Sell Your Trencher

MachineryBarn buys used trenchers — walk-behind, ride-on and heavy chain trenchers, plus vibratory plows and combination units. Trenchers are valued on the digging attachment before the machine: chain, teeth, sprockets and boom condition determine whether it cuts, and those are the parts that wear out. Whether the machine also has a backfill blade and a plow attachment matters almost as much, because a combination unit does a whole job rather than one step of it.

Trenchers we buy

Configuration changes who the next buyer is, so it changes the offer. These are the variants worth naming when you describe your machine.

Walk-behind trencher

Compact, for shallow work. Easy to transport and popular with landscapers and rental yards.

Ride-on trencher

Larger, faster and usually more capable in depth. The general-purpose contractor machine.

Combination unit (trencher, plow and backhoe)

One machine covering trenching, plowing and small excavation. The most sought-after configuration in utility work because it does a whole job.

Vibratory plow

Slices and pulls cable or pipe without excavating. Dominant in fibre and irrigation, and priced on blade and vibration system condition rather than chain.

Rock and heavy chain trenchers

Built for hard ground with rock teeth and heavier drive. A narrow but motivated buyer pool.

What determines a used trencher's value

Roughly in order of how much each one moves the number.

1. 1

   Chain, teeth and sprocket condition

   The consumable heart of a chain trencher and the first thing checked. Worn teeth, stretched chain and hooked sprockets mean the machine cuts slowly and badly. A full chain and tooth replacement is a known cost that buyers price directly.

   How to check it: Look at tooth carbide for rounding and loss, check chain stretch and side plate wear, and look at sprocket tooth profile for hooking.

2. 2

   Boom and headshaft condition

   The boom carries the chain and the headshaft drives it. A bent boom or worn headshaft bearings mean the chain runs off track and wears unevenly, which is a repair rather than a consumable.

   How to check it: Sight along the boom for straightness and check for play at the headshaft.

3. 3

   Attachment set

   A machine with trencher, backfill blade, plow and backhoe attached is worth substantially more than a bare trencher, because it covers a whole utility job. Attachments on this class are frequently separated from the machine over the years.

4. 4

   Drive system condition

   Most modern trenchers are hydrostatic. Weak tracking, uneven drive between sides, or a machine that will not hold speed under load points at pump or motor wear, which is a significant repair.

5. 5

   Vibration system, on plows

   A plow that will not vibrate cannot pull cable through undisturbed ground. The vibratory box, its bearings and drive are the equivalent of the chain system on a trencher and are checked the same way.

6. 6

   Engine condition and hours

   Trenchers work at sustained load. Hard starting, low power or excessive smoke all point at engine work, and on a machine this size that is a meaningful share of its value.

7. 7

   Tyres or tracks

   Rubber tracks on tracked units and tyres on wheeled ones are both real costs, and trenchers work on ground that is hard on both.

8. 8

   Trailer, on tow-behind and rental units

   Many trenchers come with a matched trailer. If yours does, say so — it is worth listing, and it simplifies collection.

What gets inspected on a trencher

Knowing what a buyer looks at lets you describe the machine accurately the first time, which avoids the offer changing later.

What we need to price your trencher

You do not need all of it to start. The more of it you have, the closer the first number is to the final one.

• Make, model and serial number
• Year and hour meter reading
• Machine type — walk-behind, ride-on, combination, or plow
• Cutting depth and width capability
• Chain and teeth condition, or when last replaced
• Attachments included — backfill blade, plow, backhoe
• What ground it mostly cut — soil, rock, decomposed granite
• Tyre or track condition
• Whether a trailer is included
• Whether it starts, drives and digs

Makes and model families we see most

We buy trenchers from manufacturers beyond this list. These are the ones that come up most often, with the series a seller is likely to recognise from the machine.