Equipment Rental in Hawthorne, FL

Reaching Hawthorne from our yard

T.E.S. Rentals is based in Starke, about 30 minutes north of Hawthorne via US-301 and SR-20. We deliver throughout eastern Alachua County and the Hawthorne area regularly. The route is simple, and we’re familiar with the back roads and limerock drives that many Hawthorne properties use for access, getting a flatbed with equipment to your site is something we’ve done enough times to know what to expect.

Equipment for Hawthorne’s landscape

The terrain around Hawthorne is different from the flat, sandy ground in Bradford or Union County. There’s more elevation change, more clay mixed into the soil profile, and moisture conditions that shift a lot depending on proximity to one of the lakes or wetland areas. That matters for equipment selection.

Compact track loaders – The most practical machine for the majority of Hawthorne projects. Clearing brush, moving material, grading access roads, and prepping sites for construction. The rubber tracks are critical here, wheeled equipment sinks and tears up the softer, moisture-rich ground found on many lakeside and low-lying properties.

Mini excavators (1.7, 3.5, and 5.0-ton) – Controlled digging near water features, septic installs, drainage channels, and foundation work. On lakefront properties where erosion control matters, a mini excavator lets you work carefully without disturbing more ground than necessary.

Full-size excavators – Pond construction, deep drainage, clearing mature timber with large root systems. Properties in the Lochloosa area and south of town tend to have denser hardwood stands that demand more digging power.

Stump grinders – After clearing oak, pine, sweetgum, or cypress, grinding the stumps in place is the cleanest option, especially on lakefront lots where you don’t want to create drainage problems by excavating root balls.

Bulldozers – Large-lot clearing and rough grading. Properties along SR-20 and the roads south toward Cross Creek often involve ten, twenty, or forty-acre tracts where a dozer is the fastest way to establish a building area.

Trenchers – Irrigation lines, drainage runs, and utility trenching on rural properties running well and septic.

Projects we support in the Hawthorne area

Lakefront property development – Lochloosa Lake, Lake Santa Fe, Lake Jeffords, and the smaller lakes around Hawthorne all have waterfront parcels actively selling. Buyers clearing a lot for a lake house need equipment that can handle dense vegetation near the shore without creating erosion or runoff problems. We help match machine size to the sensitivity of the site.

Farm and agricultural land management – Hawthorne has active blueberry farms, hay operations, and timber tracts. Maintaining fence lines, clearing drainage ditches, grading farm roads, and preparing new planting areas are recurring jobs that a compact track loader handles quickly.

Building on wooded acreage – Affordable wooded lots in the 2-to-10-acre range are common around Hawthorne. Most are unimproved, no cleared pad, no driveway, no drainage established. Going from raw wooded lot to construction-ready site is a multi-step process, and choosing the right equipment for each phase keeps costs down and the timeline on track.

Conservation-adjacent property work – The 11,000-acre Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area borders Hawthorne. Properties adjacent to conservation land often have specific setback or buffer requirements. We can help you think through equipment access and staging so you’re not disturbing protected areas.

Post-storm recovery – Trees that come down during storms on lakefront or wooded properties create access problems fast. Compact track loaders and excavators clear debris, restore driveways, and open up sites so repair work can begin.

Working with us

Call or message with the details of your project. We’ll ask about the property, location, access, soil conditions, what you’re trying to accomplish, and suggest equipment that fits the work and your comfort level. If you’re a first-time operator, we spend extra time at delivery walking you through the controls and the approach for your specific job.

Equipment shows up fueled and inspected. Pickup is scheduled around your timeline, not ours. And if something changes mid-project, you’re calling the owner directly, not waiting in a queue.

“Recently rented a piece of equipment and already booked it again. Zeb is very helpful and I’m going to continue to use him for any of my rental needs.”

Ashton W.