If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.
Whether you&#;re buying a $25,000 mini excavator or a $250,000 33-tonner, purchasing a used excavator is a major capital outlay in anyone&#;s books and is certainly not a decision to be made lightly.
Earthmoving newbies may simply be overwhelmed by the complexity of these machines, and even seasoned owners might go into a purchase with stars in their eyes, forgetting to do their due diligence before snapping up their dream machine.
We spoke to two industry experts &#; BrisVegas Machinery sales consultant, Aaron Lubbers, and CJD Equipment sales and marketing director, Grayden Leaver &#; for some insiders&#; tips on making sure you&#;re getting the best bang for your buck.
Both experts agree that an accurate and detailed service history is very important as it establishes if the machine has been maintained to a standard that is acceptable.
&#;If no history is available, expect that the machine may have not been maintained as per the manufacturer&#;s recommendations,&#; said CJD Equipment&#;s Grayden Leaver.
BrisVegas Machinery&#;s Aaron Lubbers said the machine service history should always be the first checkpoint.
&#;The key to maximising the life of any machine is maintenance,&#; Lubbers said.
It probably goes without saying that all fluid that runs the machine such as oils and coolants should be clean and doesn&#;t emit a strange smell.
&#;Visually check all of the fluids,&#; Leaver advised.
&#;Is the engine coolant &#;clean and green&#;? Dirty coolant indicates cooling system problems.
&#;Is the engine oil black and of consistent viscosity? If it&#;s grey or watery, engine failure may be imminent.&#;
Leaver added hydraulic fluids need to be clean and at recommended levels.
&#;Final drive and slew oils need to be clean and not have a burnt smell,&#; he said. &#;If any major component fluid is questionable, then laboratory sampling should be carried out.&#;
Aaron Lubbers recommended getting oil sampling done on major components of large equipment.
&#;If it was an excavator, that would be your final drive, your hydraulic tank, your slew drive and your engine oil,&#; he said.
Dealerships like Hastings Deering provides fluid analysis services
&#;Things you would look for would be contaminants in your final drive, high dirt counts, high iron counts and traces of water.
&#;If you&#;re getting dirt in there, for example, you could be looking at a new floating seal on the final drive.&#;
Lubbers added looking at &#; and understanding &#; oil samples lets a potential buyer know exactly how good the maintenance has been.
&#;It will also let you know if there is an issue starting to arise with a major component that can cost you a bit of money,&#; he said.
&#;This is especially important in a hydraulic tank &#; it&#;s imperative to keep a hydraulic system as clean as possible, so this is definitely a check I&#;d recommend.&#;
At about $40 per sample, these tests can save you thousands in the long run!
Does the machine look and act according to the hours being quoted or what the mechanical meter may be showing?
Can equipment hours, alerts and more be downloaded to confirm the hours? This is where a full service history is extremely helpful.
&#;If the condition of the machine doesn&#;t look right according to the hours, it&#;s generally not,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;Your local dealer may also be able to help you with this by checking the recorded computer hours over the analogue meter.
&#;I&#;ve seen machines before with hour logs showing hours and you get a download on the machine and it&#;s hours &#; nearly twice the age &#; which is obviously a big difference in value when you&#;re buying a machine.&#;
Does the piece of equipment meet your site safety requirements? If it is fitted with a hydraulic quick-hitch attachment, does it meet the current dual-locking standards? Are compliant hand rails fitted where necessary?
&#;To confirm that the cab is ROPS (Rollover Protection Structure) certified, check that there is a model identity stamped certification plate fixed within the cabin,&#; Leaver said.
&#;Flashing lights, reverse alarms, E-stops and a fire extinguisher may all be necessary requirements, so establish if they are fitted and in working condition.
&#;Also, make sure there&#;s a copy of the operator&#;s manuals in the cab.&#;
Speaking of cabs, excavator cabins should have adequate ROPS and FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structure) fittings, which are crucial in hazardous working environments such as quarries or construction sites where there could be risks of materials falling from above or a risk of the machine rolling over.
&#;Inspect the cab or FOPS guard for any modifications,&#; Lubbers said.
Legislation on a ROPS/FOPS structure is no cutting, drilling or welding at all.
