Aztec Rental: The Backfill

Temporary Fencing:
If you haven’t thought about using it, how it can be a benefit to you or your company or even not sure what it is, let The Backfill try to clear the muddy water for you.

Portable fencing is a sturdy affordable asset that can be used in many applications from complying with building and safety codes on construction sites to crowd control.  In some areas a fencing perimeter is required by law around project sites. Temporary fencing can also help prevent theft and outside injury while providing overall control and safety for construction sites, special events or home renovations.

Adapts To You:
Fencing is versatile in installation, configuration and set up locations. Whether you site is on a hard surface, such as concrete, where stands are used or softer surface, such as grass, and an in-ground installation can be used; temporary fencing can be erected to fit your sites requirements.

Purchasing or building fence is costly and time-consuming. When you add in the volume of pieces and its space requirements, storing it is a hassle and can be costly, which is just not feasible. This is where rental companies become your source as they alleviate these problems. A phone call is all it takes to have fencing delivered and installed at your job site or event. [ Temporary Fence Rental ]

See what you’ve been missing – not just in sewer lines, but in your bank account. The Gen-Eye video pipe inspection and location systems are real money makers for you because you’ll know what the problem is, where it is, and how deep to dig. It keeps your costs down, your quotes competitive, and your customers happy. [ General ]

More Info On Sewer Camera & Line Locator Rental

Pretty sure that statement isn’t true but we are going with it for the purposes of this post.

We were approached by Rental Management, the official magazine of the American Rental Association, about writing an article on our social media efforts.  We are happy to say, Rental Management thought enough of the article we put together to publish the piece in the September issue of Rental Management.

For your pleasure…or maybe ours, here is a section and the link to the full article on rentalmanagementmag.com:

For the past few years, Aztec Rental Center, a construction equipment rental company in Houston, has been looking for innovative and cost effective ways to increase sales and drive more traffic to our website. In doing so, we’ve learned that leveraging different mediums and joining conversations already taking place online can fill this need and produce continued success. The proper kind of attention and exposure gives you the opportunity to promote your company and inform current and potential customers about your business.

In order for a company to advance, you must adapt — and quickly. The explosion of social media in the past few years means information is constantly at your fingertips, but it also means what was news three hours ago is often times no longer relevant. Regardless of whether or not social mediums like Facebook are around 10 years from now, right now they’re effective tools for spreading your message and, even better, they’re free.

The purpose of viral marketing is to create a symbiotic relationship between an organization and its community. In the past, many establishments have been apprehensive to use sites such as Facebook and blogs as they offer no real unit of measurement in regard to the effectiveness of a specific campaign or overall success of any particular marketing strategy. However, the rapid shift to social media websites to market and promote products, causes and companies has made the presence on such media a necessity. As viral marketing has become more pronounced, it is important to focus on why it exists and, more importantly, how to develop your message and tools to make the most of this new medium.

Read the full article: The Blog Approach

Special thanks to Rental Management and the ARA for enjoying our blog, Twitter feed and Facebook page and spreading the word of how awesome we are!

ARA’s vice president for government affairs John McClelland urges you to repeal the IRS 1099 provision.

The much loved August recess is upon us here in the nation’s Capitol and — except for a brief return by the House this past Tuesday to pass yet another spending bill — members of both the House and Senate are at home until Sept. 14. While it is true that some members of Congress will take a brief vacation or participate in a “fact-finding” trip, most will be hard at work campaigning for the upcoming election. That means they actually will be looking for opportunities to see and talk to you, their constituents. While I know there are probably a lot of things on your minds that you would like to say to your senator or representative, I am going to ask you to be single-minded if and when you get an opportunity to have a face-to-face encounter with one or more of your lawmakers: talk to them about the total repeal of the IRS 1099 provision of the health care bill.

Why the IRS 1099 provision of the health care bill needs repeal.

Just in case you have forgotten, one of the provisions — Section 9006 — of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law earlier this year requires all businesses to begin issuing IRS 1099 forms to any business that receives goods or services worth more than $600 in a given tax year. Unless this section is repealed, it is estimated that 40 million taxpaying entities will be subject to this provision, which will create an enormous burden on businesses, governments and nonprofit entities throughout the nation. The House has already seen the light on this, but the Senate, where the provision originated, is proving to be harder to convince that the 1099 reporting mandate is just plain bad and a job-killing policy that needs to be relegated to the dustbin of legislative history.

