Skip to content

Safe trading tips

A used excavator is a multi-million rupee purchase. These are the checks experienced buyers in Sri Lanka never skip.

Always do this

  • Inspect the machine in person, and see it start from cold.
  • Ask for the service history and check it against the hour meter.
  • Check the undercarriage, tracks and pins — they are the most expensive wear items.
  • Verify the import documents and registration before paying anything.
  • Bring your own operator or mechanic to test the machine under load.
  • Agree a written sale note listing the machine, hours, price and both parties.

Never do this

  • Never send an advance or deposit before you have seen the machine.
  • Do not accept a story about the seller being abroad and shipping it to you.
  • Do not rely on photographs alone — ask for a live video call at minimum.
  • Avoid deals priced far below every comparable machine on the market.
  • Do not pay to a bank account in a name different from the seller's.

Checking the hours honestly

Hour meters can be replaced or reset. Cross-check the reading against wear you can see: pedal and joystick rubber, seat condition, pin play in the boom and bucket, and the state of the undercarriage. A machine claiming 4,000 hours with a worn-through floor plate has done far more. Where a machine was serviced by an authorised agent, ask the seller for permission to confirm the history with them directly — genuine sellers rarely object.