Buying used farm machinery can help you gain a whole lot of functionality on the farm at a much more affordable price.  But it there is always some risk involved in buying used machinery from online classifieds. If you don’t do your inspections properly you can easily end up buying farm machinery that has a lot of mechanical problems and that could end up costing you a lot more in repairs and maintenance than new machinery would have cost you.  Here are a few tips to help you buy the best-used farm machinery online so you can get great value for money and machinery that ends up being an asset instead of a liability.

Check the overall appearancen

Before you make the final decision to buy, you should do an operational inspection.  Start up the farm machinery or inspect used equipment carefully. Any off engine sounds is a sign that there might be some pretty big mechanical issues on the machinery.  You can also check the steering wheel for looseness and check to see if you can identify any patch jobs that might indicate a bigger underlying issue.

Check the engine

It is always a good idea to lift the hood of farm machinery and to check for leaks.  You can also check the wiring to see if everything looks professional and to see if you can spot any nibble marks from rodents.  An incredibly messy engine is a good indication that not much maintenance was done on the engine. A clogged up air filter is another sign of neglected services.  You can also check the amount of horsepower to see if the engine is performing up to standards.

Check the interior or cab of the machinery

A messy, dusty and dirty cab can be a sign of neglected services if the machinery has low mileage.  This only applies to closed cab farm machinery, of course. Signs of torn seats and dashboards will give you a good idea of just how many hours the machinery was parked in the sun.  Open cab farm machinery will be a lot messier and more worn down inside the cab than closed cab machinery even though their mechanics and engine are still in great condition.

Check the mechanics

While you are giving the machinery a test drive you should also check to see if all of the mechanics of the machinery is still operating smoothly. If the machine isn’t operating up to standards or if the engine seems to get high on refs while you are using the mechanics of farm machinery then something might be wrong with the mechanical parts.  Perhaps a good grease is needed to get everything running smoothly again, perhaps there is a major internal break that needs to be fixed before the machinery will function well.

Log documents can give you a lot of clues

A lot of farmers enforce employees to log their working hours on the machinery because it enables them to see who is responsible for damages on machinery and to keep track of actual work schedules.  You can scan through the logs to see whether there are any accident reports or other signs of neglect.

Papers should be up to date

All machinery that needs to be registered will have paperwork that should be up to date.  Ask for licensing or enquire about any paperwork requirements before you buy.

With these tips, you should be able to spot relatively good farming machinery a lot easier and with a bit of research and proper inspection, you can choose farm machinery that will give you fantastic value and use for money.