Buy discarded equipment on the original price alone--will it benefit you long term?

Buying on price? We all do it sometimes and in today’s economic climate it’s happening more and more. At the grocery store for example, you may decide to buy the generic peanut butter over a name brand or at the electronics store when you decide which flat screen TV to buy.   But have you noticed that when a purchase is really important to you price is less important than quality?  When buying a new car, price may not be the only factor, often there are other considerations you should take into account; the support of the dealership, financing, safety, brand preference as examples. 

Having spent my entire professional career in product support and working with waste customers, I have seen the “pain” that can be caused when buying a machine just on price. The capital you are investing in the machines demands that you put considerable thought into the purchase decision. Who you buy your heavy equipment from, the capabilities of the seller, may be as important as the capabilities of the machine. 

What other things would I recommend when purchasing your next piece of equipment? Well, from an on-going product support point of view, here are a few things I tell waste customers to ask:

Does the dealer carry inventory for this machine?  If yes, ask to see the part’s stocking list.
Thinking about the last time you ordered a part, could you get that same part off the dealer’s shelf?

In 24 hours?
In 48 hours?
If over 48 hours, how long would it take you to get the part?
Does the dealer offer after-hours parts and services? On-line ordering?
How many service technicians and trucks are available in your area?
Does the dealer offer cost effective options such as remanufactured parts or rebuild capabilities?
Does the dealer offer fleet management programs that monitor machine conditions such as fluid analysis or overall machine health?

Whatever price you pay for a machine it’s going to consume parts and it will need maintenance.  So next time you buy a piece of heavy equipment for your landfill or transfer station, ask these few simple questions.  It may be the difference between owning a productive machine with good uptime or an expensive lawn ornament on your jobsite. Now I would like to hear from you.  What are your product support concerns?  What product support capabilities do you consider when buying heavy equipment?

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