Rental companies are problem solvers. You know what assets you have in your fleet, their capabilities, their limitations. Likewise, your customers are also problem solvers. Each job has its unique challenges, its specific limitations. But when a customer knows what options a rental company has on the lot, that’s when problem solvers can get creative.
When a job with some tight weight restrictions called for some creative ideas, one rental store definitely stepped up to the challenge—and are the anonymous focus of this year’s renter’s review.
Co-owned by president Perry Michaud and vice president Kelly Farina, Bel Rock Asphalt Paving Inc. proudly serves northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, being based out of Belvidere, Illinois. Set about an hour's drive outside of Chicago, they cover a territory roughly 30 miles around. They specialize in paving, seal coating, and perform some concrete work in-house. In the colder months, they do a ton of snow removal.
“You’re living and learning every day, that’s the excitement I like,” says Michaud. “It can get taxing, but it’s all about solving challenges.”
Though Bel Rock doesn’t rent on a regular basis, they do for snow. Despite being in the northern part of the country, they find renting snow removal equipment for the 4 or 5 months of the year is more economical and profitable versus purchasing all the iron. For example, for the 2023-24 winter season, they rented 4 wheel loaders and prefer to stage them onsite.
In the busy construction season, Michaud says they are more likely to rent the specialized machines to match the challenge(s) at hand - machines such as a large excavator or a lightweight material mover like a dumper / buggy.
Bel Rock Asphalt Paving Inc. | Photo by Nick Reininger
The project at hand was the repaving of a number of bridge decks for the local parks district. Capacity limits challenged the team by restricting them of utilizing a parade of skid-steers or compact track loaders. Knowing what a Chicago-based rental company had in their fleet allowed him to suggest using a lighterweight alternative. Bel Rock ultimately rented two Wacker Neuson DW30 wheel dumpers - concrete editions.
Bel Rock Asphalt Paving Inc. | Photo by Nick Reininger
The Project
The project was the repaving of bicycle/foot traffic bridge decks rated to a 5-ton max restriction – limiting the ability to move heavier machinery closer to the working area. The existing pavement had to be removed and about 120 cubic yards of concrete needed to be placed. They used the existing asphalt as base.
Beyond the weight restriction, distance and tight space due to vegetation were also challenges. The longest stretch was around 1,400 to 1,600 linear feet. Thinking about hauling concrete that far, Michaud says “It’s definitely a walk, for sure.”
“It’s not the most ideal paving condition by any means. But when you’re limited, you got to get creative to get things done,” he notes.
For Michaud, the rental company went above and beyond accommodating by driving one out to the site to allow the Bel Rock team to confirm it would meet their needs. “One of our foremen has a great relationship with them. We actually picked [the DW30] up, brought it to the shop to make sure it would fit into paver, dump into the paver, and find out how many yards it would take. [The team] got to get a taste and feel for what it really was,” he says. This was before officially renting the machines.
According to what Michaud understands, the dumper category was a hot commodity - reinforcing the commitment this rental house had to the customer by putting the machine off the lot for a day. “They were pretty adamant about the fact if [we] really needed this, ‘We really got to book you in.'” Bel Rock booked the machines about a month prior to the job.
Bel Rock Asphalt Paving Inc. | Photo by Nick Reininger
“We had to juggle with some dates…however, they were great as far as helping us lock it in and actually delivered them. That was really helpful and saved some time and energy there,” he adds.
With the two DW30 machines, he anticipates moving 30 tons of material an hour. Bel Rock owns 6 to 7 tracked loaders already, even if they weren’t too heavy to travel over the bridges, Michaud guesses that they would have needed to run 4 or 5 of them at once – which would have added more bodies and more cost to the project.
On top of providing a solution to their problems, the rental company's customer service made a massive impression. “For them to say, 'Come pick it up, take it to your shop, and make sure it’s going to work’, that’s huge,” says Michaud. “That’s a day rental that they’re missing out on. That comes from being relationship-driven too.”
Michaud rates the experience 10 out of 10. “They’ve been amazing,” he says. “The machine looks cool – I’ve never seen one like this before. Just to see it was impressive and the versatility of it. And then, you’re thinking ‘This is actually going to help us get creative to complete a job and eliminate struggles.”
Bel Rock Asphalt Paving Inc. | Photo by Nick Reininger
Having the foreman aware of what might be an option from a rental company made all the difference in solving problems. “It’s being able to think outside the box. Getting creative. Finding solutions. A lot of times, what we take pride in is trying to get things done fast, efficient, and just being productive.”
His advice for other rental houses: be flexible, even if it’s a short rental.
“If a client wants to demo [a machine] - if they really need to see it, touch it, feel it - let them. If they can take it for a day or come in and drive it around, give them that flexibility. Using something that's new to them to see if it's actually going to work for them.
"Rather than saying, ‘I'm not sure it's going to work for you, we've got other guys out here that will take it tomorrow.’ Rather than going down that route…have flexibility. Work with the contractor. You're saying, ‘Come, take it. Try it out. See if it's going to work for you.’
“Creating that flexibility with the contractor is huge.”
