One falls off the bucket list!

The movie “Bucket List” didn’t really resonate with me when it originally came out. Being a very forward focused person, stopping to reflect really doesn’t come very natural to me.. Even today, I nearly have to set an alarm to get me to stop and take a look around. That’s why today is a special day. Depending of course on when you open this, I am going to be on a plane, riding up front for the first time. Business First Class. Yes, that was on my bucket list. Don’t hate me for it, we’ve all got our reasons for what is on that list. Maybe I’ll talk about that one more later. The important take away for me is the things we have to work through to get to cross those kind of milestones, and the fact that the work leading up tends to take so much more energy than the event itself. Strange how we do that to ourselves. Whether flying first class, climbing a mountain or having the yard that is the envy of the neighborhood it is going to take work.  Sometimes we’re the right or only person that can do the work. It wouldn’t really do me much good to have someone else exercise for me if I’m the one that is supposed to climb the mountain.  Knowing when and how much you should take on with a project like that awesome back yard is something a good counterperson can help with. It is also time well spent. It reminds me of a time many years ago when I was spraying insulation into my attic. Proudly bragging, it took me only a short time to learn that I could have paid a contractor to come in and do the entire job for less than it cost me to buy the material and do the work myself.  When you’re planning those projects, give us a call. Who knows, the money and energy you could save might just help pay to cross something off your bucket list. Our Friday special offer for you on this list is a first come only excavator rental. No one but you will see it. I’m telling our guys to let one excavator go for $100 and you can have it for the weekend. That is less than 25% of the normal cost. The special conditions are this; Only one is available, whoever requests it first by calling 541-492-7368 gets it. The price does not include a trailer to haul it or delivery. Damage waiver will not be offered. If you break it, you pay for repairs to fix it. You can put up to 4 hours on the machine over the course of the weekend, additional hours on the machine will be billed at the normal rate. You can have one bucket (get it, bucket list..?) of your choice based on availability It needs to be returned clean and full of fuel as per our normal procedure. Funny thing. Thinking about you, on this list, I already know you’re a doer. I didn’t even have to mention getting up off the couch, it was just how to make the most of your time. That’s pretty cool. If you are reading this on our blog, you're coming in late, and missing out on snagging specials like the one listed here. These go out to our email subscribers first. To get them, sign up here > Umpqua Rental Insiders Club -Tim- Real live phone people Roseburg 541-492-7368 Myrtle Creek 541-863-4385 Roseburg Rental Website, you can request a reservation here even after hours

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Preventing unexpected equipment rental expenses

You brought it back and now they are asking for more money?

In the rental business it is one thing to save money using your time wisely, but one of the big fears is additional expenses. Lets talk about how to prevent them. The top 3 reasons additional money will added to a contract; Returned dirty or low on fuel We’re not asking you to hand wash the equipment (we do that each time it comes through), but we do need you to leave your wood chips, mud, or other debris at your site or stop by a wash facility on the way back to the shop. This additional cleanup time isn’t included in the rental rate. We send the equipment out full of fuel and it should come back the same.  Damage from incorrect application of the equipment Our stump grinder is a good example. It is engineered and does a great job tearing up stumps (wood fiber), but will succumb to rocks and dirt in a hurry. You wouldn’t put your lawn mower blades or chainsaw into the dirt, the same holds true for the stump grinder. Those teeth are quite expensive and we won’t cover premature wear because it was used to grind rocks and dirt.  Pushing equipment beyond its intended use Some folks will come into this with the mindset that cheaper is better, not considering the wear and tear that happens when you push something to hard. It doesn’t work out well if you rent a cheaper mower but have to pay for replacing a belt because you tried to mow grass that was too tall. We have mowers engineered specifically for tall grass. They cost a few more bucks but are much more robust and do a lot better job. The same applies to much of our equipment.  The easiest thing you can do is spend a little time discussing your project with the counter person and once the best equipment has been chosen, getting to know the equipment better.  Along that line, we’re working on adding more user manuals and video’s to our website to make that easier to do from the comfort of your own home. Again, since this is just starting up, if you know your going to be renting something soon and don’t see the video for it, shoot me an email and I’ll put it to the front of the list. -Tim- www.roseburgrental.net Real live phone people Roseburg 541-492-7368 Myrtle Creek 541-863-4385 Roseburg Rental Website, you can request a reservation here even after hours

