Renting equipment is a very different approach for an industry that prides itself on rig ownership. “It's basically a new concept,” Mike Crimaldi reveals. “Drilling contractors aren't used to spending money on rental machines - only when they're really in a bind or when they have a big job coming up and they know they're going to be busy.” Yet, many contractors have begun exploring this viable alternative.
Trends Identified
When asked about rental industry market trends, Crimaldi reports, “I think there's more of a demand for rental equipment in the geotech market - structural borings, things like that.“The biggest trend right now seems to be the environmental consultants are renting and buying refurbished machines, so they don't have to rely on the contractor. Because the equipment is getting easier to run and easier to maintain, they're trying to keep the money in-house.”
Discussing equipment popularity and what generates the biggest demand, Crimaldi notes, “I'd say the biggest stuff is the geotech. I probably get the most calls on that. The Geoprobes probably are equally popular - direct-push equipment. Sometimes it's one or sometimes it's the other. Sometimes you're really busy with auger rigs, and you're getting calls every day for an auger rig, then you don't get calls for five, six weeks. Then the Geoprobe stuff is sitting here, then it's gone. It goes both ways.”
“On the auger rig side, because I deal in ATVs, it is a little more seasonal. It seems like late summer until May, anybody who would rent a machine would be crazy to give it up because that's when they'd need it because it's an all-terrain rental. The direct-push machines that I rent, they're track-mounted, but they can be used any time.”
