Used prime mover buying checklist

Kilometres versus hours and application

A line-haul truck with 900,000 km of highway running can be in better shape than a 400,000 km local tipper that spent its life idling and crawling. Ask what the truck did, who serviced it and whether the engine has had an in-frame rebuild.

Engine and emissions

• Ask for the last oil analysis if the previous owner ran a fleet program.
• Euro V and Euro VI engines use AdBlue (DEF). Check the dosing system has no fault codes and that the DPF has been serviced.
• Cold start it yourself. Blue smoke on start-up, or a long crank, tells you things a warm engine won't.

Driveline

• Manual (Roadranger) boxes should shift cleanly without grinding; AMTs (I-Shift, ESCOT, PowerShift) should hold no fault codes.
• Check diff ratio against your work: a 4.30 ratio suits heavy tipper work, a 3.70 suits highway.
• Look for leaks at hub seals and the diff housing.

Cab and chassis

• Rust under the cab mounts and along chassis rails behind the cab.
• Chassis cracks around the turntable, fifth wheel and suspension hangers – especially on tippers.
• Airbag suspension: listen for leaks with the engine off.

Paperwork

• PPSR certificate – confirms no finance owing or written-off history. We run one on every used vehicle we sell and show the search number.
• Service records – a stamped book or fleet maintenance report.
• Compliance plate and modification plates – especially for PBS approvals, hydraulics and extra fuel tanks.
• Registration – NSW heavy vehicles need an HVIS inspection to register; ask whether it has a current inspection.

Trailers you plan to tow

Match the prime mover's GCM and fifth-wheel height to the trailers you own. A single-trailer GCM of 60 t is fine for a semi but not for a B-double at 68 t.

Finance and GST

Business buyers can usually claim the GST on a truck in their next BAS and may be able to use the instant asset write-off (check current thresholds with your accountant). That is why trucks are commonly advertised ex GST.