There is no single right answer to hiring versus buying access equipment. The better question is which model fits a given pattern of utilisation, cash-flow position and appetite for maintenance responsibility. This guide sets out the factors worth weighing rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
The case for hiring
- No capital outlay — hire converts a large purchase into a predictable operating cost.
- Flexibility — scale the fleet up or down as project demand changes, and access specialist machines you would rarely own.
- Maintenance and compliance handled by the supplier — routine servicing, periodic inspections and the 10-year major inspection typically sit with the hire company.
- Access to late-model equipment without carrying the depreciation.
The case for buying
- Cost efficiency at high utilisation — once a machine is working consistently, ownership can be cheaper over its life than continuous hire.
- Availability — an owned machine is on hand when you need it, without waiting on hire fleet availability.
- Configuration control — set the machine up for your typical work and standardise operator familiarity across the fleet.
- An asset on the balance sheet, with residual value at resale.
The responsibilities ownership brings
Owning access equipment means owning its compliance. The obligations under AS 2550.10 — pre-operational checks, three-monthly routine inspections, twelve-monthly periodic inspections, and the major inspection due at 5 or 10 years depending on the equipment class, with further majors at the interval that applies to that class — become your responsibility, along with the record-keeping that evidences them.
Those obligations carry cost and administrative overhead that a purchase price alone does not capture. A realistic total-cost-of-ownership view should include servicing, inspection, repairs, storage, transport and eventual major inspection downtime.
A blended approach
Many fleets land on a mix: own the machines that are used often enough to justify the commitment, and hire to cover peaks, specialist requirements, or short-term projects. Reviewing utilisation data honestly — how many days a year each machine class actually works — is usually the most reliable way to decide where the line sits.
This guide is general information prepared by EWP Australia and is grounded in publicly available Australian Standards and Safe Work Australia material. It is not a substitute for the current published edition of the relevant standard or for site-specific engineering advice. Always work from the current standard and consult a competent person for your specific equipment and application.