Heavy Equipment Inspection Checklist
A buyer inspecting used equipment is answering one question: what will this machine cost the next owner that the seller has not mentioned? Everything below is something you can check yourself before requesting an offer, grouped by what actually differs between machine types. Nothing here requires tools you do not have.
Work through the universal sections for any machine, then the one section that matches what you are selling. It takes about twenty minutes and it is the difference between a firm offer and a provisional one.
On this page
This page is formatted to print as a working checklist.
Every machine
These apply whatever you are selling.
Identity and paperwork
Do this first. Most of what slows a sale down is missing identification, not mechanical condition — and every item here takes minutes.
Photograph the serial number plate and the data plate
Serial and model are what let a buyer identify the exact machine, its build specification and its parts. A machine nobody can identify is priced defensively.
Record the hour meter or odometer reading, and note if the meter has been replaced
Usage is read against duty. A replaced meter is not a problem if you say so; discovering it later is.
Establish whether the machine is titled or transfers by bill of sale
Trucks and trailers are titled through the DMV in California; construction equipment generally is not and transfers against the serial number.
Established by Vehicle Title Transfers
Check whether any finance is outstanding, and get a current payoff figure
Equipment finance normally appears as a UCC filing rather than on a title. It is routine to settle at sale, but only if it is known before the offer.
Established by Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 — Secured Transactions
Gather service records, and any rebuild or major-repair paperwork
Documented maintenance is the single cheapest thing that improves how a high-hour machine is read.
Engine and cooling
Start the machine cold if you can. A cold start tells a buyer more than an hour of running does.
Watch the cold start — hesitation, smoke colour, how long it takes to settle
Cold-start behaviour surfaces problems a warm engine hides.
Look for blow-by at the breather with the engine running
Blow-by indicates cylinder and ring wear, which is a major-component finding rather than a service item.
Check engine oil and coolant condition
Milky oil or oil in the coolant points at a head gasket or worse. Metal in the oil is a bearing question.
Look at the radiator and cooler cores for packing and debris
A blocked cooling package causes heat damage that shows up everywhere else in the machine.
Note any active dash lights, fault codes or derate condition
On emissions-controlled machines a derate is a specific and expensive category of fault. Photograph the codes rather than describing them.
Hydraulics
Weak hydraulics are among the most expensive things that can be wrong, and among the easiest to test badly.
Hold a load raised for a minute and watch for drift
Drift under load points at cylinder seals or valve wear rather than a simple leak.
Time a full cycle of the main functions
Slow cycles under normal temperature suggest pump wear.
Look at cylinder rods for scoring, pitting and bent sections
Rod damage destroys seals repeatedly until the rod itself is addressed.
Check the oil in the sight glass
Cloudy oil means water; grey or glittering means metal. Both change the assessment of the whole circuit.
Trace hoses for weeping, chafing and temporary repairs
Hose condition is a reliable indicator of how the machine was maintained overall.
Structure and frame
Structural findings are different in kind from wear. Disclose them — they are found on any competent inspection.
Look for cracks and weld repairs at high-stress points
A documented professional repair is treated very differently from an undisclosed one.
Check for evidence of a past rollover or major impact
Bent structure affects everything mounted to it and is not economically reversible.
Inspect the operator protective structure for damage or modification
ROPS and FOPS are certified structures; damage or unauthorised welding voids the certification.
Check pins and bushings for lateral play throughout
Slop is repairable, but the labour across a whole machine adds up and is priced.
Cab and operator station
Cab condition is read as a proxy for how the whole machine was treated, and it costs nothing to check.
Test the air conditioning and heat
Working climate control is worth a genuine premium on any machine that works year-round.
Check glass, door seals and any water ingress
Water in a cab reaches wiring and controls, which is where it becomes expensive.
Check seat, controls and whether the control pattern is switchable
Controls that suit a wider pool of operators widen the buyer pool.
Confirm safety interlocks actually prevent operation when disengaged
A defeated interlock must be repaired before the machine can be worked.
Before you request an offer
These are the details that most often change a number after the fact, which is the outcome worth avoiding.
List every attachment and state clearly whether it is included
Attachments left off a list are assumed excluded; attachments photographed but not included cause disputes at collection.
Say where the machine is and whether it can be loaded under its own power
A machine that cannot track or drive needs different transport equipment, planned in advance.
Describe what the machine actually did — the application, not just the hours
Duty is what makes an hour reading meaningful.
Photograph the faults as well as the machine
A described fault gets priced conservatively; a photographed fault gets priced.
By machine type
Use the section that matches your machine. These are the checks that genuinely differ — an undercarriage measurement means nothing on a forklift, and a capacity plate means nothing on a dozer.
Tracked machines — undercarriage
On a tracked machine the undercarriage is usually the largest single wear cost, and it is the first thing an experienced buyer measures.
Look at sprocket teeth from the side
New teeth are symmetrical; worn ones hook over. It is the fastest read available on undercarriage life.
Check for dry, seized or weeping rollers and idlers
Seal failure means the bearing is running dry and the component is consumed.
Measure or estimate track sag and chain wear
Chains, links, rollers, idlers and sprockets wear as a set, so buyers price remaining life as a percentage rather than pass or fail.
On rubber tracks, look for cracking, exposed steel cord and missing lugs
Rubber tracks are cheaper to replace than a steel undercarriage but still a real cost, and they set the tone for the inspection.
