Guides
Buying roofing contractor equipment new versus used for first-year owners
New versus used roofing equipment decided by cost per productive day, with the inspection protocol for used gear and the items never to buy secondhand.
What to take away
- Buying roofing contractor equipment new versus used for a first-year owner comes down to cost per productive day, not sticker price. Downtime decides.
- Three items should never be bought usedanything safety rated, anything with no service history, and anything you cannot get parts for.
- Used equipment is a good buy when the market is thick, the item is simple, and a failure costs you an hour rather than a day.
- Write the arithmetic down before you shop, so the decision is made in the office rather than in a yard with a seller talking.
- Typical prices as of 2026 appear below. Machinery, vehicle and rental prices are local and current, so confirm quotes in your market. The final figures have to be yours.
Typical prices as of 2026
| Item | Typical new price | Typical used price | First-year call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bostitch RN46-1 coil roofing nailer | $300 to $400 | $150 to $250 | Buy new for daily use; used only with a rebuild kit priced in |
| Metabo HPT NV45AB2 roofing nailer | $250 to $350 | $120 to $220 | Used is workable as a spare; check driver blade and piston |
| DeWalt DCN45RNB 20V cordless roofing nailer | $600 to $800 with battery | $350 to $550 tool only | Buy new for warranty and battery platform |
| Honda EU2200i generator | $1,100 to $1,400 | $600 to $900 | Buy new; used needs a load test and service record |
| Werner D6228-2 28-foot fiberglass extension ladder | $350 to $500 | $150 to $300 | Used only if it passes manufacturer inspection |
| Louisville FE3228 28-foot fiberglass extension ladder | $400 to $550 | $180 to $320 | Same inspection rule |
| Big Tex 60PI 6x12 utility trailer | $3,500 to $5,500 | $2,000 to $3,500 | Used often good if brakes, lights and frame check out |
| PJ Trailers 7x16 tandem axle utility trailer | $4,500 to $7,000 | $3,000 to $5,000 | Used good with title and axle check |
| Ford F-250 XL | $45,000 to $55,000 | $25,000 to $38,000 for 2018 to 2020 | Used with independent inspection and service history |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD WT | $45,000 to $55,000 | $25,000 to $40,000 for 2018 to 2020 | Used with independent inspection and service history |
| 3M DBI-SALA ExoFit NEX harness | $300 to $500 | Do not buy used | Safety rated |
| MSA V-FORM harness | $150 to $250 | Do not buy used | Safety rated |
| Skyjack SJIII 3219 scissor lift | $25,000 to $35,000 | $8,000 to $15,000 | Rent first; used only with inspection and parts check |
| Genie GS-1930 scissor lift | $22,000 to $32,000 | $7,000 to $14,000 | Rent first; used only with inspection and parts check |
The arithmetic
For each option, work out cost per productive day.
Cost per productive day formula
- Ppurchase price
- Rresale or scrap value
- Mexpected maintenance
- Dproductive days
Let P be the purchase price, and R the resale or scrap value you honestly expect at the end. Let M be the maintenance you expect across the ownership period, and D the productive days you expect over that period.
Let F be the days lost to failure, multiplied by what a lost crew day costs you. Cost per productive day is P minus R, plus M, plus F, all divided by D.
Used equipment usually wins on P minus R and loses on M and F. That is the whole trade. Whether it wins overall depends on what a failure costs you on the day it happens.
A Bostitch RN46-1 at $350 new and $200 used is a $150 saving. A single lost crew day at $1,200 contribution wipes that out. For a spare used twice a month, the used unit can still win.
The downtime term is the decision
Work out what one lost crew day costs. Not the wages: the contribution that day would have earned, plus the schedule damage, plus the customer conversation.
Downtime decides new versus used
Does purchase saving exceed extra failure days?
buy used
buy new
Then ask how many extra failure days the used unit is likely to cost across its life. If the saving on purchase does not clearly exceed that, buy new. For an item the crew depends on hourly, that usually settles it in favor of new. For an item used occasionally, it usually settles it the other way.
A Honda EU2200i generator costs $1,100 to $1,400 new. A used unit at $700 may need a $150 service and a load test. If it fails on a tear-off day, the saving is gone.
Never used
- Anything safety rated. A 3M DBI-SALA ExoFit NEX harness, an MSA V-FORM harness, a Guardian Fall Protection anchor, a FallTech lifeline, or a Honeywell Miller lanyard has a history you cannot see. A fall event that a previous owner did not report leaves no visible mark.
