What to look for in used turf equipment
Buying used turf equipment is one of the fastest ways to stretch a maintenance budget — as long as you know what actually drives value on the used market.
Hours tell a story, but not the whole one
Low hours are reassuring, but a well-maintained high-hour machine often beats a neglected low-hour one. Ask for service history and look for the fingerprints of real care.
Inspect the wear points first: reels and bedknives, hydraulic hoses, tires, and the operator platform. These reveal how the previous owner treated the machine day to day.
- Confirm the hour meter works and matches wear
- Look for hydraulic weeping around fittings
- Check reel-to-bedknife contact across the width
- Ask what was replaced and when
A machine that starts easily, holds pressure, and cuts clean on a test strip is worth more than any spec sheet.
When the condition, hours, and price line up, used equipment delivers professional performance at a fraction of the cost of new.