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3 ways to save $ on your next rental

Just this week I saw another example of someone spending more than they needed to, and this time quite a bit because it was a large piece of equipment, simply because of poor awareness of the rental pricing system.  In this case, it was a large 8000# reach forklift that was returned after 2 weeks and 2 days.  Now maybe this guy didn’t have room on the worksite for something that big to be just hanging around, there are certainly times when that or fear of loss, damage etc., might be good reasons to not take advantage of the discounts.  #1 way to save - you should know the rate variables for the the specific item you are renting. Most equipment will have pretty steep discounts compared to hourly when held longer. Ours are typically at 1 day versus ½ day, one week versus daily, and monthly versus weekly.  Had this guy held on to the item for 2 more days he could have gotten the equivalent of 9 free days. That’s not chump change on an item that large.  #2 way to save - have your worksite prepped ahead of time. You’d be surprised at the number of people who will rent a paint sprayer and not have their doors, windows and trim masked off. This same thing applies to almost everything you do.  #3 way to save - size the equipment correctly. Power washers are a great example, for around 25% more money you get double the productivity when you rent the large versus the small. Pay for and clean everything in one day with the large, or two days with the small? If the project could be done with something larger, it will almost always cost less to step up to the larger equipment than using the cheaper equipment for longer.  I’ve mentioned that this venue will be where our leading information comes from and today will be a first for us. This has not been announced anywhere yet: We are going to be selling our JCB 8018 mini excavator. Auction site prices for something similar have been averaging upwards of $15K. I’ll let it go to anyone in the group for $12K.  Looking ahead, want to watch me stumble through my first live video feed? I’m going to try 10am next Tuesday. This will be on our FB page for Roseburg Rental. The following Tuesday I’ll be at The Rental Show in New Orleans and will probably be running one or more from there too. Real live phone people Roseburg 541-492-7368 Myrtle Creek 541-863-4385 Roseburg Rental Website, you can request a reservation here even after hours

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A medical education facility in Roseburg Oregon could help alleviate the health care worker crisis in rural Oregon.

Sitting on the City of Roseburg Economic Development Commission, being a founding member of the Umpqua Basin Economic Alliance, an executive member of the Douglas County Partnership for Economic Development and its sub committee Med. Ed. ( medical education ) it is fair to say I have a keen interest in promoting economic development for the greater Roseburg area.

The Med. Ed concept is one of the most significant opportunities to come from all of these efforts. A Medical Education facility here in Roseburg could be both a game changer for our economy, and a huge benefit to the medical community here in rural Southern Oregon.

From veterans care facilities to your local options for a general practitioner, we're coming into a crisis as it relates to health care workers. 

The medical education facility concept in Roseburg Oregon aims to help ease the burden of too few trained healthcare workers. 

Rural Oregon needs and deserves current, timely health care for our veterans and the general population. We need and deserve this care in our own communities. The burden of travel expenses, travel time, and a non local atmosphere aren't in our best interest. The rural Oregon Medical Education facility aims to change that.

To learn more follow the link or comment below,  please share! 

Tim Allen

http://www.oregonruralhealth.com 

Home & Garden show this weekend at the fairgrounds!

Are you planning some outdoor projects this year? 

Yard renovation?

Tree trimming?

New deck or patio?

Sprinkler system?

See idea's for all of this and more! Friday 10am-8pm, Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 10am-4pm

Here is a picture of us setting up, stop on by and say "hi" :)

Save money and spread your rental costs out over a year?

Do you dread the rental bill when it is time to take care of things like yard prep every year?

If you want a great looking yard, it requires maintenance. Things like aerating, dethaching and over seeding. That's easily more than a hundred bucks.

