Published November 2002

Used construction equipment on Web

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Good, used construction equipment has a special appeal when the economy is sluggish and every dollar saved seems worth two.

Finding the right equipment isn’t always easy, however, and often involves miles of traveling and hours of time.

But sometimes searching for used heavy-construction equipment can be easier with the Internet, particularly when the Web sites direct you to local real-world dealers where you can personally inspect the big rigs and earth moving equipment that look so good on your computer screen.

In Bothell, for instance, BSR Heavy Equipment LLC has a Web site at www.bsrheavyequip.com, offering late-model, low-hour excavators, crushers, pavers, compactors, dozers and loaders.

Owner Jim Bride III, in the business for more than 25 years, sells, leases and rents equipment with brands such as Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu, Kobelco, John Deere, Bomag and Sakai.

According to his Web site, he also has extensive experience with importing and exporting heavy-construction equipment for small to large international projects.

Real-world information is available from Bride’s company at 23325 State Route 527, or by calling 425-424-8826 or e-mailing bsrheavyequip@earthlink.net.

In Lynnwood, at 12921 Mukilteo Speedway, Heintzman Equipment deals in dozer crawlers and wheeled machines, excavators, loader-backhoe combinations, motor graders, wheel loaders and skid steers, carrying such familiar brands as Case, Caterpillar, Komatsu and Deere.

Contact the dealer at 425-239-4902 or send e-mail to heintzequip@aol.com.

In Snohomish, Mountain Equipment Services Inc. regularly uses its Web site, www.mountainequipmentservices.com, to attract buyers from far beyond its usual geographic boundaries.

The firm specializes in used construction equipment, offering a wide selection of loaders, backhoes, excavators, forklifts, motor graders, lifts, trucks and other heavy-duty equipment.

The company has more equipment for sale to dealers or contractors than it lists on its Web site, including items from around the United States that can be secured. The company, at 14919 O.K. Mill Road, also can be reached by calling 888-301-0102 or sending e-mail to mountainequip@earthlink.net.

Auctions are another source of used construction equipment.

Although the James G. Murphy Co. is in Kenmore, the company conducts auctions in several locations and also draws from Snohomish County for its Kenmore gaveling, particularly for used vehicles and heavy-duty construction equipment, from backhoes to graders and dozers.

There are no minimum bids required at Murphy’s auctions, and everything has to go, as is, so every auction is likely to offer opportunities for great bargains. Check out Murphy’s site at www.murphyauctions.net or call 800-426-3008.

If you’re not interested in buying used construction equipment, check out rental outlets on the Internet, too.

One of the most prolific sources for renting heavy-duty construction equipment is United Rentals (www.unitedrentals.com), with a fleet that includes excavators, forklifts, dump trucks, dozers, trenchers and cranes, so many, in fact, that they publish a catalog that includes big-task equipment.

The company notes that there are advantages for contractors who rent large pieces of equipment that United Rentals maintains and insures — using it for only as long as a particular job may last — rather than owning their own machinery.

Seventy-five percent of the company’s business comes from contractors and other businesses.

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