How-to5 min read
How to buy heavy equipment at auction
Verify the PIN, the hour meter, undercarriage or tire wear, and any hydraulic leaks before you bid, and check whether the attachment shown actually matches the machine's quick coupler. Buyer fee tiers and transport permits change the real cost meaningfully, so read the fee schedule and get a hauling quote before, not after, you win.
Where equipment sells
Construction, agricultural and industrial equipment moves through several distinct auction channels, and they behave differently enough that it is worth knowing which one you are bidding in. IronPlanet, owned by RB Global, sells used construction, agriculture, trucking, forklift, crane and mining equipment alongside government surplus, and backs listings with published inspection reports rather than leaving condition entirely to the seller's description. Ritchie Bros, also part of RB Global, runs both live and online sales of heavy construction equipment, trucks, trailers and agricultural machinery in more than 190 countries, with free registration to bid. Purple Wave sells farm, machinery and heavy equipment at online-only auctions, describing items "as is" with only observable details like mileage, weight and accessories in the listing. On the government-surplus side, GovDeals lists equipment such as excavators, loaders and cranes retired by cities, counties and other public agencies, and Public Surplus runs a similar model restricted to vetted public-institution sellers. Each channel has a different mix of dealer trade-ins, lender repossessions, fleet rotations, and public-agency retirements, and that mix affects how much you should expect the seller to already know and disclose.
PIN and hour meter
Heavy equipment carries a product identification number, the equipment-industry equivalent of a VIN, stamped into the frame near the operator's cab or on a data plate. Before you bid, match that number against the one on the listing and on any service or inspection paperwork provided. A mismatched or illegible PIN is a reason to ask direct questions, not to assume a clerical error.
The hour meter is the equipment world's odometer, and it is exactly as easy to misrepresent. A low hour count on a machine that otherwise looks heavily worn, has mismatched wear on pedals and controls, or shows service stickers with hour readings that do not track the story, is worth more scrutiny than the number alone provides. Where service records exist, cross-check a handful of recorded service hours against the dates they were performed; a machine that is supposedly averaging far fewer hours per year than similar machines in its class and use case deserves a second look.
Inspection report vs walk-around photos
Some platforms publish a standardized third-party inspection report alongside a listing; IronPlanet, for instance, backs listings with what it calls IronClad Assurance equipment certification and describes the approach as "what you see in the report is what you get." A report like that tells you what a trained inspector checked and found, using a consistent format you can compare across machines. A seller's own walk-around photos, by contrast, show you only what the seller chose to photograph, from the angles the seller chose. Neither replaces the other. Read the inspection report in full if one exists, including any noted deficiencies, and use the walk-around photos to sanity-check details the report may not cover, like cosmetic condition of the cab interior or attachment fit.
Undercarriage and tires
On tracked machines, excavators, dozers and compact track loaders, undercarriage wear is one of the largest repair costs you can inherit. Look at the sprocket teeth, the track pads, and the rollers for visible wear, and treat a listing that shows only distant photos of the tracks as one where you cannot assess remaining life. Replacing an undercarriage on a mid-size excavator is a five-figure job on many machines, so this single item can change whether a bid makes financial sense at all.
On wheeled machines, loaders, graders and most agricultural equipment, check tread depth across all tires, look for sidewall cracking from age and UV exposure rather than just wear, and check that all tires actually match. A mismatched tire set, especially on a machine that otherwise looks well kept, often means a prior owner replaced only what failed rather than maintaining the set, which tells you something about how the rest of the machine was likely treated too.
| Platform | Buyer's premium or default fee | Payment window |
|---|---|---|
| IronPlanet | Default fee $500 to $6,500 by sale price tier if unpaid past the window, plus a 2.95% card convenience fee | 5 business days |
| Purple Wave | 10% buyer's premium on the winning bid | By 4 p.m. the second business day after the sale |
| Ritchie Bros | Buyer's premium not published; refundable deposit around 25% of bidding limit typically required | 7 days |
Every one of these platforms also charges add-on items beyond the headline figure, from IronPlanet's per-day storage fee starting on day nine after the sale to relocation charges if a machine is not picked up within about two weeks. Read the full published fee schedule for the specific platform and sale price bracket before you set your maximum bid, since none of the platforms above publish a single flat number that covers every transaction.
Understanding fee tiers
Equipment auction fees are almost never a single flat percentage, and that catches first-time buyers off guard more than any other line item on the invoice. A tiered schedule means the dollar figure or percentage that applies to a $5,000 attachment can be structured very differently from the one applied to a $150,000 excavator on the very same platform, even though both sales follow the same underlying rules. Late fees compound the problem: several platforms charge a per-business-day penalty on top of a flat default fee once you miss the payment window, and that daily charge itself usually scales with the sale price bracket. In our view, the only safe habit is to pull up the actual fee page for the platform you are bidding on and find your specific price bracket before you place a bid, not after you have already won the lot and are reading the invoice for the first time.
Transport and permits
Heavy equipment routinely exceeds standard highway width, height or weight limits, which means an oversize load permit from the relevant state department of transportation, and sometimes a pilot or escort vehicle, before it can legally travel. Lowboy trailer capacity and availability vary by region and season, and booking one at short notice after winning a lot can cost more than planning the move in advance. Check FMCSA registration for any hauler you are considering, and treat the permit and hauling cost as part of your bidding math from the start, not an afterthought once the invoice arrives. Trade groups like the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and safety guidance from OSHA are useful background if you are new to operating or moving this class of machine at all.