Now imagine paying $10/mo. and not having to cough up the dough all at once, that $120 all goes toward any rentals that year. Better yet, for making the commitment to keep your yard nice you get to save an additional 10% off of every rental for the rest of the year? 

What are your thoughts, is this a program you'd like to see us start? 

Comment here or send me an email at mail@roseburgrental.net and let us know :) I'll give you $10 bucks off your next rental just for sharing your opinion!

Local introvert to speak to large crowd in Atlanta Georgia?

Man, if there is one thing that has been tough as a business owner it is coming out of my introvert shell to participate in opportunities like this or in local volunteer efforts. Speaking to a crowd is way low on my list of preferred things to do, but....

I'm excited about this opportunity. Along with three other business owners/ inexperienced speakers from around the nation, we're going to be discussing the unique needs and systems we use to maintain our equipment, train customers how to use equipment and answer audience questions.

Is it big? look at a couple of these statistics;

* Attendees at the 2015 Show came from all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, all Canadian provinces and from more than 40 countries including Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

The Rental Show 2014 (the most recent year for which rankings are available) was rated as one of Trade Show Executive's Fastest 50 Growing Trade Shows in the U.S. and on its Gold 100 list of largest U.S. trade shows. The Show also was ranked in the top 75 on the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) list of the top 250 trade shows in the U.S.

For more information on the show check out the link below smile emoticon

http://www.therentalshow.com/For-Press/For-Press/About-The-Rental-Show

Attending this annually is just one of the ways we stay up on current equipment improvements and learn better way to communicate with our customers. The value to us and our customers is huge.

Spring has sprung in Roseburg and the surrounding Umpqua Valley!

Winter has been pretty easy on us this year. Aside from a low snowpack, the precipitation levels have been pretty normal, and kind enough to typically fall in bunches and in the evenings. I didn't miss the everlasting drizzle we normally see.

So what are your plans for the outdoor season this year?  We've been seeing a fair amount of outdoor projects going on, and the County permit levels seem to finally be on the rise, so you must be up to something!

In the theme of keeping this educational, I thought I'd mention workplace safety this time around, specifically as it relates to aerial equipment. We brought a 56' working height 4 wheel drive articulating boom into the fleet recently, our first self powered mobile manlift. With it came a new requirement for our employee's. Anyone moving this manlift MUST wear an approved safety harness and lanyard, they also had to watch this video; http://.be/AcJQOWLxjFc . 

As you can see there may be some unintended consequences while operating these things, and this brings me to my point. Regardless of what equipment your using, take the time to get to know the proper way to operate it, and some of the situations to avoid. Renting a piece of equipment comes with a lot of responsibility, and in the end, you and you alone are going to have the biggest impact on whether or not you get hurt. While time is money, it is a two way street. A little prevention can go a long way in saving pain, time and money. My personal recommendation is always take advantage of the manufacturers operators manual. In todays age, a quick Google search will typically bring this and usually some educational video's up that can help save a lot of heartache. 

For information on our lift, check out this site! http://www.niftylift.com/usa/news/focus-on/sp50-hybrid-4x4 

Good things happening....

So this week I've spent about 13 hours involved with four different community events;

Attended an after hours entrepreneur event where after some networking a local winery owner talked about his experiences as a business owner. 

Discussion with a COO of a local non-profit talking about (community) collective impact.

Had a great time working with some great folks doing a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

Went to a community wealth building seminar.

Every one of these brought some really good lessons. The trick is to put yourself into these kind of positions and not just join in the conversation, but to really listen and participate. It is one thing to network at these sort of events, but I can tell you first hand networking just scrapes the surface of the value a person can get with time commitment. I guess a pet peeve is hearing folks talk about spending time networking in various venue's and not getting enough value from it. 

In my experience, participation and really listening is the key. Not in the thinking about what your going to say next mode while waiting for the next pause to speak, but really listening. 

There is amazing talent all around this area. Most of the folks are willing to give freely of their knowledge and experience. With over 150 different non-profits in the area, there is bound to be some kind of effort you could get behind. 

