The guide to used: navigating the used truck market
Published in: Arbor Age
Date: 9/1/2005
By: Sasser, Jason
BUYING USED EQUIPMENT HAS BECOME MORE PREVALENT IN RECENT YEARS due to different economic demands and the availability of newer used equipment that is for sale on the secondary market. How do you know if you’re buying a good used truck? Do you know if you’re looking for the right truck for the right job application? Is it better to buy at an auction or not? These are just a few questions that one might ask in order to buy a used truck.
First, you need to know what type of work the truck is needed for. How tall do you need the truck to work–40 feet, 50 feet, 60 feet, or higher? Do you need a flatbed body, a chip dump body, or a service line body? Will you need a 4X2 or a 4X4 chassis? These are all questions you need to know when buying a used truck. In order to buy the right used truck, make sure a reputable manufacturer made the boom. Find out if the boom manufacturer is still in business, how long it has been in business, and if it has a good service reputation. You will have more success with your purchase if you know the boom manufacturer’s history. If the manufacturer has good product/service resources, this will give more credibility to that truck. It also allows for a better re-sale value of the truck if you buy it then decide to sell it. Find out where the truck came from. Did a contractor have it? Did it come from a small individually owned company? Did a municipality own the truck? Knowing some of these things can help you decide which used truck to purchase.
Other facts to know about buying a used truck are as follows:
* Over center vs. non-over center.
* How current is the dielectric test?
* Is the chassis under CDL requirements (26,000 GVWR)?
* Diesel or gas engine?
* Are parts still available for the boom that you want to purchase?
* Is the boom driven off a PTO or a “pony” motor?
* How old is the boom?
* How old is the chassis?
* What is the side reach of the truck?
* What is the working height of the truck?
* What are the payment terms of the truck?
Auction vs. Dealer
The question of buying at an auction versus buying a truck from a retail dealer always comes up. Both auctions and retailers are very viable options from which to buy used equipment. Typically, the prices from a reputable used equipment dealer will be higher. This is true if the dealer has a good maintenance process. You need to find a highly reputable dealer that thoroughly checks the integrity of the boom and the integrity of the chassis. Because of this process, the prices from dealers will be higher than pricing at an auction. Not all trucks at auctions go through a maintenance check process. By no means does that imply that auctions are not the place to buy. On the contrary, auctions are a good source of used equipment that will normally play well into your budgetary factors. The key is to remember that the retailer will be a little higher if they have a good reputation of thoroughly testing the truck for any imperfections. You may pay more up front, but it might benefit you to know that a certified company has tested the truck. The safety of the used truck is the most important factor, and a reputable company should have this as a number one priority. There are many customers who have purchased used equipment from auction and have had success with the equipment.
Understand Boom Options
Once you know the type of work for which the truck will be used, then you can look into other important questions about a used bucket truck. What is the working height? Is the boom over center or non-over center? Over center refers to the upper boom folding over the center line of axis, when the lower boom is perpendicular to the ground. If a boom is over center, your side reach will generally be greater than that of a non-over center boom. One is not better than the other. It just depends on personal preference. Another factor to look for in a used truck is the age of the boom. The older the boom, the harder time you might have buying parts for it. If the boom is a model from a reputable manufacturer, you will have a better chance to buy parts for the boom. Another important factor to look for is if the boom has a current dielectric test rating. This is important if you will be working around power lines.
Know the Payment Terms
You also need to know payment terms of the company from which you are buying. Financing may be available on used trucks that are within certain age limits. Different financial companies have variable degrees of how old a used truck can be before they will offer financial assistance. The company that is selling the used truck should know of a financial institute to assist you with this information. If you have budgetary constraints, financing a truck can help you get into a newer used truck than you would otherwise.
Have a Good Maintenance Program
Once you purchase a used truck, there is one more very important aspect. Keep your truck on a good maintenance program. Change oil and filters on a regular basis. Know a good hydraulic shop that can assist you with work, or with knowledge on the hydraulic functions of your boom truck. If you buy from a reputable company with years of experience, they can assist you with a maintenance program. The other important issue once you buy a used truck is to keep the manual handy. The manual will assist you with minor questions you might have.
The used truck market has grown rapidly and will continue to grow. When buying a used truck, it is imperative to know your work application as well as the terminology of the used equipment industry. In the long run, if you buy from a reputable source that has had a substantial amount of industry experience you will have success with your used truck.
MORBARK OFFERING WIZTECH FLASH FOAM COLORING SYSTEMS
Wood recyclers and processors currently utilizing or considering Morbark equipment are now offered the WizTech FlashFoam Coloring System from Wizard Technologies. Morbark, Inc. is now offering the FlashFoam System for installation on a broad range of Morbark equipment, including tub grinders, horizontal grinders and whole tree chippers. In virtually any color desired, the FlashFoam System provides single-pass coloring on whole trees, stumps, roots, logs, wood construction debris, pallets or re-grind with a dry finished product coming off the discharge conveyor. The material is immediately ready to ship or bag. The benefits of the FlashFoam system are many, including low operating costs, versatility, a dramatic reduction in water usage, elimination of waste, mess and problems caused by runoff, and, because the mulch exits the equipment dry, the need for additional handling and stockpiling is eliminated. Another big advantage is that foam coloring provides excellent results on any type of wood.
MITSUBISHI FUSO 5-YEAR WARRANTY
Mitsubishi Fuso augmented its bumper-to-bumper warranty (36 months, unlimited mileage) with a limited 5-year powertrain warranty, available beginning with its new 2006 models, which extends coverage on the most important components of its class 4 and class 5 FE and FG model medium-duty cabover trucks for a full 60 months or 175,000 miles from warranty start date. It covers all crucial powertrain components including the engine, Aisin automatic transmission or Mitsubishi manual transmission (however, equipped), clutch housing and pressure plate assembly, rear axle housing and internal parts on all models, and the front axle housing and internal parts on 4-wheel-drive FG models. There are limitations or exclusions to its bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties, which are not necessarily limited to, but include the expected list of fluids and filters, normal wear items like tires, brake and clutch linings and wiper blades, and custom truck bodies, plus failures due to abuse, accident, improper maintenance and the like.
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