Read Full Article: View from Washington, D.C.: Take action, demand repeal of the 1099 provision

And the winners are…..drum roll..

The ARA Foundation scholarship committee reviewed the 72 applications received for 2010/2011 and selected 18 recipients for its scholarships, as well as 16 recipients for scholarships awarded by affiliate programs. All scholarships, ranging from $750 to $3,000 each, are being awarded to students pursuing rental-related educations at technical/vocational schools, community colleges, undergraduate colleges and graduate schools.

The scholarships — selected during an anonymous screening of applications — are awarded based on academic success, leadership, rental industry involvement, written essays on rental-related questions and references. Applicants must be associated with the equipment rental industry as an owner, manager or employee of a rental operation or manufacturer/supplier of rental equipment, or the family member of an owner, manager or employee.

Matthew D. Jones of Rent All Center, Alexandria, Va., received the first Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship, the top scholarship award worth $3,000. He also received the $2,500 ARA Insurance Services Scholarship and the $500 Ron Marshall Scholarship presented by ARA Region Two, giving him a total of $6,000 in scholarship funds. Jones will be a senior at Virginia Tech and is pursuing a degree in finance.

Recipients of the ARA Foundation undergraduate scholarships of $2,000 each are:

• Tyler Arlinghaus of Art’s Rental Equipment, Newport, Ky.
• Shawn Blaisdell of Bunce Rental, Tacoma, Wash.
• Taylor Brown of Action Rental and Sales, Harrisonville, Mo.
• Jeremy Emig of Cincy Tool Rental, Cincinnati
• Mark Lello of Midwest Construction Rentals, Bloomington, Ill.
• Bryan Licata of Four Seasons Power Equipment, East Meadow, N.Y.
• Ryan McPeak of Mahaffey Tent Rentals, Memphis, Tenn.
• Ryan Ponikvar of Sun Rental Center, Mentor, Ohio
• John Ritter of A Tool Shed, Campbell, Calif.
• Christopher Stuckey of AP Equipment and Rentals, Longview, Texas

Recipients of Foundation technical/vocational scholarships of $1,000 each are:

• Matthew M. Jones of Jones Equipment Rental, Fort Gratiot, Mich.
• Timothy Lockhart of B & M Equipment Rental and Sales, Belleview, Fla.
• Paxton McReynolds of Mikerentals, Sikeston, Mo.
• Matthew Wedding of All Rental, Gardner, Kan.
• Kelsey Williams of A-1 Rentals/Party Plus in Helena, Mont.

Recipients of the Foundation graduate scholarships of $2,000 each are:

• Christopher Burson of Rental World of St. Cloud, St. Cloud, Fla.
• Matthew Witherwax of RSC Equipment Rental, Houston

The ARA Foundation also administers scholarships for affiliated rental organizations. As previously mentioned, Matthew D. Jones was the recipient of the ARA Insurance Services Scholarship and the Ron Marshall Scholarship for ARA Region Two. Additional affiliate scholarships are:

Dorothy Wellnitz Scholarship for ARA Region 10/Canada – US$1,000

• Nicholas Barry of Rental Network Ltd., Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

ARA of Michigan – $500 each

• Erick Helfmann of A-1 Lansing Rent-All, Lansing, Mich.
• Matthew M. Jones (also the recipient of a Foundation technical/vocational scholarship)
• Trevor Matthew of Taylor Rental Center, Petoskey, Mich.
• Shane Valliere of Taylor Rental Center, Petoskey, Mich.

ARA of Ohio – $750 each

• Jessica Ahrns of Celina Tent, Celina, Ohio
• Jeremy Emig (also the recipient of a Foundation undergraduate scholarship)
• Brittany Fike of Let’s Entertain, Warrensville Heights, Ohio
• Jennifer Fitzgerald of JRB, C&P, CustomWorks (Paladin Heavy Construction), Akron, Ohio
• Ryan Ponikvar (also the recipient of a Foundation undergraduate scholarship)
• Kevin Saunders of Sully’s Rent-All, Akron, Ohio

ARA of Texas – $1,000 each

• Walter Burke of Taylor Rental, Garland, Texas
• Collin Dannemiller of Taylor Rental Center, Plano, Texas
• Kyle Landua of U-Rent-It Sales and Service, Terrell, Texas
• Christopher Stuckey (also the recipient of an ARA Foundation scholarship)

Funds for all of these scholarships will be disbursed by the ARA Foundation to students’ schools by early August.