Riding lawn mower repair

Well I warned you it was coming!

If you've been mowing more than an acre for many years, you probably remember the "yard tractor", and certainly by today's standards it really was. Beefy frames, bigger tires, strong thick deck metal, maybe provisions for hydraulic attachments. Back in the day if you bought a Cub Cadet you were probably going to pass it on to the next property owner or one of your kids when you down sized. Alas, progress....

Cub Cadet, Yard Machine, TroyBilt are all now owned and manufactured by MTD. Husqvarna, Ariens, AYP, all owned by Electrolux. A couple of years ago we were sent to Lowes to repair some John Deere mowers. Seemed odd until we found out they were actually manufactured by Murray who is now owned by Briggs & Stratton. Confused yet?

More than ever a knowledgeable sales person is worth getting to know. After reading the above, do you really think a few hours on the internet is going to be enough to make a good decision on a mower purchase? Is the salesperson at the box store going to know the inner workings of the mower or just the highlights they're taught? Remember the plastic transmission I mentioned earlier? It is in the box store version of the same model mower we sell with a metal transmission. Our mechanic even pointed out that technically we could install the good transmission in the box store machine if a customer wanted to pay the price. 

Like the walk behind mowers, you can either do the maintenance over time or plan on some large repair bills to bring several deferred maintenance problems back up to par. Aside from the same issues noted in the previous blog, the riding mower will have a battery, starting system, safety switches, blade engagement mechanisms, a charging system, fuel pump, and lights, all needing attention. Leveling the deck and keeping good blades sharp make for a nice cut and you'd be surprised how much more fuel dull blades take, they also put a great deal more wear and tear on the deck belts. At $4.50+/gallon (you're buying non-ethanol unleaded right?) you can pay for new blades or blade sharpening pretty quick. I probably don't need to mention the cost (and stress) savings associated with better belt life

Change your oil at least once every 100 hours, keep your air filter clean or replaced, use only known clean containers for fuel, keep a trickle charger on the battery when the mower will be sitting for more than a few weeks, don't mow over rough surfaces too quickly, keep tire pressure correct (makes a big difference on how level the mower cuts), and grease the grease zerks regularly. Completely remove debris from under and on top of the deck at least a couple of times a year (Fall season so it doesn't sit there all Winter) and you'd likely not need our services, if you bought a good mower.

Got some other tips to share? We'd love to hear them as well as share them with our readers!

Mowers, mowers, mowers oh my!

Last post I talked abut the number one problem we see with mowers in the Spring. From there it all gets a little more complicated.

Lets start with walk behind mowers. You bought it new, it worked great for a season (unless you hit something in the yard you shouldn't have, we'll get back to that). At the end of the year you cleaned it up, and parked it, maybe even added some fuel stabilizer to it. IF it started you may be good to go for another season (you did check the oil level right?).

This year the pull cord snaps, blade is pretty dull and the air filter gets plugged. If you serviced or had the mower serviced everything but the pull cord should be good for the year. Many of you will even get past year two on our cord if you don't have a larger yard where your stopping to pick up debris and have to frequently restart the beast. At the end of the season it wasn't cleaned as well and a neighbor borrowed it for a bit.

Year 3. Deck is starting to flex, bag had a small opening you don't remember, blade is toast, fuel was stale so you took it in to get that cleaned out (and restart your lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty). Really the best thing to do here is just have a thoughrough service done. New blade, fuel filter (if applicable), air filter, oil change, spark plug, and just a good set of trained eye's on it. Maybe get that cord replaced while its there so it doesn't fail mid season? 

Year 4 on. Just have the darn thing serviced annually shortly before Spring. During the season if you see problems, have them addressed. Most of the time when we see mowers to far gone to justify repair it is because there is a substantial amount of deferred maintenance on top of a breakdown. 

