The telehandler: what to rent, for how long, and who eats the days the crew does not show
On my order form the lift was a $0 line that said “customer provided.” It turned into the most expensive sentence in the contract.
Where this comes from
My project record
A telehandler is a telescopic forklift that raises trusses and panels to the crew. L&G’s terms say buildings 13 feet or taller, or wider than 30 feet, may need one because of the truss weight, and that a customer-provided lift must be available for one week unless otherwise specified.
What “7k” means and what it costs
The 7k refers to a machine rated for roughly 7,000 pounds of lift. Mine was listed as a 7k telehandler, customer provided. A one-week rental cost me $2,000, paid up front. Delivery and pickup, fuel and a damage waiver are often extra. Local rental yards around Hickory and Statesville will quote by the week; the number is close enough across them that the machine is not where the risk is.
Where the risk is: the calendar
The rental week starts when the machine is dropped, not when the crew arrives. My building was set for Saturday, August 29, and I had been told to have the lift there the day before. Two days ahead, L&G moved the crew to “Monday at latest.” The crew arrived Thursday, September 3. The texts on this site show L&G agreeing beforehand that if the crew needed the lift beyond my week, “it runs through us.” After half the frame was up I was told a different machine was needed. L&G has not supplied one.
How to write the lift into the contract
- Name the machine: capacity, reach, and who specifies it.
- Name the days: the rental period begins on the crew’s confirmed arrival date, not before.
- Name the delay rule: if the crew misses its date, the seller reimburses rental days lost or supplies the machine.
- Name the overrun rule: if the crew needs the lift beyond the contract period, the seller supplies it at the seller’s cost.
- Name the equipment rule: if the crew needs a different or larger machine than the contract specifies, that is the seller’s cost.
- Put all of it on the order form or an addendum, signed. A text thread, even a clear one, is a worse place to keep a promise than a contract.
Or let the seller supply it
Some sellers price the lift into the job. It will cost more than a bare rental, and it moves the calendar risk to the party that controls the calendar. After my experience I would pay for that.
Why a customer wrote this
In February 2026 I signed a $98,750 contract with L&G Building & Concrete of Asheboro, North Carolina. By September I had a cracked slab, damaged plumbing and half a steel frame. This site documents it, with the contract, photos, texts and public records. The resources exist so the next buyer does not need to learn the same things the same way.
General information from one customer’s experience and research. Not legal, engineering or financial advice.