Choosing an equipment dealer

For most businesses, heavy equipment like excavators and skid steer loaders is not a one-time purchase. They'll buy one machine now, another in a year or two, additional attachments after that, eventually replacing their original machines with new ones. Because of this, it's important to create a good working relationship with your equipment dealer.

This is the 'soft' side of buying construction equipment: you need to consciously evaluate the dealer and how he treats you. Do they ask the right questions? Do they listen to your needs and requirements? Do they return your calls promptly? Are the pushy and demanding?

Finding a dealer you can trust and get along with is more important than you might think. If you do intend to expand your fleet over the coming years, a good working relationship can lead to substantial cost savings in the long run.

Know what kind of maintenance you'll get
Outside of the basic relationship, there are more concrete things to investigate about construction equipment dealers. One of the biggest is their maintenance department. We recommend that you visit each dealer so you can see their repair shop for yourself. Talk to their mechanics and check out the setup to see how professional the operation is.

Depending on the type of purchase and how much extra you want to pay, you may get basic warranty coverage, or you may want to buy a preventative maintenance plan. Make sure you know exactly what kind of service the dealer will provide.

Get behind the wheel (or the joysticks)
You'll definitely want to test out each machine before you buy it, and this is another way dealers can distinguish themselves. Some dealers will let you drive the vehicle around their parking lot – not much of an evaluation for any construction equipment. More helpful are dealers who have testing areas where you can do some digging and real work with the machines; even better are dealers who do the "tow and show" act where they bring the machine to you and let you put it work in your real environment. There's no substitute for actually getting your hands on the controls and putting a new machine through its paces.

Here are some questions you can ask when comparing equipment dealers:

• How long have you been in the construction equipment business?
• How many mechanics do you have on staff? What's their experience like?
• Will you come to me if the machine breaks down? Will you pick it up if it needs to come in for repairs?
• Do you guarantee a response time if we have a breakdown at a job site?
• Will we get a loaner if we need one?

Lastly, you should consider word-of-mouth opinions of the dealers you talk to. Check with other local businesses like yours and get their opinions, but take them with a grain of salt. All it takes is one misunderstanding to permanently ruin a dealer's standing with a specific business. Try to get a sense for their overall reputation in your community.

Ready to start contacting authorized dealers?

• Find skid steer loader dealers.
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