Blog

Whether you are renting a floor sander, an excavator or a brush cutter like Orec’s easy-to-use Cyclone Flail Mower, renting a piece of equipment can be daunting if you are doing it for the first time. But not to worry, your local rental professional is here to help! To give you a better idea of how the process of tool rentals works as well as the scope of tools available, we asked Jesse Hall of Pilchuck Rentals in Marysville, Washington some questions about tool rentals. He was generous enough to help guide us through the rental process.

What are your most common rental items in general?

During the winter our most common tool rentals are more indoor items like breakers, cut-off saws and heaters. In the summer it’s mostly outdoor items, primarily for clearing or “taking the yard back” so we rent the Orec Cyclone, Brush Rover and Samurai. Just recently we have had quite a few Orec brush cutter rentals in the winter from real estate developers clearing abandoned or neglected properties.

What items do homeowners and private renters rent most often?

Homeowners rent items they only have occasional use for; primarily things they don’t want to buy or maintain. If it’s something they are only going to use once or maybe once a year then they save money by renting it. Also they don’t have to worry about storing or maintaining it. Things like hardwood floor nailers, sheet rock jacks, field mowers and flail mowers, etc. are popular tool rentals for homeowners.

Your local tool rental yard has a variety of tool rentals to help you finish any project.

Are there rental items that people aren’t aware that you rent? What are some examples of such items?

Sometimes people are unaware of what we rent and are surprised by how much we carry. We try to keep our website updated as much as possible because so many people do their shopping and research for tool rentals there. But there are still times where people walk around the store dumbfounded, looking at all the machines and the projects they can get done with them.

How does your typical rental for a homeowner work? Say someone wanted to rent an Orec Brush Rover: how would that go?

Our typical tool rentals start either on the phone or at the front counter. First we find the details of the project:  how big of an area, the terrain and vegetation, and the time frame. Next we find out if they want a ride on brush cutter or walk behind field mower and if they can transport it themselves. We also ask about the finished product: if they want to have everything in small manageable pieces we recommend a flail mower; if they are just knocking stuff down and leaving it we guide them towards the Brush Rover. Then we clearly explain what the machine is capable of and give instructions on operation. On return we ask how the job went and listen for feedback to see if any adjustments are needed.

Want to rent an Orec Brush Rover but want some instruction first? Ask your tool rentals professional!

Do you provide deliveries for larger items or for customers who don’t have a way to transport their rental equipment?

We do provide delivery at an additional charge. Most of the Orec brush mowers that we carry are capable of fitting in a large truck bed so we rarely have to deliver them. However, for other types of tool rentals we can certainly help deliver and pick up the tool at the customer’s site.

What if a customer has a question about their tool rentals after hours? Would someone be available to answer that customer’s questions?

We try to put as much information about our machines on our website as possible. That way if we are unavailable after hours they can still get information from the site.

What advice would you give to someone renting a piece of equipment for the first time?

I would let anyone that is renting a piece of equipment know that preparation is extremely important. Take the time to get everything ready beforehand; that way when you pick up the machine you can go right to work and no time is wasted getting things ready.

Check out our testimonial from Jesse * here, * to see what he has to say about how Orec’s Brush Cutters work in his rental fleet!

A big “Thank You!” to Jesse and everyone at Pilchuck Rentals for their help with this article!