The United States construction industry is very important to the global economy. It amounts to about 10% of the global market share and is the second larges construction industry on the planet. If you are looking at heavy equipment sales and you need to get new stuff for your company, there are some things you should to to make sure you have what you need to do your projects.

1. Take a look at the fluid levels. Just like motor vehicles that you drive, your heavy equipment uses certain fluids. You need to take a look at the levels of hydraulic fluid, coolant, oil and others. When you see the levels of these fluids in the heavy equipment, you will get a general sense of how much maintenance it has received. if the fluids are running low or of they are dirty, this should be a red flag that not much time or effort has gone into keeping the equipment up and running.
2. Ask how much usage the equipment has had. When you are looking at heavy equipment sales, you will see equipment that has been used excessively and other equipment that has not been used as much. When you are trying to decide what equipment to buy, you can make a better assessment when you know how much work it has been forced to do. Do not be put off by a piece of equipment that has a lot of mileage on it. Today’s equipment that has a lot of hours under its belt can still last a long time.
3. Get the record of maintenance on the heavy equipment. Just like you would ask about the maintenance record of a car or truck you wanted to buy, you should lean what you can about the used heavy equipment and the maintenance it has needed and gotten. When you are looking at heavy equipment sales, you need to understand the state of the equipment you want to buy. You need as detailed records as you can get on the equipment you are thinking about buying.
4. Look at the equipment and kick the tires, so to speak. You should take the time to look over the equipment. If you are going to heavy equipment sales, you should be able to see a number of different pieces of equipment that you will be able to buy. Look them over and size them up. Look for signs of wear and tear. You should not be put off by a few scratches or minor dings but if there are large spots of rust, deep cracks or other damage, you may want to rethink buying that piece of equipment.
5. Check out the exhaust. You can learn a lot about a piece of equipment or a vehicle by looking at its exhaust. There are a few things you can learn about the condition of the equipment by the color of the exhaust:
   1. Black: The main reason for the exhaust to be black is that there is too much fuel in the air and fuel mix. The main reasons for this are dirty filters. This can also indicate a faulty fuel injector.
   2. White: No, the equipment is not picking the next Pope, this means the fuel is not burning the way it should. Main causes for this are faulty head gaskets or compression issues. The white color comes from too much water being in the fuel.
   3. Blue: When the exhaust is blue, the equipment is burning oil. When you have this problem, you have to change the seal or wring but it may have been caused by putting too much oil in to start with. Asking the right questions of the person selling the equipment will tell you which is the cause of the white exhaust.

When you are looking at heavy equipment sales, it is very important to take your time before you take the plunge to buy anything that has been used. When you work in construction, you know how important your equipment is to your business success and to your bottom line. You can end up spending a lot of money more on repairs or replacements if you do not do your due diligence here.