[Rental Pulse Article]
[ARA Foundation]

Aztec Rental teams up with the Tom Tynan Home Show once again. 

With hurricane season upon us, its time to get prepared.  Brian gives a few tips about what to look for when renting or buying a generator. 

Watch Video here.

Listen to radio interview here.

If you need more help figuring out what size generator you need,
 read this article: Basics For Selecting The Right Size Generator.

[Generator Rental]
[Home Show Online]

“What size generator do i need?” 

This is a very common question and it is easier to answer or figure out on your own than you may think.  The following article was written in Rental Managment Magazine by Vince Groberg a Wacker Neuson Corp product specialist.   We thought he explained how to select the right size generator very well, making it as simple as possible.

Selecting the right generator for the job

By Vince Groberg

Vince Groberg is a regional product specialist, utility for Wacker Neuson Corp., Menomonee, Wis. The information in this article covers basic portable generator sizing information. For more detailed or advanced information, e-mail application.support@wackerneuson.com.

Generators are a necessity for most job sites. Portable power units can power everything from small tools to portable offices. Selecting the right generator for the job doesn’t take rocket science, but it does take planning. It is important to understand that customers are asking for reliable, temporary power for their application when they rent a generator. Sometimes the customer knows his/her power requirements, so this is not an issue. More often however, a customer only has a general idea of how much power is needed. In this case, you must determine from the customer the amount and type of power required and where and for how long that power is needed in order to pick the right size generator for the job.

Three factors play a part in sizing a generator for the job: type of load, total watts to be connected and power of the generator.

Type of load

The first factor to consider when sizing a generator is the type of load being connected. There are two types of electrical loads: resistance and induction loads.

Incandescent lights and heating units are examples of resistance loads. Most construction equipment requiring generator power has induction loads for electric motors.

There are two types of induction load motors. Universal motors, which use brushes, power hand drills, saws and concrete flex shaft vibrator motors. Capacitor motors, which are brushless, usually power submersible pumps, air compressors and table saws.

When sizing a generator to these motors, the main difference is that the capacitor motors need about a third more starting current than universal motors.

Wattage requirement.

After determining the type of load, the next step is to find the total watts of the load to be connected. The most accurate method to determine wattage is to check the nameplate on the machine. However, if this information is not available, wattage can be figured by the simple formula:

amps x volts = watts

Load requirements to electric motors differ, but all motors require more power to start than run. Capacitor motors require up to six times more starting power for longer periods of time. Universal motors draw 1½ to 2 times the running current for shorter periods of time.

Generator power.

Once you determine the wattage, you can choose your generator. The basic guide to follow is if the generator has enough power to start the load — its surge rating — it will have enough power to continually run it.

There are three power ratings for generators, including maximum or nameplate rating, which has a duration of 30 minutes and 10 percent duty; continuous rating, which has a 24/7 duration and 100 percent duty; and surge rating or motor starting rating, which has a duration of two seconds and instantaneous duty. Generator designs have different surge capacities that vary between 1.2 to 2.5 times their continuous run rating.

Next, determine what kind of generator you have. A premium construction-grade generator offers 100 percent duty and with an electronic automatic voltage regulator (AVR) can surge 2 to 2.5 times its run rating. A value construction-grade generator offers 100 percent duty with capacitor or rectifier excitation and can surge 1.5 to 2 times its run rating. A low-cost homeowner generator offers temporary duty with capacitor or rectifier excitation and can surge 1.2 to 1.5 times its run rating.

For example, the surge rating of Wacker Neuson’s GP5600 is equal to two times 5,000W or 10,000W.

If you cannot determine the design of the generator, then assume surge capacity is equal to 1.5 x continuous rating. It is better to oversize the generator to be used by your customer.

Let’s say a contractor wants to use a portable gasoline generator to power his temporary job shack. He needs to connect seven 100W light bulbs (700W), a coffee maker (850W), small refrigerator (induction, 600W to run and 2,000W to start) and a 1,500W radiant heater.

The light bulbs, coffee maker and radiant heater would run constantly, consuming 3,050W. With the refrigerator cycling between off and start/run, the total wattage demand on the generator will vary between 3,050W and 5,050W, which can be handled by a 5,600W portable generator.