Note what ground the machine worked
Rock, landfill and recycled concrete consume undercarriage far faster than soil at the same hour reading.
Wheeled earthmoving — tyres and articulation
On wheeled machines the tyres and the articulation joint carry the equivalent role the undercarriage plays on a tracked machine.
Note remaining tread on every wheel and whether the set matches
A full set of large tyres is among the biggest single line items on the machine, and mismatched sets are an immediate deduction.
Articulate slowly full lock to full lock and watch the centre pins
Play at the centre hinge shows up as a machine that wanders and accelerates wear everywhere downstream.
Load the bucket and drive a grade
Slip, harshness or converter noise under load points at transmission wear, which is a major-component cost.
Check axle and differential oil condition
Metal or milky oil indicates driveline problems that are not visible from outside.
Lifting equipment — capacity, plates and certification
Lifting equipment is documentation-sensitive in a way earthmoving is not. A machine that cannot prove its rated capacity cannot legally be put to work.
Photograph the data plate or capacity placard and confirm it is legible
Powered industrial trucks are required to carry a legible plate showing capacity and configuration; a missing plate must be replaced through the manufacturer against the serial number.
Established by Powered Industrial Trucks — 29 CFR 1910.178
Compare fork blade thickness at the heel against the shank
Forks are conventionally removed from service at around ten per cent loss of blade thickness, so heel wear is a defined condemnation criterion rather than a judgement call.
Established by ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 — Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks
Check lift chains for elongation, seized links and even tension
Chain stretch is a safety-critical wear item with a defined replacement threshold.
Extend and retract any boom fully, watching for binding
Wear pads and boom straightness decide whether the machine extends safely; boom damage is structural, not wear.
On cranes, gather the annual inspection records and load charts
Cranes are subject to documented periodic inspection, and load charts are required for the machine to be operated. Both should physically stay with the machine.
Established by Cranes and Derricks in Construction — Inspections, 29 CFR 1926.1412
On aerial lifts, confirm the tilt alarm, interlocks and emergency lowering all function
These are checked on every inspection and any fault must be cleared before use.
Established by Aerial Lifts — 29 CFR 1926.453
On electric machines, check battery age, swelling and corrosion, and whether a matched charger is included
On an older electric lift the battery is frequently the most valuable single component.
On-highway trucks and trailers
Road-going equipment is titled, regulated and inspected. In California the regulatory position often matters more than the mechanical one.
Find the engine emissions label and record the engine model year
California restricts which heavy diesel vehicles may operate in the state, enforced through DMV registration. A truck that cannot be registered here still has an out-of-state and export market, but it is a different market.
Established by Truck and Bus Regulation / Clean Truck Check
Check the periodic inspection status and whether documentation is retained
Commercial vehicles require a periodic inspection with retained documentation; a lapsed inspection is a cost the next owner carries.
Established by Periodic Inspection — 49 CFR 396.17
Note DPF soot loading, DEF faults, derate condition, or any evidence of a delete
Aftertreatment is one of the most expensive systems to put right, and a deleted system limits who can legally buy the vehicle.
Check fifth wheel plate and jaw wear, and slider function
Trucks in drayage and container work couple constantly, so plate wear runs ahead of mileage.
Confirm where the title is and whether a lien is recorded on it
A lienholder must release its interest before ownership transfers.
Established by Vehicle Title Transfers
On trailers, sight along the main beams for sag and prior weld repair
Frame straightness is the difference between a working trailer and scrap.
Attachment-driven machines — hydraulics and mounts
On these machines what the hydraulics can run decides who wants the machine, and it is the spec most often left out.
Establish whether auxiliary hydraulics are standard or high flow
High flow is required for mulchers, cold planers and large brush cutters. A standard-flow machine cannot serve those buyers at all.
Count the auxiliary circuits and note whether they are proportional
A machine already plumbed for a hammer or a thumb is worth more than one that needs the work done.
Check the quick-attach plate for wear at the wedge pockets and bent hooks
The attach plate affects every attachment the machine will ever run.
Record the coupler standard, and match it against every attachment included
An attachment that will not mount transfers scrap value rather than tool value.
What this checklist deliberately does not do
It does not tell you what any of these findings is worth. You will find guides that claim a worn undercarriage costs a specific percentage of value, or that a non-running machine retains a fixed share of its working price. Those numbers are invented. What a finding costs depends on the model, the parts situation, the region and the buyer.
What the checklist does is make sure nothing on the machine is a surprise. A described fault is priced. An undiscovered one gets found at inspection and the offer moves — which is the outcome worth avoiding.
Standards and regulations referenced
- Vehicle Title Transfers — California Department of Motor Vehicles
- Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 — Secured Transactions — Uniform Law Commission / California Secretary of State filings
- Powered Industrial Trucks — 29 CFR 1910.178 — US Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 — Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks — Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation
- Cranes and Derricks in Construction — Inspections, 29 CFR 1926.1412 — US Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Aerial Lifts — 29 CFR 1926.453 — US Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Truck and Bus Regulation / Clean Truck Check — California Air Resources Board
- Periodic Inspection — 49 CFR 396.17 — US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Regulatory requirements change. Confirm anything that affects a transaction with the issuing agency directly. This page is general information about how equipment is assessed, not legal or compliance advice.
Once you have worked through it
Ready for a number?
Send what you found. Year, make, model, hours, and anything on this list that did not look right — including the things you would rather not mention. Those are the ones that keep an offer firm.
Get a Cash Offer
Any brand, any condition, any hours.