The rental joints do not put thumbs on machines smaller then 2 tons in my area. I found a private rental guy who has a tiny kx-008 with a thumb that I rented to do a tiny job my 70 size would not fit in. This thing was very handy for what I wanted to do, and I see a market for bare rentals in my town with one. I have found an insurer that will cover it and I am experienced in the business end of things, but can anyone tell me why the rental places would not offer something like this with a thumb? Is there something about that small of a machine with a correctly installed thumb that can cause more damage then any other size? I see an opportunity here, but don't wanna drop 35 grand on something thats inherrinetly flawed.
Smaller machines tend to come without a cab, or even a ROPS canopy, and adding a thumb increases the odds of tipping a small machine over exponentially due to picking up off center loads, especially if you're renting to the DIY market. I would give it whirl, just consider that issue when selecting the machine and also when instructing rental customers before they put it to use. Seat belts are a must, but almost never used, enclosed cab with seat belt is even better.
Get a machine with a cab or some type of ROPs. We used to rent smaller machines for indoor plumbing jobs, and most sites won't allow machines without some type of rollover protection
If not careful that thumb could be in your face .
Who did you find for rental liability insurance?