Industry
Alex Meacock was a course member on this year’s British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ John Deere Training Award for potential agricultural, horticultural and turf journalists. As part of the course, he was required to produce a feature article for a leading industry journal.
In this article, he discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls of buying used machinery
T
here is one clear benefit of buying used machinery instead of new; the price. For example, a quick search uncovers a John Deere 2653B available secondhand for £9,995; to
buy the same machine new would likely be in the mid £20,000s. Furthermore, the majority of the depreciation, which might be as high as 25% of the investment, will have occurred after the first year of use, meaning that you don’t lose as much of your investment when buying used machinery. Savings such as this provide obvious advantages for groundstaff working to a budget, so cannot be simply ignored. Those experienced in buying used equipment know to look out for certain aspects of the machine to give an indication of its condition. One of the biggest indications could be the number of hours the machine has done. Most people would naturally assume that, when buying a used piece of equipment, it is best to go for the one that has done the fewest hours. Although this can be true, most of the time, it is always important to ask some key questions. For instance, if a mower has recently had new wearing parts like blades, bearings or even tyres replaced, it still might be a better option than one with fewer hours but worn out parts. Buying a machine new would obviously
John Deere outfront rotary - a popular machine often available through the used machinery market
avoid these issues; new parts in good condition are unlikely to wear out that quickly. Clearly, the initial savings of buying a used machine is only a true saving if you are not continually spending money on parts and maintenance; a potential pitfall of buying used which takes some careful negotiating. The lower prices aren’t the only advantage of buying used machinery; often buying used can be more convenient. It is possible to pick up used machinery from dealers, individuals or other clubs, so it can be readily available. This is particularly useful if you are not lucky enough to be located close to dealers for all the major brands, leaving you with little choice in new machinery.
Alex Meacock
If you find yourself in the position of
needing to replace broken machinery at short notice, then the convenience of buying used can be a big positive. If a piece of machinery has broken down whilst you are trying to get your course in suitable condition for an upcoming event or season, then being without a vital piece of equipment is likely to be a big problem. Going to a dealer and having them deliver a new machine can be time consuming and costly. Also, they might not be able to guarantee it arrives before the season starts. This could have knock on effects if customers decide to use a rival course or companies choose better kept clubs to host their events. Buying used machines could help avoid this problem as they can often be collected or delivered with much shorter notice, although this is only true if the machine is available relatively closely. One reason why many people decide to buy new equipment is to ensure they get the specification the job requires. By purchasing used machinery, you have to accept a mower or piece of equipment with a spec designed for someone else’s course or ground and that could be a problem. Perhaps a way to avoid this dilemma would to be to buy used machinery from a club or course that you are familiar with. However, with this approach, you do have to trust that the previous owner has maintained the machine well, a consideration when buying any piece of secondhand machinery. Although, if you are familiar with the previous owner, then you might be able to make an educated guess at how likely they are to maintain their machinery to a good standard. It has to be said that this could be harder
to gauge when buying used machinery from a dealer. This is a key question when buying used machinery; are you willing to buy a machine, which might not be the exact spec you want, if you can trust it will do the job and has been well maintained? An option available to anybody looking to purchase a new piece of machinery is buying
PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 I 133
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