If you’re a building contractor or a farmer, or often need an excavator for construction or excavation purposes, you may find some useful content to read here. It is common practice to take the excavator on rent and return it to the owner when the agriculture task or construction project is done. That’s the right way of saving money when you rarely need an excavator. On the other hand, if the use of an excavator is frequent, then buying one will be cost-saving.
However, Excavators are very expensive and so a big investment. Therefore, the decision of buying an Excavator should be made considering various factors. There are 2 options for people who want to buy Excavator. Either buy a new one or go with the used excavator for sale. Since Excavator is a mechanical machine, it becomes very significant to inspect it well before you make the full and final payment. After in-depth research and the opinion of experts, we are sharing some of the things that you must know before you buy.
Check The Engine
This is the first thing that you must check in the Excavator you want to buy. A smoke generating Engine gives you a big financial stroke which can be even bigger than the budget of buying a new Excavator. So, it is wise to get the engine checked beforehand. Even repairing or replacing the engine is not so easy and affordable. Mechanical experts suggest that you test the Excavator on the road at different speeds so that you can get an idea of how suitable the Excavator is for you.
If There Are Any Dent or Cracks
Excavators are used to dig the Earth and collect the solid residual. So, Excavators does a very rough and tough job hence it should be bought with utmost care. Especially when you are planning to buy a secondhand product. The Excavator that you are going to buy should be integrated and less depreciated. You need to check if there is a dent or crack on the body of the Excavator or any of its parts like bucket, boom, or stick. In case, if you find any crack, this indicates the integrity of the machine is not intact. By compromising integrity, we mean that the Excavator is not good to go. Apart from this, investigate the entire Excavator to find if there is any welding point. Weldings also indicate the poor condition of the Excavator.
Leaking Hydraulics
Properly investigate and check the hydraulics, cylinders, hoses, and leakage lines. However, if you find any leak, it doesn’t always mean that the machine is defective but too much leaking is a matter of concern. Usually, the hydraulics of big machines depreciate over some time. Hence, any kind of leak has to be addressed as soon as possible instead of delaying it further.
Check The Hours Meter
Every Excavator has a meter that calculates log hours. Although, it is not a big deal to temper with the authentication of log hours still it should be checked through control pedals. The calculation is simple. If you find that pedals are worn out heavily, this means that log hours are used and in operation. If it is possible, contact the seller or the owner who has used that excavator to confirm how long the machine was in use, the reason for selling the Excavator, and on what kind of projects it has been used.
Tires And Tracks
It is very good for the safety measures of the Excavator driver and others also that the tracks and tires of the Excavator must be up to date. If you notice the following signs, it means that the tires of the Excavator need a replacement.
Cracks in the Tire Rubber
Be it a bicycle, a car, or an Excavator, tires will be worn when exposed to extreme sunlight. If you notice a lot of cracks in the rubber of the tire, you can understand that the tires are useless and move through the curbs.
Tracks losing Tension and Missing Lugs
Losing the tension is normal unless it tightens the track. If the tension moves out of the expected limit (as decided by the manufacturer) tracks should be replaced. Also, remember to check if lugs are missing or not.
Price range says a lot
Determine the quality of the machine through the price range offered. The price may be reasonable because you are buying a used excavator for sale but if the price seems very low and is hard to believe, then inspect if there is something wrong with it. Let us tell you that factors like the age of the excavator, its log hours, etc are decisive factors for fixing price. So price also indicates the health of the machine.
Florian Luis is a small business consultant, designer and an enthusiast blogger. He has hands on experience in operations, digital marketing and business development in the technology industry.