If your in the market for a new lawn mower, please visit our website and click on the products page. From there you'll see some selections. Why buy from us? We're actually interested in seeing you get and keep your grass under control, not just sell you a mower. Our mowers ARE different. Don't think so? Just stick your head under the back axle of a box store mower. Unless your looking at thier "top of the line" (our basic) you're going to see a plastic transmission housing (which is filled with plastic gears by the way), then look under ours... Its still metal.  

Next time, riding lawn mowers!

Ethanol fuel and outdoor power equipment.

Fuel issue's are the number one problem we see coming into our shop. When ethanol fuel was first introduced into our market I was concerned, but felt some confidence in the message we were getting from the engine manufacturer's. Every single engine manufacturer we work with stated their engines were E10 ethanol safe.

It didn't take long for us to suspect there may be some problems (wanna' save yourself some reading, watch the video we just posted here).

The first issue we had was with a generator repair. Gasoline powered generators have always had fuel issue's. They typically sit for far longer periods than most power equipment. This one came to us with a fouled fuel system. We did our typical fuel system cleaning and repair, tested the machine, then the owner took it home. 

About 90 days later he tried to use it. It ran but poorly. Irritated he brought it back to us and we assured him we'd rectify any fuel related issue's no charge. 

We found that the fuel in the tank had gone bad already! We cleaned it all out again, and sent it out once again. And then the next one came back.... and the next. At this point we're taking a lot of heat and really not enjoying it. 

Time for further investigation. We contacted a fuel treatment supplier and asked what their experience was. They stated their product would double the shelf life of fuel, which was enough to satisfy most fuel requirements. This was when fuel would last 6 month's to a year. Now the shelf life was as short as 30 days, so doubling it may give you 60.

Addidtionally parts were failing. Fuel filters would melt, the fuel shut off needle in the carburetor would get sticky and stick shut, fule lines and primmer bulbs were failing. 

We ran two tests at our facility. One was to simply pour some fuel into a clean while 5 gallon bucket and let it sit. Within one week the ethanol started seperating from the fuel and settling in the bottom of the container. This means if your law mower didn't get shaken well enough before you tried to start it, it was getting pure ethanol instead of mixed. If it ran at all it would run very poorly. The second test was to put a short piece of new fule line into a beacker filled with ethanol fuel. By the end of just day one there was visible expansion indicating the ethanol was attacking the rubber.

Today things are better. They are using products other than buytl in rubber which has alleviated many of the part failures. It still goes bad faster, and still attacks the fuel lines in a lot of equipment out there. 

Do yourself a favor, buy the non-ethanol fuel from a locally owned fuel station (most nationally owned stations don't have non-ethanol available). Buy only as much fuel as you estimate you'll use in a month, add a good fuel stabilzer to it. 

-Tim-

Winter power equipment storage tips

So none of us like the thought, but whether we like it or not winter is on us, and chances are you're about done with most of you power equipment for the year. Here are some tips we recommend for making sure your equipment is still functioning when you break it out next Spring.

• Riding lawn mowers - We don't like to see equipment stored with old oil in it. There is a lot of nasty stuff in there like metal particles that can create corrosion when resting against dissimilar metals over time. Start the machine up, let it get warm, drain the old oil out and put new in. Put a battery tender on it. We all mean to start our mower and let it warm up and recharge once a month but never do. If you have a slow leak tire put a block of wood under the axle, sitting with the rim against the tire all winter isn't good for it. Clean all the debris from on top of and under the mower deck, that grass and dirt retain moisture and is corrosive over time, we've seen a lot of badly rusted decks because of this. Either run the fuel out of it, or get good non-ethanol fuel mixed with a fuel stabilizer and fill it completely (remember to run it for a few minutes after to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Walk behind lawn mowers - Change oil, clean under deck, run fuel out of it, or fill completely with non-ethanol fuel mixed with fuel stabilizer (remember to run it for a few minutes after filling to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Pressure washers - Get all of the water out! You don't want any moisture in there to freeze, it does really bad things. Another option is to get (we recommend potable) antifreeze into it, or we sell a kit that puts it into the pump via an aerosol can. Change the oil. Either run the fuel out of it, or get good non-ethanol fuel mixed with a fuel stabilizer and fill it completely (remember to run it for a few minutes after to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Paint Sprayers - What is in the pump now? If you rinsed out the paint with water and left it, now is the time to put mineral spirits into the whole system including the gun and hose. Manufacturers are no longer warrantying damage due to freezing. One of the first components typically damaged is the pressure sensor also called a transducer. On electric powered computerized paint sprayers (most commercial grade electric paint sprayers are now controlled by a small onboard computer) this part is very expensive, and they will require we send them the part to analyze before approving a warranty claim. If your sprayer is gas powered, apply the same info. from "walk behind mowers" above to the motor.

