Ritchie Bros

I have hauled for them...you have to load and unload yourself so I doubt they ever even see or feel most things run!

I would only buy if I had a great tech with me...or at least knew the truck make/model that I was bidding on so well that I could inspect it myself.

 

Unless you can get the truck for peanuts and have the skills to rebuild everything yourself don't buy it!!
If the stuff you can see is in bad shape the engine and drive train probably is too.
Got your own shop? Have three months to kill? Have a good fund of cash for parts and living expenses while you're rebuilding that junker? If so, buy the truck.
If not, buy something that won't cost more to fix than it's worth.

 

It's an auction company. No different then the thousands of others.
As is where is is standard operating procedure.

Sometimes you get a deal sometimes you don't.

 

I have to say I hauled a super clean low hour excavator once...inbound for auction. The guy said he thought it may bring 10k....it was worth 20 all day!

 

Hit or miss it seems. I know a few guys who go to the auctions and buy used equipment all the time. If you know what you're looking at its not hard to tell what's junk and what isn't.

 

When I closed up shop I sold my big equipment thru Ritchie Brothers. I got about the money I would have if I had sold them privately (but over in one day, not months). BUT

I had them detailed and cleaned up
I included all my service histories with them. (every receipt, all work done)
and they all ran.

You can go and wander around and I imagine others have their service history with them too. They should be attached to the equipment. Just like buying anything used, ti's a risk, but you can look at a lot of equipment all at once.

 

I picked up a very well used Cat excavator at the local Ritchie Auction a few years back,to take down the port for export.The drive sprocket teeth were so worn,the poor thing couldn't even climb the little slope onto my detached Trail King.What was left of the teeth,just spun on the pins.Used the stick and boom to push it on my trailer.Could only imagine what the buyer thought when this gem arrived overseas.