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The document · eight sections

What's in a condition report

Every section of the document you receive, in the order it appears — with a worked specimen so you can see the shape of it before you pay for one.

About the specimen below

The figures on this page are an illustrative specimen, not a real machine. They show the structure of the document and how the grading rule plays out — nothing here describes a machine that exists. A complete anonymised report from a real inspection will replace it once the first inspections are done, and this notice will come down with it.

Specimen · illustrative only

The shape of the document

CONDITION REPORT · CR-0000-0000 Specimen
MachineTracked hydraulic excavator, 21 t
Hour reading8,410 h
Hours verifiedConsistent with wear
TitleClear · NOC obtainable
C
Deferred cost 14.8% of machine value Serviceable. Near the top of the band — this is a C that is nearly a D, and the undercarriage is the reason. Works now; needs investment inside twelve months.
System grades · the worst one carries the machine
System Finding Grade
Engine & cooling Clean cold start, no blowby at the filler, no fuel dilution or coolant in oil A
Hydraulics Cycle times within 6% of spec across all functions; boom drift 4 mm in five minutes A
Undercarriage Shoes 22% remaining, sprocket teeth hooked, LH idler flange worn D
Structure & welds No repair found at boom foot or cylinder ears; pin play within tolerance B
Swing & slew Slight backlash on slew, no bearing noise under load B
Cab & electricals Air conditioning inoperative, one work light out, glass sound C
Overall Undercarriage is the worst major system, so it sets the grade. An average would have called this a B. C

The cab grade does not cap the overall — a broken air conditioner is not a broken machine. The undercarriage does.

Deferred cost schedule · what it needs, and when
Item Due Tier quoted
Track chains and shoes, both sides Within 400 hours Branded aftermarket
Sprockets, pair With the chains OEM genuine
LH idler Within 400 hours Branded aftermarket
Air conditioning repair At convenience Local workshop

On a real report every line carries a price and the schedule is totalled, which is the figure that becomes 14.8%. Prices are omitted here because a specimen price for a specimen machine would be a number pretending to be information.

Limits · what was not checked
  • Internal engine condition beyond what blowby, oil and coolant indicate. No dismantling was carried out.
  • Pump and final drive internals. Assessed by behaviour and cycle time only.
  • Structural integrity of welds is assessed visually and by magnet. No NDT was performed.

No defects were observed within the limits stated. That is a different sentence from “no problems found”, and the difference is the point.

Inspected by · named on every report MACHINEGRADE · Measured, not estimated.

Contents

Eight sections, always in this order

01

Headline

The overall grade, the deferred cost percentage, and one sentence saying where in the band the machine sits. If it is a C that is nearly a D, this line says so in those words.

02

Identity and documents

Chassis and engine numbers as physically stamped, checked against the paperwork. Hour reading. Hypothecation status and whether the financier's NOC can actually be obtained. This section comes before anything mechanical because it can end the visit.

03

System grades

Engine and cooling, hydraulics, undercarriage, structure and welds, swing and slew — each graded separately, each with the measurement that produced the grade. Cab, electricals and documentation are graded too but do not cap the overall.

04

Measurements

Hydraulic cycle times against specification, cylinder drift over five minutes, undercarriage item by item as percentage of life remaining, pin and bush play. Numbers, with the method beside them.

05

Deferred cost schedule

Every item the machine needs, what it costs, and when it is due. Totalled, and expressed as a percentage of what the machine is worth. This is the section buyers negotiate with.

06

Photographs and video

62 photographs to a fixed schedule and three videos — cold start from the first turn of the key, a full function cycle, and a slow track pass both ways.

07

Limits

What was not checked, and why. Anything requiring dismantling. If the machine was warm on arrival, that is recorded here along with the statement that start condition could not be assessed.

08

Who did the work

The inspector's name and background. Not a company signature — a person's, because a person is accountable and a logo is not.

Evidence

The same slots on every machine

Because the photograph schedule is fixed, any two reports can be laid side by side and compared shot for shot. That is not possible with a folder of whatever the seller happened to send.

Group Shots
Identity 6
Walkaround 8
Undercarriage 10
Structure 10
Engine bay 8
Hydraulics 8
Cab 6
Defects 4+
What the fee buys
  • The measured percentage, not just the letter — a machine at 5.2% and one at 14.8% are both grade C, and they are not the same purchase
  • Every major system graded separately, with the measurement behind each grade
  • Undercarriage expressed as percentage of life remaining, item by item
  • Hydraulic cycle times against the OEM specification, and a five-minute drift measurement
  • 62 photographs and 3 videos, to a fixed schedule
  • An itemised schedule of what the machine needs, and what each item costs
  • Title, hypothecation and NOC position in writing
  • The named inspector who did the work
Book an inspection Free grade band first
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