Have a piece of equipment not listed that you'd like to know more about? Send me an email or post it to one of our Facebook pages and I'll see what we can come up with for you! 

-Tim-

Motor won't stay revved up?

On most commercial motors, for instance this Honda GX motor, there is a friction adjustment nut somewhere on the throttle system. It will typically be either at the fulcrum of the throttle lever itself, or at the fulcrum of the throttle lever on the motor. On this Honda GX (and most other Honda GX motors) it is located at the throttle lever on the motor, it is the nut in the center of this picture located between the muffler, air filter and fuel tank. If your throttle won't stay revved up tighten this nut slightly, if it is too hard to move the lever, loosen it up a touch. A little bit of movement on the nut makes a big difference so don't expect to turn it more than half a rotation maximum.

Have a small engine or equipment challenge you'd like to know more about? Post it here or on our Facebook page (link is here on our blog) and we'll get you an answer!

Open house update #6

Spent some time this week sanding the light posts, putting in fresh bark mulch around the planters, and a bit of painting on the planter island nearest the shop. Things are starting to look a lot better around the outside of the facilities.
Had some printer problems so flyers are going to be delayed for a couple more days.

Update #5

The radio ads should be live today. Two 30 sec. generic event descriptions and 5, 15sec. "update" spots featuring the names of those who will be participating. These 15 sec. ads will roll through one at a time so they all get equal air time. Here is the event flyer!

April 6th, 2013 - Open house!

We're announcing it here first, you'll get to hear the good and the bad! Our goal is to create an event focused on getting things done. The busy season is just around the corner, and we want to be able to help you make the most of it.

My ambitions are high. I'd like to bring all the people necessary to take your project or challenges to success in one place for the day. From conception to completion, I'd like to have any resource necessary onsite. Whether a realtor, appraiser, Draftsperson/engineer, contractors, materials vendors, banker, equipment operators, and of course for do-it-yourselfers, our equipment and knowledgeable folks to train on how to use it most efficiently. We want to help you go from thinking about it, to admiring the finished product!

Our challenges as of today are; bringing in all of the support vendors, we hope to be able to share the vision with them. Marketing the event, with just 6 weeks to pull this off, it is going to be challenging! Site prep., I'm always striving to make tomorrow a better experience than today, that includes making our surroundings as pleasing as possible. Cleaning and painting are long overdue for some of our planters, parking curbs etc., Hopefully we can make time to get things looking their best for the event.

Tim recording the latest radio ad.

Want a behind the scene's look?

Thanks to the folks at Brooke Communication!  Check out

Customer centered changes at Tim Allen Equipment

You the customer are always front of mind at Tim Allen Equipment and our DBA Roseburg Rental. Currently we're in the process of implementing a rewards program that may be a first in the industry. When we first made the push to increase our rental equipment inventory after all of the nationwide chains left town we had a number of contractors and industrial customers asking us about "contractor discounts". We're pleased to say we've come up with a program that is arguable more fair than "contractor discounts".
The new program recognizes the customers who are doing the most business with us rather than an arbitrary "sic" code or market segment. In addition to offering discounts for everyone on rentals, the program also includes money spent on equipment repairs toward the rental discounts. What this means is that if you own much of your own equipment, and only rent occasionally, the repair or maintenance work you have us perform will go toward earning you a discount on future rentals.
For more details on the program call us at 541-492-RENT (7368).