We don’t often talk about equipment except in the context of performing a specific task. This is because we are not equipment experts. Equipment choices involve personal preferences, and there are many more qualified people to talk about specific pieces of equipment. The following are a few of our observations about selecting and using equipment based on our discussions with installers.

First and foremost, the equipment needs to match the work you do. We have seen a number of people who think that because they own a backhoe and have dug basements or pools they can move right in to installing onsite systems. It’s not that simple.

Before making equipment decisions, ask yourself: “What kind of systems or system components will I be installing?” If most of the systems installed in the area are mounds or at-grades, having track equipment will be a must. Another example is in areas where drip systems are installed, a trencher and some other specialized equipment will be required.

COST VS. BENEFITS

Having the right equipment requires evaluating what is needed for primary jobs, what is already owned, additional types of systems the company wants to install and the cost of equipment relative to the number of potential systems, and then balancing up-front costs with long-term costs and return. This will help determine if new or used equipment is the answer, or if leasing or renting should be used until the costs and benefits are well established.

A part of the cost-benefit analysis should be an assessment of the time it takes to do a job, with the equipment needed reflecting the amount of time to do a task. An example would be having a backhoe that can dig trenches in an hour or two, but having backfill equipment that requires four to five hours. This is not a good match for the tasks required.

There is one area where we’ve seen potential for problems: having the right equipment to move machines to and from installation sites. The trailers and trucks need to match the equipment being hauled, and all of it needs to be in the proper condition with lights and brakes working properly, as well as having the proper paperwork in the truck. This includes any necessary time logs, registration papers, emergency response plans, etc. It can be expensive and frustrating to find yourself parked on the side of the road having a conversation with the state highway patrol.

Make sure equipment fits the site – you have to be able to maneuver once you’re at a work location. Remember not all jobs are on newly developed lots. We have discussed this before from a planning perspective, but it bears mentioning again. Equipment must get to the site and maneuver to install all components of the system. So even if you can get your pickup to the site, that doesn’t mean the truck delivering a tank or other materials can reach the location.

TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

At the outset, have a discussion with the homeowner about what may be necessary to complete the installation. The job may involve building a temporary roadway into the site, removal of trees or damage to lawns, and all of these factors should be discussed and an agreement put in place with provisions before any work begins. For some customers, losing even one tree is a traumatic occurrence and if no agreement is in place about handling this type of situation, you may face a nasty discussion after the fact.

Evaluate whether all the necessary equipment is available for the installation. Plan to have the right equipment on location for each job. We have seen situations where an installer tries to get by with a piece of equipment that can do the job, but not efficiently. The result is increased time and rising costs to accomplish the task. If your excavator is on the edge of being able to dig to the proper depth or the skid-steer takes a long time to backfill, consider an equipment change.

A related issue goes back to planning for the work. It is important for the installer to have a plan for spoils and materials placement to minimize the number of moves required by the equipment. Extra moves of a spoils pile or longer trips to transfer materials also increases time and costs associated with a job.

One aspect of installation work we have seen grow in importance over the past five years is having an erosion control plan in place. This can be as simple as installing silt fencing, which may limit movement around the site and impact the type and size of equipment you may be able to use. The bottom line is: materials, spoils piles and erosion protection all need to be staged and factored into equipment selection.

SWEAT THE DETAILS

Finally, have you agreed with the homeowner about what the finished job will look like? What constitutes a finished or complete installation? If the expectation is to leave the site roughly graded after backfill with someone else doing landscaping, then there may not be additional equipment needs. But if landscaping is part of the project, you may need additional equipment. Hopefully that has been spelled out as a part of the bid and the agreement. If not, there is room for having a callback from an unhappy customer.