Duke Rentals

What Duke Rentals does

Duke Rentals is a privately held, locally owned construction equipment rental company headquartered in Atlantic, Iowa, operating 18 branch locations across eight U.S. states (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). Founded in 2000 and originally known as Duke Aerial Equipment, the company rebranded in 2019 to reflect a product portfolio that now spans well beyond aerial lifts to include boom lifts (Genie, JLG, MEC), scissor lifts (Skyjack, Genie, JLG), telehandlers (Genie, JLG, CareLift, Skytrak, Manitou), Toyota industrial forklifts, and a light-and-general equipment category featuring Kubota mini excavators and skid steer loaders, Ditch Witch trenchers, light towers, air compressors, portable welders, and utility vehicles. The company states a fleet of over 11,000 machines available for short-term and long-term rental.

Duke Rentals generates revenue primarily through usage-based equipment rentals, supplemented by three adjacent streams: used equipment sales from fleet rotation, an in-house Rental Protection Plan priced at 16% of rental cost with a $1,000 maximum deductible, and OSHA-compliant safety training (Aerial Work Platform and forklift certification). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via walk-in branches without appointments, a toll-free reservation line (866-438-3853), and online quote forms that route to the nearest of 18 locations. Customers include general and specialty contractors, industrial and warehouse operators, entertainment production, and individual homeowners across the Midwest and South-Central United States. The business is operated with approximately 84 employees, no disclosed institutional capital, and appears to remain founder/family-controlled, with Ken Tolton identified as owner and Ben Dawson as Operations Manager in Des Moines.

Name

Duke Rentals

Legal name

Duke Rentals

Website

https://dukerentals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Duke Rentals is a privately held Midwest construction equipment rental company operating 18 branches across eight states with a fleet of over 11,000 machines, serving contractors, industrial operators, and homeowners with lifts, telehandlers, forklifts, and light construction equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Equipment Rental

NAICS

Construction, Transportation, Mining, and Forestry Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (53241)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting & Hoisting Rental & Leasing (IMAHAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Material Handling Equipment Rental/Leasing (Forklifts, Telehandlers, Reach Trucks) (TLABAFAF)

Keywords

• Construction equipment rental
• Aerial work platforms
• Boom lift rental
• Scissor lift rental
• Telehandler rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlantic

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: Short-term and long-term rental of construction equipment including boom lifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers, industrial forklifts, and light/general equipment. Customers can rent for days, weeks, or longer periods.
2. Equipment Sales: Sale of used equipment being rotated from the rental fleet, as well as equipment attachments and accessories. Featured sales include Kubota compact track loaders, reconditioned electric scissor lifts, skid steer attachments, and snow equipment.
3. Rental Protection Plan (RPP): In-house equipment insurance offered at 16% of rental cost, providing coverage for theft, vandalism, and weather damage with a $1,000 maximum deductible. Provides peace of mind coverage for incidents beyond customer control.
4. Training Services: Certified safety training programs including OSHA-compliant aerial work platform training (scissor lifts and boom lifts) and forklift training (Class 5 and Class 7 trucks). Training available at all branch locations or customer facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Duke Rentals rents construction and aerial equipment — boom lifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers, industrial forklifts, and light/general construction equipment — from 18 branches across the Midwest and South on short- and long-term usage-based terms. The company additionally delivers transport services, OSHA-compliant operator training, an in-house Rental Protection Plan (RPP), and resells used equipment rotated from its rental fleet.

