Used Plant Inspection Checklist (Australia)
Buying second hand is where money is made or lost. Run this checklist on every machine before you pay a deposit.
Paperwork first
PPSR search ($2 from ppsr.gov.au) confirms there is no finance owing. Check the service log book, last 3 services with dated invoices and the original compliance plate.
Look at the wear points
Track tension and pad wear on excavators, pin and bush slop in the boom/dipper, rear axle play on dumpers, hydraulic ram chrome for pitting. These are the expensive items.
Hot start, cold start, oil sample
Always start cold. Watch for blue smoke (rings) or white smoke (head gasket). A $90 oil sample analysis tells you about internal wear better than any inspection.
Hours vs age
A 6 year old machine with 2,500 hours is usually a better buy than a 3 year old machine with 6,000 hours. Civil hire fleets pile up hours fast and run components hard.