Crawler excavators · 13–22 tonne · ₹6,000
A tracked machine hides its largest cost underneath itself. Undercarriage is usually the biggest single number on a used excavator, it is the item most often described rather than measured, and it is the one a seller would much rather you did not look at.
Commonly inspected: Tata Hitachi EX 210, Komatsu PC210, Hyundai R215, Volvo EC210, JCB JS205, SANY SY215, Kobelco SK210
Check the documents first, because a title or hypothecation defect ends the purchase regardless of mechanical condition. Then insist on a cold start, measure the undercarriage item by item as percentage of life remaining rather than eyeballing it, inspect the welds at the boom foot, cylinder mounting ears and track frame with a magnet, time every hydraulic function at operating temperature against the manufacturer's specification, and measure boom, stick and bucket drift over five minutes. Verify the hour reading against physical wear on the pedals, seat and grips rather than accepting the display.
01 · What actually costs money
On a tracked machine the undercarriage is typically the largest single deferred cost, and it is entirely possible to have decent-looking shoes bolted to a chain that is finished. We measure seven items separately — grouser height, link height, bushing condition and whether they have already been rotated, roller wear, idler flange and tread, sprocket tooth profile, and track sag at correct tension. Hooked sprocket teeth mean the chain has already stretched, and a new chain fitted to hooked sprockets destroys itself. That single finding is the difference between one bill and two.
02 · The protocol
Written out in full, so you know exactly what the fee buys — and so you can do some of it yourself before you ever call us.
Grouser height against new spec on three shoes, link height, bushing rotation, roller and idler flange and tread wear, sprocket tooth profile, track sag at correct tension.
Why it matters. Usually the largest deferred cost on the machine, and expressed as percentage of life remaining rather than “good” or “worn” — because a percentage can be negotiated with and an adjective cannot.
Every function timed at full throttle at operating temperature against the manufacturer's specification for that exact model, then boom, stick and bucket drift measured over five minutes with a steel rule.
Why it matters. A consistent 15–25% slowdown across all functions points at pump wear — the expensive answer. Slowdown on one function alone points at that circuit's valve or cylinder, which is usually far cheaper.
Cold start, once. Crank time, smoke colour and how long it clears. Oil filler cap off at idle to read crankcase blowby. Dipstick for fuel dilution, header tank for combustion bubbling. Leaks cleaned, run twenty minutes, re-inspected.
Why it matters. Heavy pulsing blowby means ring and liner wear and is the most expensive single finding on the machine. It is invisible on a pre-warmed engine, which is exactly why sellers warm them.
Boom foot, boom mid-section, cylinder mounting ears, stick nose and track frame. Grinding marks, filler, paint that does not match its surroundings. A magnet will not hold on body filler. Pin and bush play worked and watched at every joint.
Why it matters. This is where a repair gets hidden rather than disclosed. A concealed structural repair at a high-stress weld is a reason to walk away or demand NDT — not a negotiating item.
Backlash at the slew ring, bearing noise under load, swing motor and brake behaviour, and whether the machine holds on a slope.
Why it matters. A slew bearing is a major-component cost and a slow, quiet failure. It is one of the five systems that can cap the overall grade on its own.
Hour reading cross-checked against pedal rubber, seat bolster, joystick grips and paint wear at the step. Chassis and engine numbers physically stamped and matching. Hypothecation status and whether the financier's NOC can actually be obtained.
Why it matters. Documents are checked before anything mechanical, because they can end the visit. Mechanical condition is irrelevant if the machine cannot legally transfer to you.
03 · Questions
₹6,000 within the Hyderabad corridor and ₹8,000 beyond 100 km, paid before the visit, exclusive of GST. On a ₹25 lakh machine that is a quarter of one percent of what you are about to spend.
Crawler excavators in the 13–22 tonne class, which is the bulk of what trades in this corridor. Outside that range, ask — the answer depends on whether we have an inspector who genuinely knows that machine, and we would rather say no than send someone who does not.
Two to three hours on site, and the report is with you within two days of the visit. The undercarriage measurements alone take the better part of an hour, which is roughly how long they should take.
Yes. Grouser height, link height, roller and idler wear, sprocket profile and track sag are all measured with the machine standing on level ground at correct tension. What we cannot do without dismantling is assess the inside of a final drive, and the report says so.
Where the yard allows access and the machine can be started cold, yes. Some yards restrict both, and that restricts what any inspection can honestly tell you — the report states exactly which checks the yard's conditions prevented.
Buying a different machine? Used backhoe loader inspection — it is a different protocol, not a smaller one.
04 · Book it
Tell us the machine and where it is standing. We reply same day with the inspector's name and the earliest date he can go.
Six photographs get you a grade band and a rough cost band for nothing — chassis plate, hour meter, both sides, engine bay and a three-quarter front.
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