When is buying more cost-effective than renting?

The choice between renting and buying mainly depends on how often a screening bucket is used and how much material can be reused with it.

For a one-off or short-term project, renting is often an excellent solution. You have access to the right machine without having to make an immediate investment. However, as a screening bucket is used more frequently, this calculation changes quickly.

The greatest saving does not come from the rental price of the machine, but from the fact that excavated soil can be screened and reused directly on site.

The average cost of disposing of soil is €25 to €60 per m³. If new sand or suitable soil then needs to be supplied, this adds an average of another €15 to €30 per m³.

The total cost of disposal and supply can therefore quickly amount to:

€40 to €90 per m³

This does not yet include the costs of loading, transport, waiting times and logistics.

That is why more and more companies choose to screen soil directly on site and reuse it.

Calculation example 1 – MGM VS2-50

Even with a compact mini excavator, mobile screening can already be surprisingly profitable.

Assumptions

Screening bucket: MGM VS2-50
Bucket capacity: 70 litres
Capacity: approximately 5 m³ per hour
Quantity of material: 50 m³
Rental price: €108 per day
Effective operating time: 6 hours per day
Mini excavator including operator: €70 per hour

Screening 50 m³ takes approximately 10 hours.
This is equivalent to approximately 2 working days.

Costs

Screening bucket. 2 × €108 = €216
Mini excavator including operator. 10 × €70 = €700
Total costs €916

Cost per cubic metre
€916 ÷ 50 = €18.32 per m³

Comparison with disposal

Disposal + supply (€40 per m³)
50 × €40 = €2,000

Disposal + supply (€90 per m³)
50 × €90 = €4,500

Potential saving

Based on the lower cost estimate:
€2,000 − €916 = €1,084 saving

Based on the higher cost estimate:
€4,500 − €916 = €3,584 saving

Even with a compact 2-tonne mini excavator and a rented VS2-50, a relatively small batch of soil can therefore already generate savings of more than €1,000 to €3,500.

Calculation example 2 – MGM VM3-135

For larger projects, the benefits increase even more quickly.

Assumptions

Screening bucket: MGM VM3-135
Bucket capacity: 1.1 m³
Screening area: 1 m²
Capacity: approximately 50 m³ per hour
Quantity of material: 300 m³
Rental price: €256 per day
Effective operating time: 6 hours
Mobile excavator including operator: €92 per hour

Screening 300 m³ takes approximately 6 hours.
The entire batch can therefore be processed in one working day.

Costs

Screening bucket 1 × €256 = €256
Mobile excavator including operator 6 × €92 = €552
Total costs €808

Cost per cubic metre
€808 ÷ 300 = €2.69 per m³

Comparison with disposal

Disposal + supply (€40 per m³)
300 × €40 = €12,000

Disposal + supply (€90 per m³)
300 × €90 = €27,000

Potential saving

Based on the lower cost estimate:
€12,000 − €808 = €11,192 saving

Based on the higher cost estimate:
€27,000 − €808 = €26,192 saving

This example shows that even when the full rental costs of the screening bucket are included, mobile screening can already deliver a very significant financial benefit.

When does buying become more cost-effective than renting?

The examples above are deliberately based on rental prices. This makes it clear that mobile screening can be financially attractive even without owning a machine.

With your own screening bucket, the daily rental costs no longer apply. As a result, the cost per screened cubic metre becomes even lower, and every subsequent use contributes further to recovering the investment.

A few projects per year may already be enough

The practical example with the VM3-135 shows that a single 300 m³ project can already generate potential savings of €11,000 to more than €26,000 compared with disposing of soil and bringing in replacement material.

If a company carries out several projects of this type each year, owning a screening bucket can already become financially very attractive. The investment is then recovered not only through lower processing costs, but also through savings on transport, disposal and the purchase of new raw materials.

More than two rental days per month

When monthly costs are considered, buying often becomes attractive sooner than many companies expect.

With many leasing or financing arrangements, the monthly payments over a five-year period are approximately equivalent to two rental days per month. This does not even include the costs of collecting and returning the rental machine.

If a screening bucket is rented for an average of more than two days per month, it is worth comparing the rental costs with the monthly cost of owning a machine. In many cases, an owned machine proves to be financially more attractive while also offering greater flexibility.

The benefits of owning a screening bucket

Owning a screening bucket offers more benefits than just a lower cost per cubic metre.

• The machine is always immediately available.
• There are no collection or return costs.
• Work does not need to be planned around the availability of a rental machine.
• Small or unexpected batches can also be processed immediately.
• Every additional use lowers the average cost per screened cubic metre.
• You can respond more quickly to new projects in which material screening forms part of the work.

Because the machine is always available, an owned screening bucket is often used more frequently in practice than initially expected.

Rent, lease or buy?

There is no standard answer.

For occasional work, renting remains an excellent choice. If the work recurs regularly or several larger projects are carried out each year, buying or leasing may be more financially attractive.

At MGM Power, we therefore look not only at the purchase price of a machine, but especially at the total costs and potential savings over its full service life.

Together, we assess:

• the expected number of operating days;
• the quantity of material to be processed;
• the cost of disposal and supply;
• the available excavator;
• the required capacity;
• the possibilities for reusing materials.

Based on this, we provide honest advice on whether renting, leasing or buying is the best option.

Conclusion

An owned screening bucket does not need to operate every day to be profitable.

Even when using a rented machine, mobile screening can already generate savings of:

• €1,084 to €3,584 on a 50 m³ batch with an MGM VS2-50.
• €11,192 to €26,192 on a 300 m³ batch with an MGM VM3-135.

With an owned machine, these benefits become even greater because the daily rental costs no longer apply.

That is why owning a screening bucket can already be attractive with just a few projects per year. If a machine is rented for an average of more than two days per month, it is certainly worth comparing the monthly rental costs with a leasing or financing arrangement.

A screening bucket is therefore not just an attachment, but an investment that generates a return with every cubic metre screened.

The amounts stated are indicative practical examples. Actual results depend on the quality of the material, disposal costs, the excavator, working conditions and the final production capacity. Together with the customer, we can assess an exact scenario tailored to their situation.