The used equipment market is where experience pays off and where the lack of it is expensive. There is no shortage of good iron at fair prices. There is also no shortage of machines that look good at a distance and fall apart under examination. The difference between buying one and buying the other comes down to knowing what to look at.
I have been evaluating used equipment long enough to know that the walk-around is where the story starts, not where it ends. Here is how to actually buy used equipment without buying someone else’s problems along with it.
Start with the Undercarriage
On track machines, the undercarriage is the first thing I look at. Not the cab, not the bucket, not the hours on the display. The undercarriage.
Undercarriage replacement is one of the most significant cost items in tracked equipment ownership. A machine that is 30% worn on the undercarriage is a different buy than a machine that is 70% worn, and the difference in price between them should reflect that. Sellers do not always price that difference correctly, and buyers who do not check miss it entirely.
Look at the links, the rails, the rollers, the idlers, the sprockets. Measure the chain pitch if you can. Measure the rail width. Compare it to new spec. That tells you what is left and what you are buying into.
Check the Hydraulics
Cycle the machine through everything it can do. Every function, every attachment circuit, every auxiliary line. You are not just checking that it works — you are checking how it works. Is the speed right? Is there drift when you hold a function against a load? Do the cylinders seal or do they creep down under gravity?
Pull the hydraulic filter and look at what is in it. Metal particle content in the filter tells you things the seller cannot tell you, often because they do not know. Check the hydraulic fluid for color, smell, and contamination. Milky fluid means water intrusion. Dark fluid with a burnt smell means the system has been running hot.
Verify the Hours — and Then Go Further
The hour meter tells you what the hour meter says. It does not always tell you the truth. I always look at overall wear relative to claimed hours. A machine claiming 3,000 hours that shows wear consistent with 6,000 hours has a story, and the story is not in the seller’s favor.
Beyond the meter, ask for telematics data if the machine has it. Many modern machines have GPS and engine management systems that log hours, idle time, fault codes, and locations. That data is harder to change than a meter reading and tells you a lot about how the machine was operated.
Look at the Service Records
A machine with documented service history is worth more than an identical machine without it. The records tell you what was done, when, and by whom. Gaps in the records tell you something too — not always something bad, but something that requires explanation.
Look specifically for major repairs. Has the engine been rebuilt? Has the hydraulic pump been replaced? Has the final drive been opened? These are not necessarily disqualifying — a well-done rebuild on a properly maintained machine can give you significant life at a used price. But you need to know. The repair history changes how you evaluate what you are buying and what you should pay.
The Human Check
Talk to someone who has been around the machine. Not just the current owner — talk to the operators if you can. Ask what broke, what was fixed, what needed attention. People who ran the machine know things that are not in any service record.
And trust what you observe over what you are told. I do not say that because sellers are dishonest — most are not. I say it because people forget, minimize, or genuinely do not know the full history of a machine they have owned for years. The machine’s condition is the more reliable witness. Learn to read it, and you will buy better iron every time.