The History of Discount Lift Rentals
Family Roots in the Rental Industry
Max Hoskins teaches his daughter the ropes—literally and figuratively—on a sunny workday, continuing the family tradition in the equipment rental business.
Our story began long before Discount Lift Rentals had a name. In 1980, the Hoskins family launched Arrow Lift Rentals, a small equipment rental yard in Southern California. It was here that our founder, Max Hoskins II, was raised among lifts, forklifts, and a hardworking family culture. By age fourteen, Max was spending weekends maintaining and cleaning scissor lifts to earn extra money. Under the mentorship of his father, Max Hoskins Sr., and his Uncle Greg, Max learned the values that would shape his future business: integrity, safety, and treating customers like neighbors.
As Max matured, he pursued business studies at the University of Southern California and later joined JLG Industries, a global leader in lift equipment. As a territory manager, Max traveled extensively, visiting rental yards across the country. He witnessed firsthand how large corporate chains were displacing independent, family-run yards. While these big players offered scale, they often lacked the personal service that local operations provided. Max saw a gap: customers wanted national convenience without sacrificing personal, attentive service.
From Family Vision to Nationwide Reach
In 2010, Max returned to his roots with a new mission: to reinvent equipment rentals by combining personal service with national reach. Alongside his father and uncle, he co-founded a company initially called Equipment Giant—which would evolve into Discount Lift Rentals. Their concept was simple but revolutionary: build an internet-based platform to connect customers nationwide with top-tier local rental yards. This hybrid model merged the scalability of technology with the personalized care of a family business.
From the start, customers embraced the concept. They appreciated the ease of calling or clicking to reach a small, dedicated team that actually cared. As demand grew, Discount Lift Rentals expanded regionally to serve customers coast-to-coast while retaining its hallmark of personalized support. Whether downtown or rural, customers received fast access to lifts and heavy equipment at competitive prices.
Today, Discount Lift Rentals partners with independent rental yards in all 50 states. While headquartered in Sanford, Florida, our network spans the entire U.S. We remain family-operated and proudly committed to the core values that built our reputation. Our growth never came at the expense of service—we continue to prioritize relationships, trust, and doing right by our customers.
Max Hoskins II is still actively involved in daily operations, personally engaging with customers and employees to improve systems and service. Our growing team, many of whom feel like family, shares a deep commitment to supporting local businesses, delivering value, and earning customer loyalty every day.
Our Mission Is Personal
Discount Lift Rentals is a family-owned and operated company that has grown from humble roots into the nation’s leading internet-based rental platform. Since 2010, our mission has remained the same: put the customer first, offer honest value, and deliver the best prices with no hidden fees.
We use a powerful Construction Equipment Search Engine to scan local rental yards and instantly find the best pricing for each area. Instead of relying on massive corporate inventories, we partner with local businesses who share our values—making it possible for us to offer a personal, high-touch experience while still operating on a national scale.
If you operate a rental yard and believe in honest service and customer-first thinking, we invite you to become part of our growing network. Together, we’re building the future of equipment rental—one community, one lift, and one satisfied customer at a time.