Most homeowners never set foot in an equipment rental yard, and they do not need to. But almost every deck and patio built on the west side of Indianapolis involves one somewhere in the process, usually before the first board is cut.
MacAllister Rentals on West Washington Street is where a lot of that equipment comes from. It is the branch that started the whole rental division, and it still serves as its headquarters.
This guide covers what the branch is, how to find it, and where rented machinery actually fits into an outdoor project, including the honest question of when renting makes sense for a homeowner and when it does not.
About MacAllister Rentals
MacAllister Rentals opened in August of 1999 as part of MacAllister Machinery. According to the company’s company history, the very first rental location was on the west side of Indianapolis, and the operation has since grown to more than 28 locations across Indiana and Michigan.
The parent company goes back much further. MacAllister Machinery was established in 1945 and has served as the authorized Caterpillar dealer for Indiana ever since, expanding into Michigan in 2011. It remains privately held and family owned, now preparing its fourth generation of leadership.
The West Washington Street branch is not just another location. It serves as the headquarters for MacAllister Rentals, and its own MacAllister Rentals West Washington branch page notes that trucks run between the Indianapolis stores and other branches daily so equipment can be moved to where it is needed.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 6780 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241 |
| Phone | (317) 244-7368 |
| Rental division opened | August 1999, on the west side of Indianapolis |
| Parent company | MacAllister Machinery, established 1945 |
| Ownership | Privately held, family owned |
| Role of this branch | Headquarters for MacAllister Rentals |
| Network | More than 28 rental locations across Indiana and Michigan |
What the Branch Carries
The Indianapolis fleet spans light and heavy equipment. The categories the company names for its Indianapolis locations include:
- Aerial lifts
- Skid steer loaders
- Excavators
- Telehandlers
- Power generators
Brands run beyond Caterpillar to include Genie, JLG, Honda and Vermeer, among others. The branch also serves specialty niches that grew up around it over the years, including landscapers, concrete finishers and underground shoring contractors.
That landscaper and concrete finisher focus is the part worth noting for anyone planning a backyard project. It means the staff at this branch talk to people doing this kind of work every week, not just to highway contractors.
Operator training is available
The company offers operator classes for certain equipment, such as aerial lifts and telehandlers. If you are considering renting something you have not run before, ask the Indianapolis team what training options are available rather than learning on your own property.
Where Rented Equipment Fits an Outdoor Build
Machinery does not enter a deck or patio project evenly. It clusters at the beginning, during the phases that happen before anything visible gets built.
Phase three is the one that quietly decides everything. base prep and drainage under a patio is the difference between a surface that stays flat and one that dips and rocks within a few seasons, and it is almost entirely about moving aggregate and compacting it in the right thickness of layers. It is also the least visible work on the whole job, which is exactly why it is the first thing cut when a project runs behind.
Demolition raises its own question. When there is already a concrete slab in the backyard, the choice is between breaking it out and building on top of it. Neither answer is automatic. laying pavers over an existing slab can work when the existing slab is sound and drains properly, and it can fail badly when it is not, so the condition of what is already there decides the approach rather than the other way around.
Should a Homeowner Rent This Equipment?
Sometimes yes. Often no. It is worth being honest about which situation you are in.
Renting tends to make sense when the task is simple, self contained, and hard to get wrong. Hauling material across a yard, clearing brush, or lifting something heavy into place are all reasonable candidates if you are comfortable with the machine.
Renting tends to be a poor idea when the task is one where mistakes are expensive and invisible until later. Setting footings at the wrong depth, cutting a grade that sends water toward the foundation instead of away from it, or under compacting a base are all failures that do not show up for a year or two, and by then the fix is a rebuild rather than a repair.
There is also a practical reality. Delivery, fuel, insurance and the minimum rental period add up, and a machine sitting idle in the driveway over a weekend costs the same as one that is working. For a single weekend of digging, the arithmetic often favors hiring the work out.
