There is a point in every excavator's life when someone asks the question: “Is this machine still worth repairing?” It's a fair question. The machine is old. The paint is tired. The cab has seen better days. The hour meter has a number on it that makes the accountant nervous. And then something expensive fails. A final drive. A hydraulic pump. A slew motor. An engine. A valve bank. Suddenly someone says: “Maybe we should just replace the machine.” And sometimes, they're right

There is a dangerous sentence in the earthmoving industry: “We got it cheap.” Cheap is seductive. A bargain feels like a bargain. You find a 20-tonne excavator for R600,000 when similar machines are selling for R900,000. You feel pretty good about yourself. You have just saved R300,000. Or have you? Because there is a fundamental difference between: The price you pay for an excavator and The cost of owning that excavator. And if you don't understand the difference, that “chea

When venturing into the market for used machinery, the allure of significant savings compared to buying new is often tempered by the fear...