&#;I&#;ve been out to appraise machines for people where, in a little 3-tonne excavator, they&#;ve put a couple of Tek screws into the ROPS frame to hold a little bucket for their tools &#; and that voids the structural warranty,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;To get that repaired and then re-tested and certified is very expensive &#; we&#;re talking over $10,000.&#;
Lubbers added machines bought from dealerships should be fine as they do proper plant risk assessments on their fleet of used equipment stock, unless they are sold as wholesale scrap machines which won&#;t be put to work.
&#;So we go through and identify any hazards or non-compliant issues with that machine &#; we do a ROPS and FOPS inspection, check the structural integrity of the equipment, and so on,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;And we have to list everything down as it&#;s a legal requirement.&#;
The undercarriage is one of the most crucial parts of the excavator where 50 per cent of operating costs lie. To replace or repair it is also very expensive.
&#;Establish the approximate life left in this area,&#; Leaver said.
&#;How much adjustment is left in the tracks before the idlers are at the end of the track frame? Do the rollers still have profile and rotate freely? Check that the sprockets have life left, and count the number of track plates to check none have been removed.&#;
Leaver advised to check the excavator&#;s hydraulic operation in a working environment and under load.
&#;If a work site is not available, move the machine through all working scenarios,&#; he said.
&#;Modern equipment should operate smoothly, quietly and efficiently."
Leaver also said to be aware of any vibrations and noises that become evident under load.
A planetary drive &#; or &#;final drive&#; as it is more commonly known &#; is the mechanical drive that moves the machine and is driven by a hydraulic motor.
&#;When moving the excavator, it needs to react quickly, feel strong in a change of direction, and smooth and straight in its travel,&#; Leaver said.
&#;Check the final drive for oil levels, leaks or excessive metal contamination.&#;
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Xiangyao.
During the operational check, establish the pin and bush wear levels on the front digging attachment, Leaver advised.
Place the digging arm on the ground and, while gently taking some weight off the machine, look for movement throughout the boom foot, cylinders, arm and quick hitch and bucket areas.
&#;This is important if the machine will be involved in final trim excavations,&#; Leaver said.
&#;Excessive wear in this area may indicate that a daily maintenance regime has not been carried out correctly.&#;
&#;Establish what attachments come with the machine,&#; Leaver said.
&#;Are the digging buckets, rippers or other attachments in good working order? Are the GET (Ground Engaging Tools) worn out, applicable to the size and power of the machine?
&#;If the machine is fitted with a hydraulic quick hitch, do the attachments fit correctly?&#;
Plenty to consider here&#;
Operator comfort should be of utmost priority, especially if you will be spending a good amount of time in the cab every day.
Check that the important aspects of the cab are in good working condition.
&#;Is the air conditioning blowing cool, and the heater warm? If fitted, confirm that the AM/FM, UHF and CB radios are working,&#; Leaver said.
&#;Most later-model excavators are fitted with a reverse camera, so check if one is fitted and in working condition.
&#;Check any flow adjustment, diagnostic, service or alert menus that may be available on the machine monitor.&#;
This is one of the most important points to keep in mind, considering the amount of money that you will be investing in the excavator.
&#;Is the particular machine you're looking at suitable for the task it&#;s intended for?&#; Brisvegas Machinery&#;s Lubbers said.
&#;It may be underpowered, too wide, too heavy, not have enough reach, won&#;t have the power to run the attachments, and so on.&#;
Lubbers advised industry newcomers to discuss the decision with an experienced person and someone they trust, or approach a dealer.
&#;Most dealers sell used equipment anyway, and they&#;d be happy to help,&#; he said.
&#;Every dealer does specialist product training so they should know the machine&#;s capabilities better than anyone else.&#;
If you&#;re buying a machine with low hours, check the warranty involved and what the terms and conditions are of transferring it over to you.
&#;Have a look at the warranty books or contact the dealer for that machine, give them the serial number and make sure the warranty is transferable to you,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;There might be a cost involved, or they might have to send someone out to perform an inspection on the machine before they transfer it to you.&#;
&#;If you&#;re buying a machine privately, do a Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) check to make sure the machine is not encumbered or has any interested parties tied to it,&#; Lubbers explained.
&#;You don&#;t want someone knocking on your door in a couple of months saying that the machine doesn&#;t belong to you anymore and take it away &#; then you&#;ve done your money.&#;
You can perform a PPSR search at: ppsr.gov.au
If you see a price on a machine that seems too good to be true, you&#;re probably right. It could be a machine that has done a good amount of hours and has been put through its absolute limits, and might not be a good option for you if you&#;re looking to get several more years of work out of it.
