As the construction boom in Australia goes on, more and more builders want better projects and more efficient machines. One of these efficient construction machines is the road grader. Road grading operations are highly important during the initial phase of a construction project. Operators are required to be proficient in reading grades and site plans, trenching, ditching, handling soils, as well as ensuring safety during operations. To fulfil this, a well-suited road grader is compulsory. Purchasing one may not be a good idea, especially if your firm is small, so considering a road grader hire is a smarter decision. Although purchasing and rental considerations are relatively the same, one still needs to consider the grader type, engine power, project time frame, and budget.
Purpose
A key consideration most builders or owners forget to spend more time on is the purpose. Anyone who may not be so abreast with types of graders can just simply pick one and not get the best result. Different types of road graders are used for specific purposes. There are graders used for construction, forestry, public works, municipal use, industrial purposes, and mining.
Type of Grader
Normally, graders are classified based on their frames: rigid and articulated frames. Rigid-frame road graders have a single axle. This axle cannot turn left or right about a point. For the two-axle articulated-frame road graders, a hinge between the front and rare axles allows it to turn even in small spaces. The latter are the most commonly used graders due to their flexibility and ease of use.
Engine Power
If you already have decided on the purpose of renting a grader and the type of grader, now you look into the engine power. Most road graders have registered horsepower between 100 and 200. The more powerful the machine, the more it is used in heavy-duty construction or grading work. Never overshoot or come short of your power needs. Hiring bigger ones may cost you more fuel and other transport costs.
Project Time Frame and Grader Productivity
Assuming your budget can cover the cost of rental and other miscellaneous costs, would you consider the capacities of the road grader with respect to your project’s time frame? Choosing bigger ones for longer and larger projects is an easy bet. However, also considering the age and productivity of the grader can save you more. One large and newer grader can do long projects, and so can two smaller or older graders.
Price
This is unarguably a builder’s biggest consideration, but grader rental costs are not very prohibitive. A 12-foot road grader may cost between AU$700 to AU$840, while a 14-foot road grader would fetch you from a low of AU$800 to a high of AU$900. Buying new graders could cost you AU$21,000 at the least and $140,000 at the most.
Road graders are essential machines in any construction or civil works. They are truly expensive machines. Therefore, hiring one is most recommendable. Still, even with hiring, one can still get those cost numbers low. Just follow key project considerations, from purpose to cost.
