When there’s earthmoving required — it’s time to consider an Excavator!
Investing in one of these universal machines can reap long term rewards for the operator/business owner. The real dilemma comes in when deciding whether it’s better to buy new or used.
With any new or used excavator there will be a series of pros and cons that come with each. Let’s explore the benefits of each further to assist your purchasing decision.
The Pros and Cons explained
Investing to own vs hire can be a smart move for your business.
Pros
The most obvious pro is you’ll save a lot of money going from new to used. Finding a used excavator for sale can sometimes tempt a buyer into ignoring new excavators due to affordability.
That being said, a new excavator for sale has many benefits. Less hours used is preferable, especially when it comes to mechanical devices. You need to stay ahead of the competition. Here are some more pros when buying new.
Safety
Older excavators tend to be void of imperative safety features such as:
- ROPS
- Double locking quick hitches
- Pre-cleaners
Buying new excavators somewhat ensures that your unit is up to code and fitted with all of these necessary safety elements.
Re-sale Value
Finding a new excavator for sale means that it will retain higher re-sale value over time. This is important to consider if you intend to sell off the unit after making use of it yourself.
Investing in new excavators will reap higher returns later on when it comes time to find the unit a new owner.
Peace of Mind
Buying a new excavator comes with the peace of mind that the system will be under warranty and dealer coverage for at least the first few years. This ensures that should anything go wrong with the excavator you’re fully covered.
Dealer Support
Buying a new excavator from a dealer comes with a direct link to the dealerships insights and day to day operational advice. This can be extremely valuable to one’s operation.
That being said, many used excavator dealers today offer the same level of support to their customers. So in this sense buying a used excavator could be a pro as you’re getting the same level of service for half the price.
Up-cycling
Buying used excavators can be seen as the more socially responsible solution to excavation needs. It reduces the demand on the excavator production industry and therefore on the amount of natural resources that need to be used to create these giants.
Plastic, metals, rubber and oils form a big part of excavator production. Buying used means you immediately reduce the carbon footprint that comes with your purchase.
Cons
So let’s explore some of the notable negatives of used excavator investments.
Security Checks Required
When buying any excavator, new or used, you need to ensure there are no outstanding securities on the machinery involved. Using the model and serial number you’ll be able to tell whether the title for the unit is clear or pending.
Sometimes corners are cut during production and stolen parts are used to either make or replace others within the unit. This is a huge safety hazard.
Structural Integrity
The following need to be checked thoroughly when investing in an excavator of any kind:
- Chassis
- Boom and dipper arms for cracks
- Welding checks
Warranty coverage
Check percentage of wear on: tracks, track rollers, buckets, bucket pins, dozer blade edges and final drive sprockets.
We recommend buying equipment that has been checked by a qualified mechanic first!
Oil
When purchasing any kind of used machinery it’s absolutely imperative to conduct an oil sampling test. This occurs by sending a small amount of the unit’s oil away for testing to see if there’s any contamination present.
Contaminated oil is the surest sign to a one way ticket to engine failure in the future.
Conclusion
In summation, you can see that it’s really a case of repayments being high on a new excavator or maintenance fees being high on a used one. The choice is yours!
Aging units will always have more susceptibility to fail long before a newly bought excavator will. At least buying new from Supergroups or trusted dealers comes with the customer service you’ll need throughout getting the job done.
It all comes down to what you value in terms of performance and service.
Happy excavating! Be sure to check out excavators for sale Melbourne to view our range of new and used excavators.
