If there’s home improvement planning happening or a home renovation project on the cards, then chances are you’ll need some heavy equipment. When you’re unfamiliar with the different types of heavy equipment it can be a little confusing to figure out what’s going to be a suitable machine for a particular task.
Fortunately, it’s very easy to hire these types of heavy equipment from companies like Rent1 equipment rentals. If you aren’t smart about it though, heavy machines can be expensive to rent. Equipment isn't just about getting the job done; it's also about finding parts and servicing them. Companies like Source One Parts Center specialize in providing essential parts and expert services for equipment maintenance, ensuring high performance during intensive home renovation projects. Reading this guide will help you pick a suitable machine while keeping your costs at a minimum.
Here are six types of heavy equipment most commonly used for a home renovation project.
1. Mini Excavator
Mini excavators are great multipurpose machines capable of moving around in tight spaces or small backyards. Primarily used for excavation, they can have many different types of attachments which can be used for a variety of tasks.
image © Leszek Glasner
Planning on demolishing some existing concrete in the backyard? Use a jackhammer attachment. It’ll save hours or labor by using this attachment instead of breaking down the concrete manually.
The mini excavator disc mulcher attachment is excellent for land-clearing small areas.
Mini excavators can also be used for lifting and transporting debris, plus they can be fitted with attachments to dig holes up to 12 feet.
Because mini excavators have tracks instead of wheels, they maneuver effortlessly across the grass without tearing it up, thanks to the greater weight distribution. They’re available with a chain-wheeled system that makes them perfect for operating on uneven ground surfaces.
These machines are easy enough to operate if you want to do it yourself, but hiring a professional operator for heavy equipment is always recommended. It saves on rental costs due to increased productivity and can prevent potential accidents.
Mini excavators are also a little cheaper to rent — especially compared to standard excavators.
2. Dump Trucks
There’s hardly a home remodel project where dump trucks aren’t utilized. Dump trucks are used for carrying debris away from a construction site or transporting filling material to fill an excavated area.
image © Hanna
If you're doing some large-scale excavation or demolition work, you might need a dump truck to carry all of that waste and debris offsite to be disposed of.
Dump trucks come as standard or articulated. Articulated dump trucks have a body that’s divided into two sections, allowing them to move separately. This offers greater maneuverability and control.
If your project doesn’t contain soft soil and road access is available, then a standard dump truck will do just fine. Standard dump trucks are very fuel efficient and have excellent maneuverability, making them perfect for a home renovation project.
3. Cranes
There are various types of cranes. The ones used in residential home remodeling differ from those used in the construction of high-rise buildings. Cranes help with moving and unloading materials or debris between the ground and the upper levels of a home.
image © Steheap
Primarily smaller cranes are used in home renovation projects. These cranes are highly mobile and carry loads like lumber or sheetrock to the top floors.
The cherry picker is one of the most popular mobile cranes in home renovation projects. Mounted on a truck, their basket can move in almost any direction.
Cranes are commonly used for exterior works like siding repair or dormer fixing. Cranes can often save on the cost of scaffolding work.
When hiring a crane, you’ll want to double-check its max height will reach where you need it to go.
4. Concrete Transit Mixers
Concrete work is involved in almost every home remodel project. Concrete transit mixers transport concrete from the batching plant to the site and are only needed when large amounts of concrete are required.
image © art_zzz
The drum of the transit mixer keeps rotating until the transit mixer reaches its destination. These trucks are fitted with additional tanks to provide extra water or admixture and increase the setting time of concrete.
Concrete mixers are normally provided by the company from which you’re getting the concrete. So you won’t have to worry about the rental costs.
These transit mixers usually carry hefty loads and have to be able to get as close to where the concrete needs to be poured as possible.
5. Skid Steer
Skid steers are another multipurpose equipment. Like the mini excavator, skid steers come with a variety of attachments. Because of this, skid steers offer excellent value for money. Enabling you to perform a multitude of functions with a single machine.
image © Sergey Kamshylin
Primarily, skid steers are used in land-clearing and land-grading operations. Shifting debris from one place to another or leveling out the ground.
Skid steers from reputable brands like Kubota offer excellent versatility and efficiency. If you're in the Denver area, Kubota Denver can equip you with everything you need, providing access to various skid steer models and attachments for all your land-clearing and grading operations.
Popular skid steer attachments include augers (for drilling), hydraulic breakers (for dismantling), and the grapple (for lifting large rocks or boulders).
Their compact size allows the skid steers to move about quickly in small spaces without a lot of room to maneuver.
6. Concrete Saw Cutter
Concrete saw cutters are the perfect machine for precision-cutting concrete. Because they are so precise, you’re able to cut out a very specific area using concrete saw cutters. Which means you won’t have to demolish an entire concrete slab.
image © Mahlebashieva
Most homes are built on concrete slabs, and these slabs have sewerage lines under them. When a home renovation project involves changing the location of plumbing fixtures, new sewerage lines must be installed.
By using a concrete saw cutter, you can just cut a hole where the lines are and then pour in new concrete after shifting the sewerage lines.
Concrete cutting machines aren’t usually available for rent. But specialized concrete demolition companies can provide concrete cutting and trenching services.
End Notes
Many different types of heavy equipment can be used in a home renovation project. However, despite all these types of heavy equipment, you want to choose whichever one will get the job done most efficiently. Depending on the renovations being done, you might require a single piece of equipment that can handle various tasks or a single piece of specialized equipment.
Finding rental equipment for a home remodeling project is easy. If you’re savvy, you can often find some really good discounts when renting equipment for a week or more, as well as deals for hiring an experienced operator with the machine you rent.
Sometimes the price of renting equipment may seem daunting. But heavy equipment will drastically reduce the amount of labor versus doing it manually. It’ll also save a lot of time by getting the job done much faster.
