As a freelance gravedigger, do you use your own cemetery equipment or do you use equipment provided by cemetery management? If you're just starting out, it's wise to weigh your options when it comes to whether you should invest in your own cemetery equipment.
Having your own grave-digging equipment has a lot of benefits and is often a better option than relying on cemeteries to provide it for you. Consider taking the plunge and getting your own equipment to increase your professional image and beat the competition.
Need a reason why? Keep reading!
Coming with your own equipment shows you're resourceful.
Many cemeteries don't supply cemetery equipment for freelance gravediggers. This alone is reason enough to invest in your own equipment to help you do every job.
Even if a particular cemetery does supply equipment, you're never guaranteed up-to-date maintenance or innovative equipment. You could have a conversation with them regarding the state of their equipment, but if there are only a few cemeteries that have this option, it may not be worth your time.
Your own grave-digging equipment helps you maintain efficiency.
When you have your own equipment, you can make sure you have exactly what you need to complete every job efficiently.
If a cemetery isn't paying much attention to their equipment because they don't do the grave-digging themselves, the few that supply equipment may still only be providing shovels and a pickup truck as their method for the job.
However, if you have your own cemetery equipment, you know its maintenance schedule and history. Innovative equipment is one of the most important aspects of efficiency, and there are several specific pieces of equipment that are especially useful in increasing your productivity in the cemetery.
While you may still need to use a shovel for hard-to-reach or infant graves, a backhoe is one of the most important and common tools for a standard grave. Digging a standard grave with a shovel could take hours, while a backhoe can typically do it within an hour.
The Equipter RB3000 is another piece of equipment that boosts efficiency but may not be readily supplied by cemeteries. Being compact, it can drive between markers without creating ruts in the grass, and it hauls over 4,500 pounds of dirt. It's also easy to dump the dirt right back into the grave quickly and cleanly after the burial service, as well.
Increase your professionalism.
No cemetery likes when their property isn't treated with respect or when family members of the deceased see a messy grave-digging. It decreases their professionalism–and yours.
You can be different. If you have the right equipment and do your job well, cemeteries will take note of your professionalism, and, in a graveyard, that matters. You'll get an edge over your competition and increase the amount of jobs you get hired for.
Should you rent or buy grave-digging equipment?
The question you may be asking now is whether you should rent or purchase equipment. In the short-term, renting might be helpful because you don't have large upfront costs. However, long-term, buying your own equipment may be the best investment.
Let's say you could purchase a new backhoe for $30,000, but right now you're renting one for $2,500 per month. If you'd go with a purchase rather than a rental, you'd be able to pay off the equipment within two years. That's more money you can invest into growing your business sooner.
To ensure reliability and efficiency and to boost your professionalism, make sure you invest in the innovative cemetery equipment you need to do your grave-digging job well and leave a lasting impression.