the replies. We kind of went with a middle-of-the-road number and called it a day.

@jjp8182 It's a neighbor that has the backhoe and after I asked about renting it, no way was I going to back out. I have some fantastic neighbors, and we all try to look out for one another. We're what I'd call hobby farmers. We all had great careers and just decided to try this lifestyle instead. We didn't grow up farming. So my neighbor inherited his backhoe from his uncle who owned a landscaping and tree removal business. My neighbor had no clue how to work it. I had to show him. So I doubt he could fix anything if it tore up. Luckily nothing happened and the backhoe has been returned to its rightful owner. I might ask him to sell it to me. We'll see. I felt like you originally and had it been anyone else, I would've backed out immediately.

 

[jjp8182]

Thanks for the replies. We kind of went with a middle-of-the-road number and called it a day.

@jjp8182 It's a neighbor that has the backhoe and after I asked about renting it, no way was I going to back out. I have some fantastic neighbors, and we all try to look out for one another. We're what I'd call hobby farmers. We all had great careers and just decided to try this lifestyle instead. We didn't grow up farming. So my neighbor inherited his backhoe from his uncle who owned a landscaping and tree removal business. My neighbor had no clue how to work it. I had to show him. So I doubt he could fix anything if it tore up. Luckily nothing happened and the backhoe has been returned to its rightful owner. I might ask him to sell it to me. We'll see. I felt like you originally and had it been anyone else, I would've backed out immediately.

That makes a lot more sense -- and it definitely falls into that "someone known" category where negotiations/relations are more than just a temporary monetary transaction.