6 hours ago
Let’s take a look at what a real, original machine in China actually looks like.
Is it dirty?
Does it look worn out and exhausted?
This one is from 2017, and it still has the original invoice.
Its price is $17,000.
But a so-called “refurbished 2024 excavator” is being offered for $15,000.
So why is a 2017 machine more expensive than a “2024” machine?
That’s weird, right?
On an original machine, the engine compartment is usually not painted.
That makes it much easier to spot any problems.
This excavator’s engine sounds smooth and gentle,
but it works powerfully and is in great condition.
It doesn’t sound like it has asthma.
If I were the buyer, I wouldn’t care how pretty the paint is,
because the paint will come off sooner or later anyway.
It’s not a collectible.
At most, I might ask the seller to tidy up or refresh the cabin interior,
just so it feels more comfortable to sit in.
But outside, I’d keep it original,
because that’s the record of all the battles it has been through.
Like a tank.
Like a man who’s actually been to war.
So how do you tell if an excavator is truly original?
It’s actually pretty simple:
1. Go to the job site, not just the market.
2. Check how many parts inside the engine bay have been replaced or freshly painted.
3. Look at the oil around the pins, tracks, and bearings.
Is it dark and aged?
Does it look like it has some history?
That kind of “perfect fake” is very hard to pull off.
4. Check if it has the original invoice, and whether all the information matches the machine.
Do you focus mainly on hours?
A lot of Americans, Canadians, and Australians treat hours as the number-one factor.
But the hours can be changed!
Even if you check the official database,
the information you see can look completely legit.
How is that possible?
Because some Chinese sellers can copy the data from another machine
and “paste” it onto this one.
It’s like cloning an ID card.
In reality, if it’s a good original machine,
the hours usually aren’t that important—
especially in China.
On Chinese job sites, excavators run 24/7.
They might rest less than 8 hours a day,
with different operators taking turns.
So the real hours on a Chinese excavator are often way beyond what you’d expect.
To sell them, dealers will roll the hours back.
You can roughly estimate it like this:
take the years it’s been in use × 16 hours per day,
and that might be closer to the truth.
A one-year-old excavator in China
might easily have five times the working hours of one in the U.S.
In the U.S., people take really good care of their machines—
almost like they take care of their workers.
Chinese owners don’t clean their machines as often as the Japanese.
So excavators here are usually very dirty.
That actually makes it easier to tell the difference
between a true original and a refurbished machine at a glance.
If a salesman recommends you a very “new” 2024 excavator,
well… good luck.
I’ve already explained the reason in my previous video.
I’m Mike Phua.
Thanks for watching!