Product overview

Duke Rentals is a construction equipment rental company offering an extensive fleet of over 11,000 machines across 18 Midwest locations. The core product portfolio consists of four main equipment categories: boom lifts (telescopic and articulating from Genie, JLG, MEC), scissor lifts (electric, one-man personnel, and rough terrain from Skyjack, Genie, JLG), telehandlers (Genie, JLG, CareLift, Skytrak, Manitou), and industrial forklifts (Toyota gas/electric). Supporting these are light and general equipment including Kubota mini excavators, skid steer loaders, Ditch Witch trenchers, light towers, air compressors, and utility vehicles. Services include equipment transport, certified OSHA safety training (AWP and forklift), and used equipment sales. The company operates on a rental-purchase model with flexible short and long-term rental options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boom Lifts Aerial work platforms providing high-reach access for construction, painting, tree work, and maintenance. Available in telescopic and articulating configurations from Genie, JLG, and MEC with working heights from 40 to 191 feet.
• Scissor Lifts Vertical mast lifts with larger platform work areas and higher load capacities than boom lifts. Electric, one-man personnel, and rough terrain configurations from Skyjack, Genie, and JLG with lift capacities from 300 to 2,000 lbs.
• Telehandlers Telescopic handlers combining forklift and crane capabilities with interchangeable attachments. Four-wheel drive machines from Genie, JLG, CareLift, Skytrak, and Manitou with lift heights from 19 to 71 feet and capacities from 5,500 to 20,000 lbs.
• Industrial Forklifts Internal combustion and electric powered forklifts for warehouse and industrial material handling. Toyota-brand equipment with lift heights from 10 to 21 feet and capacities from 5,000 to 10,000 lbs.
• Light and General Equipment Construction support equipment including Kubota mini excavators (KX series), Kubota skid steer loaders (SSV series), Ditch Witch trenchers, light towers, air compressors, portable welders, utility vehicles, equipment trailers, and compaction equipment.
• Equipment Transport Services Transportation of rental equipment to and from customer job sites, plus equipment trailer rentals for customers who need to haul equipment themselves.
• Safety Training Services OSHA-compliant certified safety training, including Aerial Work Platform training for scissor lifts and boom lifts (OSHA 1926.453 and 1910.67), and forklift training for Class 5 (internal combustion pneumatic tire) and Class 7 (rough terrain) trucks (OSHA 1910.178). Delivered at any branch or on customer premises.
• Equipment for Sale Sale of used and refurbished equipment being rotated from the rental fleet — including Kubota compact excavators and track loaders, reconditioned electric scissor lifts (SkyJack models), skid steer attachments, and material handling equipment — with warranties available.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Home Depot Tool Rental: National big-box rental service offering aerial equipment, forklifts, and light construction tools. Competes with Duke primarily in the homeowner/small contractor segment with greater national brand reach.
• United Rentals: The largest equipment rental company in North America with hundreds of thousands of machines across all categories (aerial, material handling, earthmoving). Overlaps heavily with Duke's rental business but at vastly greater scale, with national branch density and digital tooling Duke lacks.
• Caterpillar Rental Network: Caterpillar's branded heavy equipment rental channel through dealers, offering excavators, loaders, and aerial work platforms. Broadly competes with Duke for the same contractor use cases but with OEM backing and heavy-equipment specialization.

Direct peers

• Herc Rentals: Public equipment rental company spun out of Hertz, with significant aerial and material handling fleet. Competes in many of the same contractor use cases as Duke across Midwest and South markets, with both walk-in branch and digital booking channels.
• Ahern Rentals: Privately held, family-operated equipment rental company with a deep aerial lift, telehandler, and general construction fleet. Closest analogue to Duke's model: regional, operator-led, focused on aerial and adjacent product categories.
• Sunbelt Rentals: One of the largest US equipment rental operators, with a deep aerial fleet (boom/scissor lifts), telehandlers, and industrial forklifts. Directly comparable to Duke in product mix, with broader geographic reach and well-developed training/safety programs.
• H&E Equipment Services: Public equipment rental and services company with branches concentrated in the South and Sunbelt, overlapping with Duke's southern expansion. Comparable aerial work platform, telehandler, and material handling inventory.

Emerging players

• EquipmentShare: Tech-enabled construction equipment rental platform with telematics, automated billing, and a digital marketplace. Competes with Duke for the same contractor customers but leads in digital experience, posing an emerging threat to traditional rental operators.

Regional players

• Bobcat of the Midwest (dealer network): Authorized Bobcat dealers throughout the Midwest rent skid steers, compact track loaders, mini excavators, and attachments that Duke also rents under its "Light and General" category. Overlaps directly in compact construction equipment rental.
• NMC Cat (Nebraska Machinery Co): Nebraska/Iowa-based Caterpillar dealer that rents heavy construction equipment including excavators and material handling machinery. Directly overlaps with Duke's Nebraska and Iowa footprint for earthmoving and material handling rentals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dukerentals

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duke Rentals