The construction equipment rental business covers a broad range of categories. A construction equipment rental business can rent to both contractors and homeowners, with equipment available in many different sizes for a variety of jobs.
Construction equipment trends appear to be headed upward for the immediate future. That means more rentals across the board. However, not all categories of equipment rentals are seeing the same increase. Here’s a look at how the top ten equipment rental categories are performing, based on Google Trends results.
Scaffolding Rentals
Scaffolding rentals have seen a strong 2020 and 2021, much like other construction equipment trends. Used in many different types of construction projects, from all-new construction to home renovations, scaffolding rentals see a relatively constant demand throughout the year.
With most scaffolding rentals peaking around late summer and early fall, it’s still too early to say exactly how 2022 will go. That being said, the early numbers show a stronger later 2021 to early 2022 than the industry saw the year before.
Forklift Rentals
Forklift rentals are one of the rare reversals when it comes to expected construction equipment trends for 2022. The disruption of many warehouses due to supply chain issues means that we could see the demand for forklifts drop in 2022.
Of course, that drop is coming down from record highs in the fall of 2021, so it’s more like forklift rentals are returning to their natural trend. However, the difference between the 2021 peak and the expectations for 2022 is considerable.
Trencher Rentals
Trenchers are used in a wide variety of different projects, and that includes homeowners trying their hand at DIY landscaping and drainage projects. Because of this, trencher rental interest reached an all-time high in the summer of 2020, during a time that saw many residents taking on home-improvement projects.
These construction equipment trends were the same for categories with significant residential use. In 2021, there was an increase from the years before 2020, and interest is expected to be high in 2022 as well, just not as much as we saw in 2020.
Lift Rentals
Lift rentals have seen very gradual growth in recent years, remaining steady compared to other construction equipment trends. Including a variety of standard, articulating, and telescopic boom lifts, this type of equipment is constantly in demand in many industries.
The end of 2021 saw a considerable spike in lift rentals, although it’s unclear at this time if the spike will continue, or if lift rentals will return to their usual trend. While there has been some decrease following the initial jump, interest is still up.
Scissor Lift Rentals
Scissor lifts generally follow similar construction equipment trends to other lift rentals, and have remained steady over the past five years or so. However, there’s been a dramatic spike since the end of 2021. Search interest more than tripled before dropping down to more reasonable (but still high) levels.
With so much interest in scissor lifts, the upward trend is expected to continue into 2022. While the extraordinary spike might not be seen again for some time, it seems that scissor lift rentals are on the rise.
Auger Rentals
Auger rentals are widely used for many purposes, but some of the most common include digging holes for deck or fence posts, along with other residential landscaping and construction purposes. As such, the summer of 2020 saw a huge spike for auger rental interest, similar to other construction equipment trends.
In 2021, there was reduced interest from 2020 for auger rentals, but the trend remained good overall. This leaves the potential for some growth going into the summer of 2022, with a solid foundation based on above-average fall months in 2021.
Mini-Excavator Rentals
Mini-excavator rentals have seen some of the most consistent growth compared to other construction equipment trends, with rentals increasing year over year since 2017. The best year yet was 2021, which maintained growth even over the substantial spike in 2020.
These growth trends are seasonal, with a peak in summer and a significant drop in winter. The summer of 2021 had a significant rise in mini-excavator interest, and 2021 reached new heights, sparking hope for an even better 2022.
Excavator Rentals
Excavator rentals are used mainly by contractors and saw a smaller 2020 bump than other construction equipment trends that were more residential in nature. That being said, 2020 did see a boost driven by an increase in construction projects.
That growth continued through 2021, with the summer of 2021 bringing an all-time high in excavator rental interest. The early days of 2022 are also showing an increase over the same time in 2021, so we could see even more growth this year.
Sod Cutter Rentals
Scissor lifts generally follow similar construction equipment trends to other lift rentals, and have remained steady over the past five years or so. However, there’s been a dramatic spike since the end of 2021. Search interest more than tripled before dropping down to more reasonable (but still high) levels.
With so much interest in scissor lifts, the upward trend is expected to continue into 2022. While the extraordinary spike might not be seen again for some time, it seems that scissor lift rentals are on the rise.
Backhoe Rentals
Backhoe rentals are some of the most seasonal rentals out there, with construction equipment trends showing that rentals are considerably more prevalent in summer than in winter.
They also saw some of the largest increases in interest during 2020, with a spike over 2019. Summer 2021 saw a noticeable decrease compared to the year before but was still up compared to earlier years. It’s still a bit early to say how 2022 will go.
Starting Your Equipment Rental Business Could Be Easier Than You Think
Recent trends show that the construction equipment rental industry is highly lucrative and still has plenty of potential for growth. If you’re looking into starting a business, you need the right tools for the job.
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