New Member, First post seeking advice!

[Beaver_Driver]

Hey Guys, long time lurker, first time poster!

Greetings from Alaska! Currently living here in AK but grew up in NW Pennsylvania and will move back there in a couple years hopefully.

I recently bought my dream piece of wooded raw land and I'm beginning the process of getting a driveway in for access to the building site, hoping to get the garage/shop put up first sometime next summer, since we all know the garage is the most important building on your property!

My question is in regards to heavy equipment rental, and forgive me if this has been discussed in another thread, I searched and didn't immediately find anything. My access road into the property is going to be around 450 feet long, cleared about 24' wide for a single lane 12' wide gravel driveway. I have a friend with access to a mini excavator we can use, but I really want to get my hands on a small dozer in the 90HP range to rent for a week. It's tough to find a rental right now but I think I may have a couple candidates, a Cat D3 or D4, possibly a bigger D5. If I had a dozer I think I could get my garage site prepped in addition to getting the access cleared.

I'm having trouble finding insurance though. The insurance standard at Equipment rental companies seems to be a $1M general liability policy, and then also a insurance policy covering the value of the machine. I've found short term insurance for the machine value, but not much luck finding the General Liability insurance, every Ins company I talk to it seems has the GL policies structured around a business not a private individual.

Has anyone dealt with this? What did you do or what workaround did you find?

I sure appreciate any advice!

Joe

 

[nadogail]

Welcome to the Forum, I am a graduate of Anchorage High School, there was only one High School in Anchorage in 1958.
I did not catch your location; Alaska is a pretty big place.

The Statehood election was the first election I was able to vote in, I had just become 19.

I left Alaska to join the Navy in 1961, and have been back only a few times for visits and funerals. You will probably have better luck getting the help and equipment you want after you become known in your local community.

I think you will do better if you can rent your machine from a local resident, perhaps you may be able to hire them to do the work. I am more comfortable dealing with folks I know rather than those i don't.

I have an " Umbrella Policy" that extends the Liability Coverage by a few million to cover my exposure in my small business and Rental Properties. My Insurance Broker attached it to my Auto Insurance, my Auto Insurance is written by The Hartford. Umbrella Policies are not very expensive because they only have to pay out if your other liability insurance is not enough to cover any judgement against you.

Good luck in building your own piece of Heaven in Americas Largest State

Please keep me posted on your progress.

 

[quickfarms]

Did you post this question twice?