Should You Buy or Rent Garden Equipment
Having the right garden equipment is key to maintaining your landscape and other garden needs. However, if you’ve bought garden tools for various projects, you probably have an estimate of how much goes into purchasing them. Besides the steep cost, some tools are hard to find.
While owning garden tools is beneficial, you should choose carefully between buying and renting. If you will be using the tool a few times a year, you should consider renting them. Knowing when to buy or rent garden equipment can prove tough, but this guide can help.
1. Budget
The biggest determiner as to whether you’ll buy or rent tools is your budget. Your general financial situation and the amount you are willing to invest to fund your gardening aspirations greatly influence this decision. If money is tight, you can always seek out charity centers that stock tools from gardeners that donate unused tools they no longer need.
Buying gardening equipment is a hefty investment, but it makes sense if you want a long-term investment. While the upfront costs are higher, you won’t spend anything on recurring rental expenses every season. Buying also gives you the flexibility of choosing your preferred type and quality of tool.
On the other hand, renting is a budget-friendly approach for homeowners and gardening enthusiasts with a limited budget. It eliminates the significant upfront costs while allowing you to access high-quality equipment at times of need. You can creatively adopt a hybrid approach, where you buy essential tools and rent special tools that you use less frequently.
2. Frequency of Use
You should also consider how frequently you will use the tool before making the decision. If you are an avid gardener or starting a professional gardening company, investing in essential gardening tools makes sense. The upfront costs might be high, but you’ll recoup your investments over time. Owning these tools means you will always be ready to take on gardening tasks.
On the other hand, opt for leasing if you are a sporadic gardener or working on small gardens that require minimal maintenance. Buying tools is an unnecessary expense if they will remain unused mostly. Renting enables you to access specific tools for a particular project.
The only confusion often comes with seasonal gardeners. If your garden requires intensive maintenance work during specific seasons, consider owning basic equipment specific to those seasons and renting specialised tools when necessary. Adopting this hybrid approach is convenient and cost-effective. While at it, consider your long-term perspective. For instance, if you anticipate that you will increase gardening activities later, you might consider buying essential tools.
3. Gardening Project Size and Type
Whether to lease or rent is also determined by the size and type of your gardening projects. For starters, you don’t need to buy expensive gardening tools for small and occasional tasks like planting or maintaining a flower bed. However, buying makes sense if you are working on a large garden with continuous maintenance needs. Renting tools for repetitive gardening projects is costly in the long run.
That aside, some gardening projects require special tools that won’t be used frequently, like woodchippers, stump grinders, and drills. Renting these tools when in need makes financial sense. A combination of buying essential tools and renting specialised equipment is always a perfect approach.
4. Availability of Storage Space
Your decision to buy or rent garden equipment also depends on the availability of storage space. Storage space directly affects your ability to store your gardening equipment safely and in good condition. You should reconsider buying if you have limited storage space.
Large gardening tools, like shovels and lawnmowers, take up significant space in the garage. This easily leads to cluttering and makes it difficult to access other tools. You should consider renting tools to save on space. As for essential tools, installing creative storage spaces, like shelves, tool racks, and hooks in the garage, is a great solution.
5. Access to Rental Services
You won’t have the option of renting garden tools if there are no rental services in your region. Fortunately, the yard equipment rental business has become popular in recent years due to pressing gardening needs. Nonetheless, you should ensure that you can access these tools conveniently. Renting is a good option if these tools are readily available. The rental store should also have plenty of options to meet your gardening needs.
Endnote
Buying gardening tools is beneficial in many ways. You’ll have access to these tools all year round. You can also rent it out to other gardeners, especially if the equipment is hard to come by. However, you should have enough storage space and be willing to cover the maintenance costs.