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Noise emissions are quickly becoming a concern, with many engineers specifying sound limits in contracts. “If it is in a residential area, sound attenuation plays a pretty big part because nobody wants a big diesel motor running right beside their house,” says Steve Lowder, rental manager, Sunbelt Rentals.

The demand for sound-attenuated equipment is on the rise. “We are even getting asked for it more and more in non-residential areas,” says Lowder. “In a lot of specifications that are written, the engineers are putting into the specs that the units have to be sound attenuated.”

Even when it is not required, sound-attenuated equipment still finds its way onto jobsites. “A lot of times in residential areas, even if the engineer doesn’t specify that it be sound attenuated, the contractor will ask for it,” Lowder notes.

Although they are more expensive, Lowder reports that customers are willing to pay higher rental rates for quieter equipment. Consequently, he places a high priority on sound attenuation when selecting equipment such as generators for his rental fleet. The quality of the generator ranks first in terms of criteria, followed by sound attenuation, with price taking a distant third place.

Sound vs. Cost

There are practical limits to what can be realistically done to attenuate sound. The trick becomes balancing the cost of the sound-attenuated packages with the benefits. Tim Gunnels, manager of product and market development, Terex Light Construction, explains the dilemma.