Farm equipment doesn’t come cheap which is why many farmers buy their equipment secondhand. There are many benefits to buying secondhand farm equipment, when you know what to look for, so if you’re considering the purchase of a secondhand compact tractor or another item of farm equipment you need to arrive at the seller’s location armed with a strong knowledge of what to look for when buying secondhand farm equipment. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

Documentation

Whenever you look at an item of equipment, like compact tractors in Lincolnshire, the first thing that you should ask to see is the documentation that the seller should be able to provide you with. If they can’t provide you with the following essential items of documentation, then there’s little point in inspecting the equipment at all. Here’s what you need to insist on:

• Proof of ownership. Don’t take any risks here as you could purchase stolen equipment.
• Servicing history. This is like a car’s logbook, it contains information about maintenance.

These are essential items that you must insist on when buying farm equipment or any kind of heavy equipment for your business. Once you have ascertained that the seller has the right to sell the item in question and you’re sure that it has been reasonably maintained, you can start to inspect it and look for signs of wear and tear.

Looking for Signs of Wear and Tear

There are several places where you should look to see if there are any signs of wear and tear. While wear and tear isn’t a problem, you need to gauge how much wear and tear there is and decide whether what you can see ties in with what the seller tells you. After all, just because the seller says it was only used on occasion doesn’t mean that it really was, so make sure that you look at:

• The pedals. Without buying new pedals it’s difficult to disguise signs of wear and tear here.
• The tyres. As tyres are expensive, they won’t have been replaced unless it was necessary.

You should also inspect the engine for signs of wear and tear, as the engine is one of the most important parts of any item of heavy or farm equipment.

Check the Engine

While it can be difficult to discern how much wear and tear has been placed on the engine, there are a few things that you can check to see how well it has been maintained. These include:

• The oil. Take out the dipstick and check the oil for consistency and smell. It shouldn’t smell burnt.
• Leaks. Make sure that there aren’t any leaks from the engine. Do this by looking beneath it.

If you don’t know much about engines, have a mechanic inspect it for you.

Buying secondhand farm equipment can be an excellent investment, however, you need to know what to look for, including signs of wear and tear, the condition of the engine and, of course, the required documentation which means the logbook and proof of ownership.