For another example, let’s say a 2-in. submersible pump requires 771W to run (6.7 amps x 115V). A 2-hp flex shaft vibrator runs on 2,000W. The pump and vibrator motor require a total of 2,771W to run, however, the pump has a capacitor motor and will require 2,313W for starting, while the universal vibrator motor requires 2,600W. You should size the generator by adding the largest start load to the remaining running loads, which in this case would be 4,313W (2,313W + 2,000W). To run the pump and vibrator, a 5,600W generator will be needed. This will give the customer enough power to also add another tool, such as rotary hammer, which needs 1,100W to run and 1,600W to start.

Another way to size a generator is to calculate amperage instead of the wattage. You can compare the maximum amps of the tool to the generator, the same way you compare the wattage. If you need to calculate the maximum amps of a generator, simply divide the maximum wattage by 120: Maximum amps = maximum wattage/120.

[Generator Rentals]

The Rental Show of 2009 bumps it’s rankings in U.S. trade shows.

Despite the down economy last year, The Rental Show 2009 in Atlanta increased its ranking on two annual lists of the largest U.S. trade shows.

On the Trade Show Executive Gold 100, The Rental Show was No. 52. This is the third year for the Gold 100 rankings, which are based on net sq. ft. of paid exhibit space. The Rental Show was No. 61 on the 2007 list and No. 60 for 2008.

The Rental Show was No. 57 on the Tradeshow Week 200, marking its fourth consecutive year in the top 65. These rankings are a culmination of a yearlong process of compiling and analyzing data on trade shows in the U.S. and Canada by Tradeshow Week magazine. The rankings are based on total net sq. ft. of paid exhibit space, total number of contracted exhibitors and total professional attendance. The Rental Show steadily increased its ranking each year from 2003 to 2007, moving from No. 81 up to No. 61, before slipping to No. 64 for 2008.

[more]

It’s that time of year again. You know the 3 week period when everyone in Texas has the desire to get outdoors and get their lawn back in shape.  I say 3 week period because here in Texas we go from low 60’s to high 90’s in just about that amount of time.   Below is a list of a few items that may need to be addressed and the recommended equipment to address those items that may need to be addressed and here at Aztec Rental we have the equipment to address those items that need to be addressed.  Got all that, great glad to hear it. 

Aztec Rental has all the equipment possibly needed for your Spring preparation and in grand fashion below you will find some suggestions from the experts in absolutely no particular order.

Tillers. When it comes to gardening equipment, the most popular rental unit is the tiller. Tilling is the act of loosening or breaking up earth to make it suitable for planting. Done manually, this could take several laborious days. Manual soil preparation requires removal of existing sod and digging up and turning over the dirt beneath with a shovel, breaking down clumps with a hoe and then combing the area with a rake to remove stones and other debris. Often after turning the soil, compost and other beneficial material is then incorporated into the dirt to make nutrient rich soil fit for planting. Tillers utilize powered tines or blades that spin rapidly to pulverize the earth into a loose soil suitable for planting in a fraction of the time and with far less effort.

Sod cutting. Starting a new lawn from seed is the most commonly utilized method of establishing turf, but even under the best weather conditions and proper care, there is no guarantee that all of the seed will germinate and grow. Growing new sod from seed also can take months. For instant gratification, there’s turf sod replacement. The sod can be laid down, tapped in and watered.

Dethatchers/turf rakes. Thatch is a communion of dead grass, roots and other matter that builds up in a lawn over time. It’s relatively common and collects on most lawns at some time or another. In time, thatch matter becomes stacked and then packs down or mats and causes healthy grass blades to become stressed and weakened to the point that they thin and eventually die. The easiest and most thorough method of removing thatch is to use a dethatcher or powered turf rake. The dethatcher makes quick work of lifting grass-choking thatch from the surface level allowing the soil and grass to breathe and attain moisture and nutrients.

Aerators. Aerators revitalize lawns by opening the soil for more effective penetration of air, moisture and nutrients. Aeration also helps to reduce soil compaction. Less compaction means a healthier root system. The lawn will become more tolerant to heat, drought and traffic, and will be more disease-resistant. Engine-powered walk-behind aerators are the norm for efficient and less labor-intensive lawn aeration.

- Article On How & When To Use a Lawn Aerator

You see here at Aztec Rental we undoubtedly make your job easy which results in a first class lawn, a happy spouse, and the ability to accomplish all this within the 3 week window referenced above.  No Thanks required….that’s just the way we roll here at Aztec Rental.

[Tillers, Sod Cutters, Lawn Aerators, Dethatcher Rentals]
[Lawn Aerator – When & How To Aerate Your Lawn]