SELECTION / SCOPE / HANDOVER
Before choosing the equipment
Describe digging, loading and travel needs across the project. Ask how access and setup compare with using a separate excavator and loader, especially where work areas are restricted.
What belongs in the quote
Specify which attachments and activities are included. Clarify whether one machine can support the proposed schedule or whether separate plant is needed during overlapping tasks.
Think about the surrounding work
Describe the material, travel route and destination before comparing support machines. A balanced site plan accounts for loading, travel, dumping, return journeys and the work waiting at each end. Ask who coordinates access, surface protection, traffic separation and changes when ground or weather conditions differ from the estimate.
Three questions for your contractor
- Which tasks use each end of the machine?
- Is setup space available?
- Will simultaneous tasks require another machine?
Bring a useful project brief
Bring site photographs, access measurements, available drawings and a description of the finished result. Identify what is known about the ground and existing services, and distinguish confirmed information from assumptions. Ask for written inclusions, exclusions, change procedures and handover records before comparing totals.
Further reading
John Deere — construction equipment fleet guide ↗
Manufacturer reference for background, not a dealer relationship or recommendation of a particular model.
Keep the machine working
Repair and maintenance questions · Parts and attachment compatibility · Buying used equipment