The OSHA guidance on fall protection in residential construction sets out the methods available and puts the duty to apply them on the employer. That duty is impossible to discharge with equipment of unknown history.
- Anything with no service record. A machine without a log is a machine whose owner did not care.
- Anything whose parts are no longer supplied. A cheap unit that cannot be repaired is a rental with a resale problem. An older Metabo HPT NV45AB2 may need a driver blade or piston, so confirm parts before you pay.
Good used candidates
- Trailers, if the structure, the brakes and the lights check out. Big Tex 60PI and PJ Trailers 7x16 are common first used buys.
- Simple mechanical items with a thick secondhand market and available parts. A Bostitch RN46-1 coil nailer fits this group.
- Ladders and staging, only if they inspect clean against the manufacturer's own criteria and you know their history. Werner D6228-2 and Louisville FE3228 are common models.
- Vehicles, where a service record and an independent inspection are available. Ford F-250, Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and Ram 2500 are common work trucks.
The inspection protocol for used gear
The inspection protocol
- Ask for the service history in writing before you travel. No history, no visit.
- Ask why it is being sold, and who used it. A firm upgrading is a different story from a firm closing.
- Run it under load, not at idle, for long enough to get hot. A generator should carry a load for at least 30 minutes.
- Check the wear points a manual names, not the paint. On a Bostitch RN46-1, check the driver blade and piston.
- Price the parts that are visibly near end of life, and subtract that from your offer rather than hoping. A nailer rebuild kit often runs $40 to $80.
- Have an independent mechanic look at anything with an engine or a hydraulic system.
- Confirm parts availability by calling a supplier before you pay, not after.
- Get a receipt with the serial number on it, because your insurer and your accountant will both want it.
Anything that fails step one is not a bargain, it is a story.
The third option people forget
Rent, and measure. Rental invoices for one item across a season are the best evidence you will ever get about whether to own it. They also convert a fixed commitment into a variable one during the year when your workload is least predictable.
United Rentals, Sunbelt Rentals and Herc Rentals rent a 19-foot scissor lift such as a Skyjack SJIII 3219 for roughly $200 to $400 per day in many markets. Home Depot Rental rents a towable generator for about $80 to $120 per day. A season of those invoices tells you more than a dealer's pitch.
Firms that rent first and buy second tend to own less and use it more.
The capacity view and how many trucks a business can staff are in the roofing contractor equipment and setup guide. The tiered buying order is in the roofing contractor equipment checklist for new owners.
The maintenance obligation transfers with the item
Whatever you buy, it enters your safety and maintenance system on day one. The OSHA material on safety and health programs describes what a small employer's program contains, including inspection and correction. Secondhand equipment does not get a grace period.
Older buildings add an obligation no equipment purchase solves. Disturbing painted surfaces on older housing may trigger lead-safe work practices. The EPA renovation, repair and painting program for contractors sets out who that reaches.
Whether your firm needs certification is a compliance question, covered in the roofing contractor licensing and compliance guide.
Who has to be able to use it
A purchase is productive only after someone is trained on it and the training is recorded. Fold each new item into the progression in the roofing contractor hiring and training guide.
Make it part of the induction in how to hire reliable staff for a roofing contractor business. Equipment nobody has signed off on is not capacity.
Common questions
Which specific items should a first-year owner buy new?
Buy new safety-rated gear, a primary coil nailer such as a Bostitch RN46-1, a cordless nailer such as a DeWalt DCN45RNB, and a primary generator such as a Honda EU2200i.
Buy used when the item is simple and the market is deep: trailers from Big Tex or PJ Trailers, ladders from Werner or Louisville, and work trucks from Ford, Chevrolet or Ram with a service record.
Is a used truck a reasonable first purchase?
Often yes, with an independent inspection and a service history. Vehicles have the deepest secondhand market of anything you will buy.
How do I value a lost crew day?
Use contribution rather than revenue: what the day would have earned after direct materials and labor. Your job costing supplies that once you have a season of reconciled jobs.
What about auctions?
They suit buyers who can inspect properly and who do not need the item next week. If you need it next week, you will overpay for the wrong unit.
Does buying used affect insurance?
It can affect what is covered and how a claim is valued, so tell your broker what you bought and keep the serial numbers. That conversation is cheaper before a loss.
