Buying iron is buying risk. Undercarriage, hydraulics, and final drives can swallow tens of thousands of dollars after the sale — we measure them before you commit.
Heavy equipment hides its wear in places a walk-around won't show: track tension, pin-and-bushing slop, hydraulic pressures, and the inside of a final drive. We inspect machines the way a fleet manager would before adding one to the yard, including fluid sampling so you know the internal condition, not just the paint.
Tell us about the excavators, dozers, loaders & backhoes and where it is. We'll confirm scheduling.
Exactly what we look at on these specific machines — the known problem areas and how we check them.
A workhorse excavator where the money is in the undercarriage, hydraulics, and final drives. Hours mean little next to measured wear.
KomatsuKomatsu's volume excavator — same priorities as any 20-tonne machine: undercarriage, hydraulic pump health, and final drives, verified by measurement.
CaterpillarA heavy wheel loader where the transmission, articulation joint, axles, and very expensive tires carry the cost. Loose center-pin play is a major red flag.
BobcatA popular compact excavator where rubber-track life, hydraulic drift, and the house-swivel are the cost centers. Rental units hide hard hours.
CaterpillarA best-selling CTL where the undercarriage and final drives are the whole game — they wear fast and cost big. Rental hours are often brutal.
John DeereA versatile backhoe where pin-and-bushing wear, transmission, and hydraulics carry the cost. Loose joints are the clearest sign of a hard life.
CaseThe other backhoe staple — same logic as the Deere 310: pins and bushings, the power-shuttle transmission, and hydraulics tell the truth about its life.
CaterpillarA 36-tonne production excavator where undercarriage, main hydraulics, and final drives dwarf every other cost. Measure, don't eyeball.
CaterpillarA popular compact excavator. Track life, hydraulic drift, and the house swivel are the cost centers, and rental units hide hard hours.
John DeereDeere's big-class excavator — same priorities as any 35-tonne machine: undercarriage, hydraulics, and final drives, verified by measurement and samples.
KubotaA top-selling compact excavator. Reliable, but rubber-track life and hydraulic drift still decide the price — and rental hours run hard.
TakeuchiTakeuchi built its name on compact excavators. Strong machines — but tracks, hydraulics, and the swivel still tell the real story.
VolvoA 22-tonne Volvo excavator — undercarriage, hydraulics, and finals lead, with the D-series engine and emissions worth a careful look.
HitachiHitachi excavators are prized for hydraulics — but undercarriage and finals still set the price, and the pumps deserve a real cycle-time test.
BobcatA best-selling wheeled skid steer where the hydrostatic drive, chaincase, and Bob-Tach reveal a hard rental life.
BobcatA high-flow CTL workhorse where the undercarriage and final drives are the dominant cost — and they wear fast under hard use.
CaterpillarA capable wheeled skid steer where the hydrostatic drive, chaincase, and hydraulics tell the truth about its hours.
CaterpillarA popular CTL where undercarriage and final drives dominate cost. Rubber-track life is the first thing to measure.
John DeereDeere's high-capacity CTL — undercarriage and finals lead the cost, with EH controls and aux hydraulics to verify for attachment work.
KubotaA strong-selling CTL with a good reputation — but the undercarriage and final drives still wear fast and decide the price.