&#;Ongoing maintenance costs &#; such as regular service costs, wear parts and fuel usage rates &#; must be factored into the costing when you&#;re buying a machine,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;Say someone coming into the market has $80,000 that they can put towards a 20&#;tonne excavator... They&#;d probably be looking at a machine with high hours, so they will have to anticipate spending a good amount of money maintaining the machine over the next few years.
&#;There&#;s no point in putting everything you&#;ve got into that excavator and then two months down the track, you need to spend money on it that you don&#;t have.
&#;All you end up with is an excavator that has broken down and is not making you any money.&#;
In another example, if the undercarriage of the machine you&#;re looking at right now has only 30 per cent of life left, that means you will have to put a significant amount of money in replacing it this time next year or sooner.
&#;If you know what repairs are needed on the machine in the near future, contact your dealer or a parts supplier and get a quote for those parts so you have an idea of how much it&#;s going to cost,&#; Lubbers said.
Grey imports are generally not supported by the manufacturers in Australia, so be very careful what you buy.
&#;I have seen people caught before, where the company importing them will say they&#;ve got a warranty with the manufacturer, where in fact the manufacturer doesn&#;t support it here because it wasn&#;t brought in to the country through the correct channels,&#; Lubbers said.
&#;The biggest reason to buy through the correct channels is the warranty, but some machines are also built to different specifications for different regions,&#; he said.
&#;For example, a North American or Japanese machine may be built to different specifications or have fewer features than an Australian machine.&#;
Asian engineer controlling construction machinery of construction site or mining company
If this is all too overwhelming for you, especially those who are still finding their feet in the industry, then get help! This is especially important if you&#;re buying from a private seller.
&#;Depending on your experience and level of investment, a dealer or independent machine inspection is advisable,&#; Leaver said.
&#;This can be carried out by a dealer or a factory-trained technician who is familiar with the equipment. They should possess the necessary tools for downloads, history, alerts and so on.
&#;The inspection may also establish if any factory updates or improvements are available.&#;
Lubbers agreed. &#;Getting a dealer involved can assist you in a few ways,&#; he said.
&#;A lot of guys will start off in the industry using second-hand machines, and might not have adequate knowledge of the machines they&#;re looking at.
&#;This is where a dealer can help in which they will come out and do a full report for you as they know what to look for in a machine.
&#;If it&#;s a larger machine with an electronic dash, we can make sure that the hours are correct on the machine as well.
&#;The small expense of paying a dealer or someone who can check that for you can save you a lot of money.&#;
future_vision said: Click to expand...If you have any interest in driving to Southeastern Connecticut, I can show you mine. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Or if you have a buddy that has one, I think looking over one in person will be far more valuable to you than trying to describe online.
If you have any interest in driving to Southeastern Connecticut, I can show you mine. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Or if you have a buddy that has one, I think looking over one in person will be far more valuable to you than trying to describe online.I bought a Hitachi 120, with about hours about a year ago. We are someday building a house on property up the street, with about 1/4 mile of driveway to put in.We replaced the track chains on it, which was about 5k in parts and I did the work myself. I knew they were worn when I got it, and they could've been pushed more, but I wanted to drive it up the road to the new place, and the peace of mind was worth it. It drives and turns far smoother now.We looked at this machine, and also a Deere 690D. The Deere was a larger machine, which was intimidating to me in the event of a failure. On my 120, I could pull the motor if I really needed to using my tractor. No chance on the Deere. Also a hydraulic pump for the Deere was something in the range of 10K, and they were known to fail.We've been able to do a tremendous amount with the 120, and working in the woods where we are, I wouldn't want anything much bigger. So independent of condition, picking out the appropriate size machine is something you'll need to contemplate.If you are looking older and higher hours, you're going to run in to worn pins, leaky pistons, old hoses, faded paint, some dents etc. None of those is likely a deal breaker. What you're looking for in a machine will probably be different than someone looking to make a living with it.I'd check track chains for stretch and ensure the correct number of links, look for really bad leaks, look at the coolant, oil, and hydraulic fluid for color and contamination. Try to start it cold if possible, pick up the machine to check play in the swing bearing. Check the swing gearbox to make sure it has gear oil in it, and hasn't been packed with grease. Run it to make sure it operates smoothly and has power.
Are you interested in learning more about Used Volvo Excavator? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!