Technical Knowledge Required for Building Construction Equipment Buyers

For every contractor or construction company, one of the biggest as well as expensive decisions to make is to buy or rent the Construction Equipment (CE). While your seller or rental company may try to influence your decision by using heavy terms, over-glamourising the equipment and its usage, you ought to use your judgement and research thoroughly before making the final purchase decision.

In fact, not only research is needed but some technical knowledge about the equipment is also necessary to see that you are buying or renting the right building construction equipment and don’t have to suffer later.

We list down some basic technical points that you need to keep in mind before buying or renting the building CE...

1. Make a note of the engine performance: Take your time and have the sellers explain all the controls in detail. Sellers might want to claim that the equipment has the best engine performance ever. However, you should make sure that you try every speed and movement. If the engine is really cold, then expect some smoke. If there is excess smoke emission, then it is an indicator of some default within the machine. If this is the case, then don’t prefer buying that equipment.

2. Look at the mechanics of the building CE: A powerful diesel engine at the heart and amazing hydraulics are a must for building CE like backhoe loaders. While, the diesel engine creates power, the hydraulics amplifies it. If the hydraulic system of the machine is strong, then it will work for long and demand less maintenance. So, observe the machine carefully and check all the hydraulic components such as movement of the arms and swings, working of the joysticks, boom, arm and bucket functions. Difficulty in steering, high fluid temperature and fall in pressure are some hydraulics related issues which can be easily spotted. If you figure out any such issue, then refrain from buying or renting that equipment. Also, note that the power of the diesel engine and the capacity of the hydraulic systems differ from variant to variant.

3. Coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant- This is a sign of an engine that will cause nothing but wasted time for you. So, examine the equipment thoroughly.

4. Get the oil analysis done: In case of renting the building CE, you should always get the oil analysis done. An appropriate oil analysis of the equipment can help you zero in on the top four engine killers i.e., fuel dilution, soot, coolant and dirt, before it’s too late. The oil analysis report include information such as the name of the lubricant manufacturer, type and grade of the lube, filter types and their micron ratings, sump capacity, date received and date returned. The oil analysis report will also identify the type and amount of wear particles, contamination and oil additives in the oil. If the report suggests that maintenance action should be taken, then first, you should consider all other available diagnostic information such as vibration, in-line sensors etc. After that, if the issues still persist, then you should perform more tests before renting the equipment.

5. Pay heed to the brakes: If by applying brakes of the equipment, a strange noise is heard from the engine, then you need to pay attention to it and avoid buying or renting such equipment.

Thus, you should pay attention to the above mentioned technical points before buying or renting building CE. Apart from that, you also need to look at the overall structure and exteriors of the equipment. So, inspect the building CE thoroughly and select the equipment with caution.