Buying construction equipment or a generator at auction comes down to three things: read the full description and every photo, know what the machine is worth to you before bidding starts, and have a plan for getting it home. Most of our equipment sells as-is, where-is, so the homework happens before the bidding, not after. If you do that part, auction is usually the cheapest way in the Black Hills to buy a skid steer, a mini excavator, a compressor, or a standby generator.
What should I check before I bid on a skid steer or excavator?
Start with hours, then look for the story behind them. A machine with 4,000 hours that's been greased and kept inside often beats one with 1,200 hours that sat in a shelterbelt for six winters. In our photos, look at the pins and bushings for slop, the cutting edge and bucket teeth, tire tread or track wear, and the condition of hydraulic hoses and cylinder rods. Pitted or scored rods mean a reseal is coming.
Check the cab and the glass, the seat, and whether the gauges work. Look at the fluid colors if we've shown them — milky oil is a bad sign. If a machine runs, we say so, and we usually note how it started, whether it smoked, and anything we noticed while moving it. If it doesn't run, we say that too, and we try to say why. When something isn't clear from the listing, the fastest answer is a phone call. We'd rather talk you through it than have you guess.
How do I know a generator at auction is worth buying?
Generators fall into two buckets: portable units and standby or towable sets. On portables, the engine is the whole ball game. Look at the starter cord or electric start, the fuel tank inside and out, corrosion on the outlets, and whether the unit has been run recently. Old fuel varnish is the number one reason a good generator won't start, and that's often a carburetor clean rather than a new machine.
On bigger diesel gensets, hours matter less than maintenance and how long they've been sitting. Check the block heater, the battery tray, the transfer switch if one's included, and any coolant or oil leaks under the skid. Ask yourself what amperage you actually need before you chase a bigger unit at a good price. A 45 kW set is only a deal if you can move it and wire it.
How do your photos and descriptions help me judge condition?
This is the part we put the most work into. We take a lot of photos, including the unflattering ones — rust, cracked glass, a bent quick-attach plate. We'd rather you see it on your screen than find it on pickup day. Our write-ups include serial numbers and model numbers when they're readable, so you can look up parts availability and what similar units have brought elsewhere. The same approach we take with getting shop tools and equipment ready for auction applies to the heavy stuff: clean it, photograph it honestly, describe it plainly.
Inspection days are listed on each auction, and we encourage contractors and ranchers to come look, especially on anything over a few thousand dollars. You can browse what's running right now on our current and upcoming auctions on HiBid, and the answers to common bidding and pickup questions cover payment, removal deadlines, and loading help.
Speaking of loading: we have equipment on site and we'll help you get a machine on a trailer. We also give longer pickup windows than most, because we know you might be hauling from Custer, Wall, or Newcastle. If you've got equipment to sell instead of buy, tell us what you've got and we'll give you a straight answer on what it's likely to bring.