If you use a piece of construction equipment more than 75 percent of the time, it is worth purchasing. If not, you should definitely consider renting. Unnecessary assets can only hurt your bottom line. If you are considering rental, there are some dos and don’ts you should be aware of beforehand.

As for the dos, you should first make sure that you are following adequate safety precautions when renting equipment. You should only rent a piece of equipment that meets the needs of your job. Be careful not rent a boom lift that is too small, carries too little, or does not reach far enough. You might think you can stretch it to the limit, but this almost always ends in causing further delays or worse, injury. Play it safe and rent at least what you need. Another thing you should do to ensure the safety of your crew is to ensure they have been properly trained on the equipment you rent. Most rental companies will have some form of training. Take advantage of this to train your employees. If this is not available, find another way to train them. They should be trained to use the equipment safely, or someone can get hurt.

Make sure the company you rent from is reputable and maintains their equipment well. You need a company that checks their equipment regularly and performs the necessary repairs when needed. If you rent from a reputable company and a machine breaks down while you are using it, they will usually send someone to repair the damage on site or even just send over a different machine for you to handle the issue quickly, so no time is wasted.

Use clear communication when corresponding with the rental company. Some machines are dual purpose and have different attachments for different jobs. Letting the company know exactly what you need the machine for will ensure that you have the right equipment to get the job done properly.

When it comes to the don’ts of construction equipment rental, there are three main things to avoid. Do not put an inexperienced employee on the machine you rent. You want someone who knows what they are doing so that you do not put the people and jobsite at risk. These machines are expensive, so you don’t want to put them in the hands of someone who is inexperienced.

Do not push the machine past its indicated limits. If you see a light on the machine, call the rental company. It does not matter how insignificant the light may seem, if you’re unfamiliar with the alert, you should contact the rental company to make sure maintenance is not required.

Do not push the machine past its recommended weight capacity. This could cause the machine to fail or overturn, which is potentially fatal to your employees and can be disastrous to your jobsite.

Renting construction equipment is the best decision for many. This is why it has become such a popular choice. If you are interested in renting construction equipment for your next job, follow these simple tips to get the most out of your experience.