Rental Customer Have A Landscaping Job? A Wide-Track Compact Utility Loader Might Be The Answer

A compact utility loader is a multi-purpose piece of equipment, but when it comes down to it, they're really built to do one thing — make hard work easier. For professional landscaping crews looking to scale up for a peak-season contract, or home project experts prepping outdoor spaces for summer, renting a wide-track CUL (compact utility loader) provides the muscle of a heavy-duty workhorse without the long-term overhead of ownership.

Wide-track models, as opposed to wheeled units, offer weight distribution across any surface you're working on. That even distribution helps prevent damage on soft terrain like lawns. And because many wide-track CULs have a narrow profile, you can rent a machine that packs massive hydraulic power but still passes through gates and navigates tight spaces with ease, which is a real advantage in most backyard scenarios.

The Utility Tool of the Rental Yard

Perhaps the biggest draw of CUL rentals is the wide range of attachments that make them so versatile. Rather than renting three different machines, equipment rental companies can suggest that customers rent one CUL and a suite of attachments. With the right attachment, operators aren't limited to a single task and jobs that once required a full crew can now be handled by one person, freeing others to focus elsewhere.

Attachments also cut down significantly on physical labor, which may reduce the risk of injury and keep customers safe on the job. The variety of attachments may vary by the model and manufacturer, but broadly speaking, most CULs can be equipped with an array of attachments that can handle anything from material hauling and debris removal, to digging and grading and much more. We recommend most rental houses stock a variety of attachments, allowing you to customize the “kit” exactly to how your customer wants. 

'What Are You Working On?'

Now that we've covered attachments and why wide-track models are the right fit for backyard work, let's look at specific landscaping tasks where CULs stand out and which attachments work best.

Tree Care

Whether they're planting or removing trees, a CUL is a gamechanger. 

• For planting, a fork or bucket attachment makes it easy to lift, transport and position balled-and-burlapped trees that would otherwise be too heavy or awkward to move by hand.
• When it comes to digging, an auger attachment replaces one of the most physically demanding parts of the job, allowing operators to drill precise, consistently sized holes in minutes rather than doing it manually.
• For soil, fertilizer or mulch, those same fork and bucket attachments move material directly to the work area without the extra trips.
• For tree removal jobs, the stump grinder is the standout attachment. The blades are easy to position and make quick, efficient work of roots that would otherwise require significant manual effort.
• For debris or storm cleanup, a bucket or grapple rake can grab, move and load downed limbs and branches with ease.

The Toro Company

Fence Building

Few jobs involve more heavy, awkward material than fence installation, and that's where a CUL earns its keep early. The sheer weight and volume of wire rolls, board bundles, concrete bags and posts add up fast, and a bucket or fork attachment can help keep your customers moving efficiently instead of making constant trips. Check to see if a grading blade or leveler attachment asset is available so that your customer can also smooth their fence line to a consistent grade before installation.

Manually digging post holes is one of the more grueling parts of the job. The auger attachment changes that. Operators can achieve consistent depth quickly and with far less effort. On longer fences, this single attachment can shave hours off the job.

Hardscaping

This is one of the most material-intensive jobs in landscaping, and that's exactly where a CUL shines. Moving pallets of pavers, retaining wall block and gravel is a job in itself, and pallet forks let one operator stage heavy materials right at the work area, while a bucket attachment handles excavation, grading and distributing loose sand or gravel with precision.

At the end of the day, the best tool is the one that makes your customer more efficient, the work a little less difficult and your business more profitable. A wide-track CUL checks all three boxes. With the right attachments, it's one of the most versatile machines a landscaping operation or an aspiring home landscape pro can rent. 

Next time your customer is faced with a landscape challenge, consider suggesting a CUL as part of their game plan to make quick work of the upcoming job.