Before you buy a used excavator, check the paperwork, the machine’s history and the machine itself, in that order. That means matching the serial number to the documents and running a theft and finance check before you travel, then inspecting the engine from cold and the hydraulics, undercarriage, slew ring and pins while the machine works.
Price anything that needs fixing into your offer. To compare similar machines first, look at the asking prices and details of the used excavators for sale on The Commercial Trader. The Commercial Trader’s guide to buying used excavators and dumpers explains what excavators and dumpers are used for.
What paperwork should you ask for before viewing a used excavator?
Before you travel to see a used excavator, ask for proof of ownership, dated service records showing the hours at each service, and invoices for any work on the engine, hydraulic pump or undercarriage. Ask for the operator’s manual too, the CESAR registration details if the machine carries a CESAR plate, and the last thorough examination report if it’s been used for lifting.
Check that the serial number on the excavator’s plate matches every document, and ask which attachments are included. The Commercial Trader’s guide to preparing a used excavator for sale tells sellers which records to provide, so be wary of a seller who can’t produce any.
Run the serial number through The Equipment Register (TER), a UK register of stolen and registered plant, before you travel. A TER check costs £10 plus VAT for a theft check, or £30 plus VAT for a theft and finance check, and each comes with a certificate.
CESAR is the official security and registration scheme for construction and agricultural machinery, and a CESAR-registered machine carries a triangular tamper-evident plate and hidden identifiers that police can check. Once you’ve bought a CESAR-registered machine, you re-register it in your name for £20.
How can you tell if the hours on a used excavator are genuine?
Compare the hour meter with the hours written on the service records, and with the wear you can see on the machine. Worn pedals, a sagging seat, polished control levers, loose pins and worn bucket teeth on a machine showing low hours are worth questioning, because an hour meter can fail or be replaced.
Low hours alone don’t make a used excavator a good buy, because a machine that’s stood unused for long periods can have perished seals and hoses.
What should you check on a used excavator’s engine?
Start a used excavator’s engine from cold, so you can see how it starts, smokes and sounds before it’s warmed up. Ask the seller not to run the machine before you arrive, then check for leaks, oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil and heavy fumes from the crankcase breather.
A puff of smoke that clears quickly on a cold start is normal for many diesels, but smoke that carries on once the engine is warm is worth investigating:
| Smoke colour | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Blue | The engine is burning oil, which can point to worn piston rings, valve stem seals or a failing turbo |
| White that doesn’t clear once warm | Coolant may be getting into the cylinders, which can mean a head gasket problem |
| Black | Too much fuel or too little air, from causes such as a blocked air filter, faulty injectors or a turbo problem |
Check for warning lights and stored fault codes, check the radiator and cooling pack are clean, and watch that the engine temperature stays steady once the excavator is working hard.
How do you check the hydraulics on a used excavator?
Check the hoses, rams and seals for leaks and damage, then work the machine until the hydraulic oil is warm and watch for slow, weak or jerky movements. A worn hydraulic pump can feel fine when the oil is cold and lose power once it heats up, so test the excavator both ways.
If you’re not trained to operate an excavator, have the seller or a plant engineer work it while you watch from a safe position, in the operator’s view and clear of the boom, bucket and counterweight. Check each part of the hydraulic system in turn:
- Hoses and fittings: cracks, bulges, chafing and weeping joints.
- Rams: scoring, pitting or rust on the chrome rods, and oil on the rods.
- Seals: oil around the ends of each cylinder.
- Pump: whining, or a change in note when the machine is working hard.
- Movements: slow, weak or jerky boom, dipper, bucket, slew and travel functions once the oil is warm.
- Drift: with the engine idling, raise the boom, take your hands off the controls and watch whether the boom or dipper creeps down.
- Hydraulic oil: the level, the colour and any burnt smell.
What should you look for on a used excavator’s undercarriage?
The undercarriage is one of the most expensive parts of a tracked excavator to put right, so check the chains, sprockets, rollers, idlers and tracks closely and ask how much wear is left. If the seller has measured wear figures against the manufacturer’s limits, ask for them, or have a plant engineer measure the undercarriage for you.
On a tracked excavator, check each part of the undercarriage:
- Chains and bushes: stretch, wear and loose or dry links.
- Sprockets: hooked or pointed teeth.
- Rollers and idlers: oil leaks, flat spots and play.
- Tracks: cracked or bent steel pads, missing sections, and cuts or exposed steel cords on rubber tracks.
- Tension and wear: compare the two sides, and ask about any uneven wear between them.
