38
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
JULY-AUGUST 2013
USED EQUIPMENT
missing hardware.
Cosmetically, check to see if the operator area
is clean and if the overall machine appearance
is up to par. Look for visible signs of corrosion,
paint fading or chipping and if sheet metal or
fiberglass is dented, damaged or missing. Also
keep an eye out for excessive paint overspray or
concrete residue, which, in large quantities, can
add to the weight of the machine.
For add-ons and options, see if the machine
has a cab or canopy. Ask if there are special
attachments, couplers, additional forks or jibs
that come along. Are there auxiliary hydraulics?
Basket rotation? Genset? Frame leveling? How
is the machine powered; diesel, electric or dual
fuel?
“On electrically powered aerial machines,
such as scissor lifts and some smaller booms,
it’s important to test the battery,” Hendrix says.
“This can be one of the most expensive costs
associated with the item.”
Lastly, go over the tires and make sure the set
is matched. Look for recapping and record the
“The downturn of the economy has created
growth in the rental industry because more
contractors – being uncertain of future work
prospects – have chosen to rent machinery
rather than purchase. Now, rental companies
are replacing a large portion of their access and
aerial fleet and many of the retired rental units
are coming to auction.”
Since rental companies are where auctioneers
get a glut of their used equipment, both Ritchie
Bros and IronPlanet are watching depots and
how they “right-size” their fleets.
“It’s hard to predict trends for 2014 at this
point,” Hendrix says. “It’s possible that the size
of rental companies and the business they’re
conducting will trend upward, which means
they will focus on replacing their fleets and sell
used equipment at auctions.”
Buying used
So what should auction-goers keep in mind
when snagging a piece of used equipment?
“It’s important to inspect equipment
thoroughly and touch upon five different
points,” Hendrix says. “Mechanical, structural,
cosmetic, features/options and tires.”
For the mechanical part of inspection,
buyers should check the engine, power train
and hydraulics. Crank the machine and look
for leaks, blowby, smoke and any other red
flags. Then, operate the hydraulics; raise and
lower the boom or platform, look for excessive
wear and, again, listen for unusual noises. On
boom lifts make sure the controls operate the
machine from both the ground and platform
and that all controls are operational. Lastly, look
to see that wiring appears to be intact – not
spliced or bypassed.
When checking over the structure of the
machine, make sure to inspect the main frame
and work equipment areas, including the boom,
jib, scissor frames, linkage and railings. Look
for plates or welds, excessive wear and loose or
tire size. Also make note if the tires are foam-
filled, solid or pneumatic.
Siddle adds that buyers should overall make
sure they are getting the newest piece of kit
with the fewest amount of hours within their
price range. “We always direct anyone who
plans to buy at our auctions to go and inspect
the equipment,” he says. “Start it up. Find out
where it came from. Ask for history on recent
work orders.”
Supply and demand (part 2)
While online and in-person auctioneers are
experiencing an overall slight slowdown in
supply, that’s not stopping newcomer Euro
Auctions from tiptoeing across the pond to the
U.S.
As the name implies, the European-based
auctioneer is taking its first step onto U.S.
auction soil this summer in Georgia.
Almost 400 lots of construction machinery
and industrial equipment have been scheduled
to go under the hammer at the newly acquired
65-acre Newnan, GA site, the company says.
“We have long aspired to enter the U.S.
market, so in acquiring this site in late 2012,
we located Euro Auctions squarely at the hub
of the American equipment industry,” says
David Betts at Euro Auctions. “Over recent
years we’ve forged excellent relationships with
major U.S. companies and have already secured
some exceptional construction and industrial
machinery from across the southeast U.S. for
this – our first U.S. auction.”
And at Ritchie Bros, new developments are
also underway in the U.S. In late Spring, the
company broke ground on its new regional
auction site in Manchester (Hooksett), NH, on
May 29.
The auctioneer’s new 54-acre property will
serve as the company’s first regional auction
site in the state of New Hampshire and as a
replacement auction site for Ritchie Bros.’
15-acre regional auction site near Hartford, CT.
The first phase of construction is expected to
be completed later in 2013 and it will include
“Pricing is trending higher
now than it was last
year,” says Paul Hendrix,
equipment pricing analyst
with online auctioneer
IronPlanet.
The sun dips below the horizon
at an Orlando-based Ritchie
Bros auction in Feb. 2013.