Location, Directions and Access
MacAllister Rentals, 6780 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241. Phone: (317) 244-7368.
The branch sits on the west side of Indianapolis along West Washington Street, which is also US 40, the old National Road.
From Interstate 465 on the west side
Exit onto West Washington Street and head west. The branch is west of the interstate on the same road. The company’s own directions note that the location sits just past the McDonald’s on that stretch.
From downtown Indianapolis
Washington Street runs continuously west out of downtown as US 40. Stay on it heading west and it carries you straight to the branch without changing roads.
Access notes
- The branch keeps standard weekday business hours and is closed on weekends. Confirm before planning a Saturday pickup, since rental yards vary on this.
- Ask about delivery. For heavier equipment, having the machine dropped at the property is usually safer and often cheaper than arranging your own transport.
- Ask about the minimum rental period before you build a schedule around a machine.
- If a specific machine matters to your plan, call and confirm it is available at this branch rather than assuming. Inventory moves between locations daily.
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{Tool Suggestion: A short rent versus hire calculator that takes project size, number of days needed, and whether delivery is required, then shows the estimated rental outlay next to a typical contracted cost for the same scope.}
Planning a West Side Outdoor Project
The west side of Marion County has its own rhythm for this kind of work. Lots in the older neighborhoods tend to be generous, established, and frequently a little uneven, which means site preparation is rarely trivial.
Permitting comes first, before equipment or materials. Requirements depend on which jurisdiction your address falls in, and the west side neighborhoods are not uniform on this. If your project sits in that part of the county, understanding Eagledale deck permit requirements early will tell you whether your timeline is realistic. Approval schedules shape a build calendar far more than material lead times do.
Platinum Deck and Patio builds decks and paver patios across the Indianapolis metro, including these west side neighborhoods. Whether the work is contracted out or handled in part by the homeowner, the sequence is the same: permit first, then site preparation, then structure, then surface.
Skipping straight to the surface is the most common and most expensive mistake in this whole category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does MacAllister Rentals rent to homeowners, or only contractors?
The branch serves contractors heavily, but rental yards generally rent to individuals as well. Requirements around identification, insurance and deposits vary, so call ahead and ask what this location needs from a non commercial customer.
Which Indianapolis branch is this?
This is the West Washington Street location, and it serves as the headquarters for MacAllister Rentals. The company operates other Indianapolis area locations as well.
Can I get training on equipment I have not used before?
The company offers operator classes for certain equipment such as aerial lifts and telehandlers. Ask the Indianapolis team what is available for the specific machine you are considering.
Will they deliver to my house?
Ask when you reserve. Delivery is commonly available for heavier equipment, and for anything that needs a trailer it is usually the more sensible choice.
What do I need to know before renting an excavator for footings?
Call 811 to have underground utilities located before any digging, understand the required footing depth for your jurisdiction, and know that footing depth and placement are two of the easiest things to get wrong and the most expensive to correct later.
Is renting cheaper than hiring a contractor?
It depends entirely on scope. For a short, simple task it can be. For work where a mistake is buried and only surfaces years later, the savings frequently disappear into the repair.
The Bottom Line
MacAllister Rentals started on the west side of Indianapolis in 1999 and never really left. The West Washington Street branch is the headquarters of a rental operation that now spans two states, and it grew out of a Caterpillar dealership that has been in the same family since 1945. That continuity is worth something in a business where equipment condition and staff knowledge decide whether a rental helps or hurts.
If you are planning a backyard project and wondering whether to rent, start with a smaller question: which phase are you actually trying to handle yourself? Demolition and hauling are reasonable places for a homeowner to take on machinery. Footings, grading and base compaction are not, no matter how good the machine is.
Call the branch and describe the job before you reserve anything. The people there talk to landscapers and concrete finishers every week, and they will tell you plainly if the machine you had in mind is the wrong one.