Your Used Excavator Has Arrived: Receiving Checks and the First Service Plan

1. Prepare the receiving location and unloading team

Confirm access, a suitable working area and the competent people and equipment needed for unloading. Follow the carrier's and machine's requirements; do not improvise lifting points or remove restraints without the responsible team's procedure. If components travel separately, have an assembly plan ready. Our handover information can help your team identify the shipment, but the destination site and unloading operation must be assessed by the people responsible there.

2. Photograph and reconcile the arrival condition

Before cleaning or starting repairs, record overall views and any visible damage, missing item or leakage. Match machine identification, bucket and packages with the agreed documents. Preserve packaging labels and transport records that may be needed to investigate a discrepancy. Use factual descriptions and original photographs. Inform the relevant seller, carrier or insurer promptly under the agreed terms; reporting something does not by itself establish which party is responsible.

3. Check what was changed for transport

Ask a qualified technician to reconcile transport preparation with the machine's operating condition. Detached components, disconnected items or protective materials may need specific attention before use. Verify that the agreed attachments and safety-related items are properly fitted using the correct procedures. Do not start the machine simply because it drove onto transport earlier. Keep the handover list available so the team knows what was removed, packed separately or left for destination reassembly.

4. Set a baseline from the manual and records

Use the installed engine, machine serial information and available service history to identify correct fluids, filters and maintenance requirements. Record uncertain items for the technician to resolve. Caterpillar's condition-monitoring approach combines history with current inspection; it is a useful reason to avoid choosing service work from age alone. A universal instruction to change every fluid at a fixed number of hours after purchase can conflict with the actual machine's requirements.

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5. Keep the first authorised operating observations

Once the machine is cleared for operation, have a trained operator follow the manual and record any warnings or abnormal behaviour. If a concerning symptom appears, stop as required and obtain professional assessment rather than continuing to prove the machine works. Where an oil-analysis programme is appropriate, use documented sampling and interpretation. Komatsu explains how oil and wear analysis supports maintenance decisions; a baseline sample belongs in an ongoing record, not a blanket guarantee.

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6. Start one service file for the machine

Keep arrival photographs, meter display, completed checks, fluids used, part numbers and the technician's next maintenance actions together. Record dates and readings as observed without creating missing historical hours. Send me specific questions with the machine link and the supporting record so we can review them efficiently. A clear receiving file helps your own operators and workshop continue from the same baseline and makes later maintenance decisions easier to trace.