- Track frames: cracks and signs of repair.
On a wheeled excavator, check the tyres, axles and steering in place of the tracks.
How do you check the slew ring, slew motor and final drives?
Check the slew ring for play, slew the upper structure both ways while listening for knocks and grinding, and check that the slew brake holds. Then look for oil leaks around the slew motor and both final drives, and drive the excavator in a straight line in each direction to check it tracks straight.
To test for slew ring play, have the operator put the bucket on the ground and press down gently until the front of the tracks starts to lift. Watch the join between the upper and lower frames from a safe distance, because movement or knocking there can mean a worn slew ring, which is an expensive repair.
An excavator that pulls to one side can have a worn final drive or travel motor, and both are costly to replace.
What should you check on the boom, dipper, bucket and quick hitch?
Look for cracks, fresh welds and new paint over repairs on the boom, the dipper and their mountings, and check every pin and bush for play. Then check what kind of quick hitch the machine has and, if it uses a safety pin, that the pin is fitted, because quick hitches have been linked to deaths when buckets have fallen off them.
To check the pins and bushes, have the operator rest the bucket on the ground and gently move the dipper and bucket while you watch each pin from a safe position, in the operator’s view. Some play is normal on a working machine, but a lot means re-pinning and re-bushing, which you should price into your offer.
HSE’s 2007 safety alert on quick hitches recorded four deaths since December 2006, and in each case the hitch’s retaining pin was missing. European manufacturers agreed to stop supplying semi-automatic hitches, where the operator fits a safety pin by hand, to the UK from 1 October 2008, but machines that already have one can still use it legally.
The Construction Plant-hire Association’s quick hitch guidance says to fit the safety pin on manual and semi-automatic hitches, while fully automatic hitches lock the attachment themselves. Whatever the type, get out of the cab to check the attachment is locked, and do a shake test before you start work.
Check the bucket’s teeth, cutting edge and side cutters for wear, look for cracked welds, and make sure each bucket and attachment fits the hitch.
Which UK safety and legal checks apply to a used excavator?
Anyone who sells a used excavator for use at work, including a dealer, an auctioneer or a private seller, must supply it in a safe condition, so far as is reasonably practicable, with its instructions. A thorough examination under LOLER, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, is needed only if you’ll use the excavator for lifting, and London has its own engine emission rules for machines on construction sites.
Selling a machine “as seen” doesn’t remove the seller’s duty to supply it safely. HSE’s advice for buyers of second-hand machinery is to get the manual and check that the guards, emergency stops and brakes work before you buy.
HSE’s guidance on excavators and LOLER says an excavator used for lifting needs a thorough examination and extra safety devices, such as check valves that stop the boom dropping if a hose bursts.
Excavators lifting more than 1 tonne also need a rated capacity indicator, which warns the operator as a lift nears the machine’s limit, as the Construction Plant-hire Association’s guidance on lifting with excavators explains. Under LOLER regulation 9, lifting equipment is thoroughly examined at least every 12 months and lifting accessories every 6 months. Ask for the last report, and book an examination before the excavator lifts anything if there’s no report or the last one is out of date.
An imported excavator going on sale in Great Britain for the first time, or one that’s been substantially modified, needs a UKCA or CE mark under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. The mark shows it meets GB machinery safety law, and Great Britain has accepted the CE mark indefinitely since 1 October 2024.
If the excavator will work on construction sites in Greater London, its engine has to meet London’s rules for non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), which use the emission stages set for machinery engines, with Stage V the latest. Since 1 January 2025, engines from 37 to 560 kW have needed at least Stage IV, or Stage V for those under 56 kW, which Stage IV doesn’t cover. All of them need Stage V from 1 January 2030.
Is an independent inspection of a used excavator worth it?
An independent inspection is worth it unless you can assess the engine, hydraulics and undercarriage confidently yourself. A plant engineer’s written report, ideally with an oil sample analysed, gives you a list of faults to price before you commit, and a clear reason to walk away if the repairs would outweigh the saving.
Book the inspection before you pay a deposit, and make your offer subject to the engineer’s report.
How do you work out what a used excavator is worth?
Compare three to five machines of the same make, model and size, matching the year, hours, condition and attachments as closely as you can. Use current asking prices and recent auction results together, and check whether each price includes VAT, because a price shown “plus VAT” is 20% higher at the standard rate.
Start with the asking prices for the same model among the used excavators for sale on The Commercial Trader, then set them against dealer stock and recent auction results. Asking prices aren’t selling prices, and auction results may leave out the buyer’s premium.
