I want to be answered by people the have expereince with Heavy Equipment and can give me exactly the information that i'm looking for.Thank you.
My husband, his brother and Dad all work for a family business and my husband runs a Caterpillar D8T Bulldozer. I know from experience the cost of maintenance on the heavy equipment relies a lot on how often you grease and do checks on all the fluids. My husband checks his fluids daily, greases daily and does the recommened oil changes as needed. I'm not real clear on an exact amount but I can say ball park would be close to 2500.00 dollars a month and that's if NOTHING is wrong with the tractor. That amount included the fuel to run it as well. I'm sure you can write out a cost analysis and figure out the price of the grease, fluids, fuel, filter and what not and then average the cost by days of use and how much it costs to service (down time and what not) and go from there. I also know that when my husband works four days he pays for the lease on his tractor and all the other equipment for the company (for the month), he makes a bunch of money for the company. Good Luck! Don't forget insurance too!
The yearly cost will vary depending upon the make and model of the unit. Typically, the larger the higher cost. I'l use a medium/large Catipilar D7. The average lease cost per day is $500.00 per day, or per month of around $10,000. U.S dollars. All of the maintenance can be done by the owner or you. I suggest you do the maintenance as of a hefty 50% reduction in fees. Maintenance goes as follows: 3406 engine, typical. Every 8 hours, grease the machine fully, clean air filter, drain fuel/water separater, adjust machine as needed, and add engine oil. Cost, $50. in supplies, $150. to the mechanic. Every 200 hours, change engine oil (40 Qts. oil, 2 oil filters, 2 fuel filters, 2 air filrers, and grease. Supplies $350. Mechanic $300.) adjust machine as needed. You may consider a used machine for the purchase price of $75,000. To sum up the cost. Monthly - $13,000. Yearly- $156,000. plus fuel of course.
