It is a very big problem for novices to choose excavators in the early stage. There are more than a dozen first-line brands to choose from, plus a large variety of models and different types of exclusive models, choosing an excavator has become a headache. If the budget is insufficient and you want to buy a second-hand machine, then in addition to considering the price, the performance of the second-hand machine, the strength of the seller, and the purchase cycle will be troublesome. Tiedou combines 6 key points to reduce the misunderstanding of buying excavators. For beginners, the first consideration is to clarify the main factors. Work requirements, brand, performance, budget, later maintenance, and value retention rate only need to understand these 6 key points in the early and later stages. There will be no trouble.
1. Understand your own needs
For beginners to buy excavators, most of them refer to personal purchases. If you need an excavator equipment or can bring benefits through the work of the excavator, then we first clarify the type of excavator we need to buy. Some users choose to buy an excavator for a short-term project. If the project volume is small and there is no suitable work, the idle excavator will cause great losses. So before buying an excavator, we calculate the excavator's use cycle and which model of surrounding excavators is more popular to choose to buy. Beginners should not make too much initial investment, and should reasonably purchase periodically, and only purchase in bulk after becoming familiar with it.
2. Brand
The brand of the excavator can represent the performance of the excavator. In addition to consulting the information before purchasing, we recommend that you inquire in your country or city about which brand is more popular in your location and the aspects that need attention. Through communication, you can simply and directly understand the reputation and shortcomings of the market equipment among users. If you buy a second-hand machine, there are indeed very obvious differences in reliability and service life between big brands.
3. Performance of engines and hydraulic pumps
Excavators are updated every few years. In addition to the upgrade of performance, excavator performance also has huge differences in intelligence and environmental emissions. Europe and developed countries have stricter environmental protection requirements. Before purchasing, in addition to being familiar with local laws and regulations, you still need to have a certain understanding of the excavator engine emission standards to avoid being unable to use it later.
4. Budget
The price of a new excavator varies greatly due to different specifications, but the price of excavators is still very high. If the budget is sufficient, then choosing a brand and a new machine is a better choice, especially for novices who don’t know much about excavators. The after-sales service provided by manufacturers or sellers can reduce a lot of trouble. However, if the budget is insufficient, choosing a second-hand machine will greatly reduce the risk of initial investment. There are many tips on how to choose a second-hand excavator. We have introduced them in previous issues. Buyers who want to know can read Tiedou’s previous issues on tips and precautions for buying excavators.
5. Post-maintenance
Buying an excavator not only considers the initial budget, but also the maintenance costs of different brands of excavators in the later period. First-line brands such as Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr, etc. do not have much price difference if they only maintain and replace hydraulic oil and engine oil. The main difference is the huge price difference of purchasing maintenance parts. Considering the later use cost, excavator brands such as Hyundai, Doosan, Sany, etc. have low maintenance costs in the later period and are very suitable for users with insufficient budgets.
6. Value retention rate
The value retention rate of an excavator is not only the value retention rate of the brand, but also the price gap between excavator models. This needs to be considered in terms of local usage. If a certain brand model is very popular in the local area, then the price will not disappoint you. If you buy an unpopular brand and model and want to sell it, it will be troublesome for you. Of course, if you plan to use it for a long time or wear it out, you don’t need to consider this. If you want to make money from excavators, it is inevitable to upgrade every few years, so novices need to consider the value retention rate and the local market welcome.