The main things that affect a used excavator’s value are its hours, the wear left on the undercarriage, the service history, the attachments included and the condition of the hydraulics and pins.
How do you negotiate the price of used heavy equipment?
Negotiate from evidence: know what similar machines sell for, price every fault you find, and make an offer you can back up. Before you start, set three numbers: what the machine’s worth, your opening offer and the most you’ll pay.
The same steps work for an excavator and most other used heavy equipment:
- Research comparable machines first, using asking prices and auction results.
- Inspect the machine, or have it inspected, before you talk about money.
- Get a quote for each fault you find, such as worn undercarriage, leaking rams or pins that need replacing.
- Ask why the machine’s being sold, how long it’s been advertised and whether the price is negotiable.
- Make an offer that shows your working, so the seller can see where each reduction comes from.
- Negotiate what’s included as well as the price, such as buckets, a quick hitch, a fresh service, a new thorough examination or delivery.
- Put the agreed price and everything included in writing, and walk away if the seller won’t meet your limit.
Your enquiry on The Commercial Trader goes straight to the seller, so you can ask for service records, undercarriage photos and a cold-start video before you travel, and use what you learn in your offer.
At auction there’s no negotiating after the hammer falls, so set your maximum bid in advance and include the buyer’s premium and any VAT in it.
How do you pay safely for a used excavator and finish the deal?
See the excavator and its paperwork before you pay, and pay by bank transfer to an account in the seller’s name rather than in cash. Before the money goes, your bank’s Confirmation of Payee check tells you whether the name on the account matches the seller. If it shows anything but a match, stop and find out why.
Get an invoice that shows the serial number, hours, price and everything included in the sale, and keep it with the machine’s records.
Arrange transport before collection day. The section on transporting a used digger in The Commercial Trader’s selling guide covers how to move a large piece of plant.
Once the excavator is yours, re-register it in your name if it’s CESAR registered.
Compare the used excavators for sale, used mini diggers and other used plant machinery for sale on The Commercial Trader. For more on buying, read The Commercial Trader’s guide to where to buy a used JCB or mini digger in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is too many on a used excavator?
There’s no fixed number of hours that makes a used excavator a bad buy. Hours matter alongside how well the machine has been serviced, the work it’s done and the condition of its engine, hydraulics and undercarriage. A well-maintained excavator with high hours can be a better buy than a neglected one with fewer.
Does a used excavator need a LOLER certificate?
A used excavator only needs a LOLER thorough examination if you’ll use it to lift loads. An excavator used for lifting must be thoroughly examined at least every 12 months, with lifting accessories examined every 6 months. It also needs boom check valves, plus a rated capacity indicator if it lifts more than 1 tonne. Ask the seller for the last thorough examination report, which is what people usually mean by a LOLER certificate.
How do you check a used excavator isn’t stolen?
Match the serial number on the excavator’s plate to the paperwork, look for a CESAR plate, and run a check with The Equipment Register (TER) before you pay. A TER theft check costs £10 plus VAT, or £30 plus VAT with a finance check, and each comes with a certificate.
What’s CESAR, and how do you transfer it?
CESAR is the official security and registration scheme for construction and agricultural machinery, which marks machines with a triangular tamper-evident plate and hidden identifiers that police can check. When you buy a CESAR-registered machine, get the registration details from the seller and re-register it in your name, which costs £20.
Is VAT included in a used excavator’s price?
Whether VAT is added to a used excavator’s price depends on who’s selling it and how they bought it, so ask before you agree a figure. A VAT-registered business selling its own machine, such as a contractor, normally adds VAT to the full price, and so does a dealer that bought the machine with VAT, which a VAT-registered buyer can usually reclaim. A dealer selling under the margin scheme includes VAT on its margin without showing it, so you can’t reclaim it, and a private seller or a business that isn’t VAT registered doesn’t charge VAT at all.
Can you negotiate on a used excavator listed on The Commercial Trader?
Yes, you can negotiate on a used excavator listed on The Commercial Trader, because you deal with the seller directly. The price, what’s included and the viewing are agreed between you and the seller. Back any offer with what you found on inspection and what similar used excavators for sale are advertised for.
Is it better to buy a used excavator at auction or from a dealer?
Buying a used excavator at auction can be quicker and cheaper, but you’ll have little time to inspect it, there’s usually no warranty, and you’ll pay a buyer’s premium on top of the hammer price. A dealer gives you more time to inspect and test the excavator, and you can often agree extras such as a service, a warranty or delivery as part of the price.
