Equipment Rent vs. Buy
Enter your numbers and see which option costs less over your ownership window, before you sign anything.
Renting
What the yard charges per day. Drives the total rent cost directly.
How many days you'd actually use it. Also sets the break-even threshold.
Round-trip haul fees per year. Small but adds up fast on heavy iron.
Buying
Full sticker price before any down payment or trade-in.
Cash you put down up front. Reduces what you finance but hits cashflow day one.
Your dealer or bank rate. Higher rates increase total buy cost significantly.
Longer terms lower monthly payments but increase total interest paid.
Oil changes, filters, wear parts, scheduled service. Budget 1 to 3% of purchase price/yr.
Annual premium to insure the equipment. Rental typically includes this. Ownership doesn't.
Yard space, trailer, or indoor storage cost. Easy to overlook, and it adds to buy cost every year.
What you'd get if you sold it at the end of your window. Rule of thumb, heavy equipment loses about 15% a year, so an $80k machine is worth about $35k after 5 years. Check dealer trade-in sheets or Iron Planet listings for your model.