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If it’s dropping out when hot, I’d be looking at clutch packs or seals inside the trans. Pretty common on older loaders. Honestly, if you’ve never rebuilt a transmission before, this is a rough place to start. These aren’t simple gearboxes. One mistake and you’re out $5k plus your time. If...

As a small contractor, I don’t have time to travel around checking machines in person, so Boom and Bucket was a great fit for me. The fixed pricing made budgeting a lot easier, and I liked not having to deal with bidding wars. The excavator I purchased arrived exactly as described, and the...

I started as a heavy equipment operator and don’t regret it at all. You learn real skills fast, and there’s always demand for good operators. Plus, you’re not stuck behind a desk all day. A lot of guys burn out in office roles, but operating keeps things interesting. You can always move up to...

A lot of people I know use Ritchie Bros for used excavators. They’ve been around for a long time and have a strong reputation.

I just started using Rouse recently and it helped me avoid overpaying on a skid steer. I was about to jump on a deal that looked good, but the report showed it was actually above average market price. Ended up negotiating it down after that.

Terrain and job type come first for me. If you’re pushing on soft ground or doing finish work, a smaller or hydrostatic machine might make more sense. If you’re doing heavy pushing or ripping rock, you need the weight and horsepower. Also pay attention to the undercarriage setup (standard vs...

From what I know, you can look around the listings without signing up, but you won't be able to bid until you register. Registration is pretty standard for auction sites because they need your details in case you win the auction. It usually only takes a few minutes to create an account.

I always recommend checking service records first. A well-maintained grader with higher hours is often a better buy than a low-hour machine with poor maintenance history. Also inspect tires, tandem drives, and transmission performance. If you're purchasing from a heavy equipment auction, review...

For a rough ballpark: small single-direction plate compactors are usually in the $600-$2,000 range brand new. Reversible/heavier plates tend to be $3k-$8k. Once you move into rollers, pricing jumps a lot-walk-behind rollers often start around $15k, and ride-on units can easily hit $50k+. Brand...

I’m all for emissions reduction, and our company sees electric units as part of our long-term plan. We’re currently looking at replacing some diesel units soon and have been tracking availability on Marketplace-E, which has a surprising amount of electric bucket options listed. Maintenance and...

If you buy or sell at auction, it’s very useful. Rouse does a good job showing actual transaction ranges by hours and condition. We used it last year to set reserve prices on a batch of graders. Without it we probably would’ve set them too high based on outdated dealer listings. It didn’t...

If it’s mostly occasional welding and not daily abuse, the Predator will probably be fine. If it’s earning money every day, I’d lean toward buying from HD or Lowe’s just for the return policy. Nothing worse than losing a day of work over a dead generator you can’t quickly swap out.

Financing often influences where buyers choose to do business. RB providing structured and adaptable options helps reduce friction, which is why Ritchie Bros continues to stand out among competitors.

While competitors may be improving, RB’s logistics capabilities still look more mature and scalable. For anyone prioritizing reliability and reach, Ritchie Bros. remains a solid option.

Their size definitely adds credibility. A company doesn’t reach that level without consistent results, which is probably why RB remains a reliable option for both sellers and bidders.

Both options have pros and cons, but I’ve found that Ritchie Bros usually comes out ahead for buyers who are flexible and willing to plan logistics. Even after inspections and shipping, RB often delivers better overall value than buying straight off a dealer lot.

From my experience, SmartEquip itself doesn’t really provide true real-time machine diagnostics like live sensor data. It’s more focused on parts lookup, service information, and repair workflows. That said, it integrates well with OEM systems that do offer diagnostics, so it’s still very useful...