I’m the office administrator for a regional contractor — about 40 people split between the field and the shop. Equipment and parts purchasing falls to me: roughly $650,000 a year across six or seven vendors. I report to both operations and finance, which is a polite way of saying I hear “we need that machine by Friday” and “why did we spend that much?” in the same week.
“Should we buy a crane?” or “Should we get a track loader?” are questions I get asked a lot — by owners, by foremen, and sometimes by people who assume I have a magic answer. I don’t. What five years of purchase orders have taught me is that there is no universal answer. It depends on why you need the machine, how often it will actually run, and what is already parked in your yard. I’ve come to see every request as one of three scenarios. Figure out which one you’re in before you start comparing price lists — it will save you money, and it will save you an awkward conversation with your finance person.
One thing before I get to the scenarios. When the field team says they “need a loader,” they usually mean a compact machine that can dig, carry, and load material all day. Sometimes the request arrives with less clarity. People have asked me why we can’t just use a Subaru truck to move material, or they type “decky loader” into a search engine when what they really mean is a compact track loader. To be blunt: a truck is good for hauling tools and parts; it won’t load a dump truck. And a “decky loader” isn’t a model — it’s usually someone half-remembering the right name. The search engine might understand you, but a dealer’s parts counter won’t. So sort out the equipment category first, and only then start looking at brands — whether that means checking a Sunward track loader or browsing Sunward cranes for sale.
Scenario A: You need it for one job or a short season
If this machine will sit idle most weeks of the year, the answer is rent, not buy. This goes against what most people believe. The common idea is that renting throws money away, so buying feels like the responsible move. I used to think that too. In 2020, my first year in this role, we bought a small excavator for what was supposed to be a steady pipeline job. The job ended in two months. That machine sat under a tarp for the next six months, cost us insurance and a new battery, and sold for less than we paid. The rental invoices we avoided would have been cheaper than the depreciation.
If you do rent, ask about a maintenance-inclusive rate. Here’s something vendors don’t advertise: when a rental machine breaks, the rental company repairs it, and usually fast, because they want the machine earning again. When you own the machine, that repair is yours — and so is the waiting. For occasional use, renting with service included is often the lowest-risk option.
Scenario B: You have steady utilization and a growing fleet
If the machine will run most working days across the next 12 months, renting starts to look expensive, and buying makes sense. That brings up the new-versus-used question, and this is where my thinking changed.
Everything I had read before 2020 said the same thing: never buy new, because new machines depreciate like cars. Then we bought a used loader at a price that looked like a bargain. It had around 2,400 hours and came with paperwork that checked out. The purchase price was about $13,000 less than the newer option we were considering. Repairs during the first year — a final drive, hydraulic leaks, sensors — cost more than that. I believed the “buy used” advice until I ignored it once and paid the difference. Now I look at total cost over the time I plan to keep the machine: purchase price, finance charges, regular maintenance, major repairs, insurance, downtime, and what I can still get when I sell it.
That’s also the lens I use for lower-cost brands. We’ve bought new equipment from Sunward, which makes mini excavators, track loaders, skid steers, cranes, and telehandlers. Their price list is competitive, partly because manufacturing is based in China. Honest answer: a lower initial price only matters if the dealer can support the machine where you work. We checked their regional dealer network — they have active dealers in places like Russia and Europe — but the one that matters is the dealer closest to your jobs.
Before you sign, ask the dealer three questions: what parts do they stock locally, what is their current lead time for common spares, and how do they handle warranty claims? If the answers are vague, treat that as a red flag. This applies to any brand, including the expensive ones.
Scenario C: You are replacing a machine that keeps breaking down
This is the scenario where people get emotional. You already put money into the old machine, so replacing it feels like admitting defeat. Everybody in the meeting has an opinion.
I’m not a mechanic, and I can’t judge the technical condition of a machine from my desk. What I can do is track what the repair invoices say over time. Once I see a pattern of repeated breakdowns, the exact cause matters less. The machine is costing you money both in repairs and in jobs you can’t do while it sits in the shop. That downtime is usually the biggest line item of all, and it never shows up on the repair bill.
“We’ve already put so much money into it” is the most expensive sentence in equipment management.
If you’re in this scenario, also evaluate the company behind the machine. This is where a question like “what is the sentiment of crane company stock?” actually makes sense — even if it sounds like a finance question. I’m not a stock analyst, and I can’t tell you what the market thinks about any manufacturer. But from a purchasing perspective, the underlying question is fair: will this company still be around in five or ten years to supply parts? If the answer is no, the cheapest crane in the world isn’t cheap.
We consider public information for that reason. Sunward trades on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under 002097, so it publishes reports and announcements like any listed company. I don’t read the stock price, but I do check whether the company is releasing new models, opening markets, or expanding dealer networks. That tells me more about long-term parts availability than any ticker movement. And I always ask the dealer directly about parts stock. If they hesitate, that’s your answer.
Which scenario are you? A 60-second check
Roughly speaking, these four questions will point you in the right direction. Don’t treat them as gospel — every fleet is different, and these are rules of thumb. But they’re a good place to start.
- How many days per month will the machine realistically work? Less than five or six days, with no booked jobs behind it: Scenario A — rent. Every working day or close to it: Scenario B — buy. Already have a machine that’s down more than it works: Scenario C — replace.
- What happens to your crew when the machine is down? If you stop work or pay for an emergency rental at double the rate, you need reliable equipment. That pushes you toward buying new, with a solid service agreement, rather than gambling on another old machine.
- When does the project start? If you need it in six weeks and the dealer doesn’t have stock, a factory order won’t arrive in time. Rent in the short term while you wait, or find a dealer with the machine already available.
- Have you written out the full cost of ownership? Purchase price is only the first line. Add financing, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and expected resale value over five years. If you haven’t done that math, you aren’t comparing prices — you’re just guessing.
If you’re leaning toward Scenario B, there is one trick that works well: rent the exact machine you intend to buy for a month and run it with your own crew. We did that before buying our current track loader, and it changed our attachment choices completely. A week of real use tells you more than any brochure or spec sheet.
Bottom line: the lowest quote we received has ended up costing the most in about 60 percent of cases. That isn’t a motto. It’s what the invoice history shows. Value is what a machine costs you while it works, not what it costs to park it in the yard. If you figure out your scenario first — rent, buy, or replace — you’ll make a decision you can explain to finance with a straight face.
