Global Heavy Equipment Inspections

Where can I find a excavator inspection checklist?

Inspection of used excavators is not everyone’s daily business. Less experienced technician sometimes miss important items such as a leaking swivel, play in swing bearing, cracks in boom or worn idler guides. A good strategy before you inspect used equipment is using a detailed inspection checklist. For excavators or any other machinery you need to check or get checked. So you make sure to check every component and make sure no important item will be missed. Here you can find a sample for such an checklist.

Mevas checklist

If no own engineer is available for the inspection – talk to us. We have local technicians in many countries.

How to find info about service history of used heavy machinery?

When buying used construction machinery, it is particularly important, especially for large machines, to obtain information about the service and component history of the machine. When was the engine changed, when were repairs made to the hydraulic pump, when were axles changed, when was the last service and how old are the oils on the machine. In the used machinery business, machines often go unfathomable ways. If you find a machine in Holland, it is not a foregone conclusion that this machine has also worked in Holland – it may well be that the machine comes from Romania or Finland. So it would be important to get some data. In most cases, however, sellers will not reveal where they bought a used construction machine. With a mini-excavator, this information is not so important. But if you buy a 300 hp wheel loader, you should know what the machine has done before and whether it has been maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications. An important criterion is whether, for example, the original engine and the original gearbox are still fitted. If this information is missing, the remaining service life of the machine and its components cannot be estimated well.

Forensic search for info about machine maintenance

The best way to find out this information is to do a thorough inspection and look for information about the origin of the machine, e.g. on the stickers in the cabin. If the dealer or seller does not want to provide the information, you can also call the manufacturer’s service partner in the respective country, where you might get the missing information. During an inspection with a contractor one can usually get some info from the local service staff.

Downloading machine info from ECU

On some machines the local dealer or an inspection service such as Mevas can download a summary from the machine ECU or ECM. Especially for Caterpillar and Volvo we can provide such service. The summary contains info about error codes, overheating or engine overspeeding. In some cases we can support with phone contact to service providers in other countries. Due our large network in the international machinery industry we know many people in various countries. Contact us please for a quotation and more info.

What is engine blow-by?

A combustion engine is burning fuel in a cylinder in which a pistion is moved up and down. The piston is sealed towards the cylinder by piston rings. An certain amount of exhaust gas is escaping from the combustion chamber to the crankcase housing. This is the so-called blow-by. At diesel.net you can find a nice drawing of it.

Why and how testing an engine for blow-by

During a used machine inspection it makes sense to check the engine for the amount of blow-by. With checking or a measurement of the amount of escaping gas an experienced inspector can estimate the engine wear. In most cases it is sufficient checking with a hand on top of the oil refiller tube for the amount of blow. At the same time the inspector would check the smell of the gas for burned oil or smell of coolant in the engine lubrication system.

On larger engines it might be reasonable to measure the blow-by and compare it with factory specifications of engine manufacturer. Some of our inspectors are equipped with the gauge, a so-called anemometer.

However, the inspector should know about engine configuration. Not all gas is escaping through the refiller tube if the measures are not correct. Some engines have a certain amount of blow-by even when new. Mevas inspectors who checked Perkins engines and stood too close can tell a story about it. Talk to an expert before blow-by is evaluated.

What can the exhaust fume tell us about engine condition?

Technicians with some experience would smell if an engine is burning oil. The color and the amount of smoke is telling a story as well. Engine smoke can appear white, grey, grey-blue or black. If the appearance of the smoke is not normal an inspector would check the engines systems carefully for problems such as injectors not working well or coolant draining into the engine greasing.

Who is doing inspections for used farm machinery?

Most people in the machinery industry know Mevas as inspection service for used construction machinery. Did you know we also inspect agricultural machinery? This year we have already checked some tractors, sprayers, telehandlers and trailers for our customers.

Expert opinion for used agricultural machinery 

Are you going to buy used agricultural equipment? If you don’t have the opportunity to check them by yourself, Mevas can support you. Especially if you do not know the seller, it’s recommended to check if the condition of the used machine matches the seller’s offer. Instead of “bought as seen” we offer to inspect and test used agricultural equipment for you at many locations in Europe before you buy.

We check tractors, harvesters, sprayers and trailers for you. To give you an idea of the scope of our services, you can download a sample report for a tractor here.

Where can I buy Caterpillar diagnostic cable with the 14-pin plug?

Some recent machines of Caterpillar have a new 14-pin socket for the diagnostic adapter. One option is to purchase from CAT dealer a new cable in a heavy version for almost 250$. Another option is to order it from Mevas. We have bought a package of adapter cables for heavy equipment diagnostic adapter CAT-ET 3. The cable is an addition to the current diagnostic cable with 9-pin Deutsch socket. The cable we are selling is connecting the diagnostic adapter with the socket in the machine.

How much does the cable cost?

We are selling the cable for a fee of 39 Euro plus shipping. If you buy more than one there can be a slight discount. The cable is good for any Caterpillar excavator of the F-Series, it works as well for wheel loaders of M-Series, bulldozers of K-Series and some other machines.

How to order the 14-pin cable?

You can buy online if you just want one cable. Just visit our online store. If you need more than one contact us via our contact form. You can also contact us if you have further questions about the technology of machine diagnostics. We have over 20 years of experience in the diagnosis of construction machinery. Our technicians analyse the condition of many different makes, such as Komatsu, Hitachi, Cummins, Volvo and Liebherr.

What can I do with a Caterpillar diagnostic cable?

What is this cable for? It is part of the so-called Electronic Technician from Caterpillar. You need this tool to make settings on the machine. With the associated diagnostic adapter and software, you can check and change all settings in the machine’s electronic control units. The engineer can check the machine for error codes and upload files for the injectors, for example. As already described, many newer machines have a new plug connection. Unfortunately, the old cable with only nine pins no longer works on these machines. There is a combined cable with both 9 pins and 14 pins available from the Caterpillar dealer. Unfortunately, this cable is relatively expensive with a purchase price of about $250.