What Can You Do with End of Life Equipment?

To ensure optimal performance on the job, you sometimes need to get rid of even your most trusted and longest serving heavy equipment. No matter how well you take care of and maintain your machines, they will eventually deteriorate with regular use. To minimize unexpected breakdowns, you must replace end of life equipment before the risk of failure becomes too high.

The question is, what can you do with your old machines when it comes time to part ways? You don’t want them sitting around taking up valuable space or degrading even further if they still have some value to offer you. Below are the four primary options for properly disposing of end of life equipment.

Sell it

Just because your operation is ready to stop using a piece of equipment doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone who can use it. If it is still in usable condition, you can try selling the machine directly to a buyer. The drawback to this end of life equipment disposal method is that it can take a lot of time and effort to sell directly to a buyer. You have to act as a sales rep in addition to running your operation. The other option is to contact your dealer or manufacturer and see if they are interested in purchasing it.

Trade it in

Some equipment dealers or manufacturers will gladly accept your old machine as a trade in. This route may be easier than selling, because they are used to refurbishing or remanufacturing old equipment, then reselling it. Plus, most dealers and manufacturers have an established process for reselling used equipment. While this option could help you save money on new a new machines, what you receive for your equipment will depend on what the dealer or manufacturer estimates is a fair trade in value.

Recycle or scrap it

Recycling or scrapping may be your only option if your end of life equipment is well beyond restoration and cannot be sold or traded in due to its poor condition. Although you won’t receive as much money as you would if you were selling a machine in better condition, scrap and recycling centers may help you recoup a small amount, and it is certainly a better option than leaving it to rot on your lot or behind your shop.

Auction it

If your end of life equipment is a popular model or for some reason is in high demand, then auctions can be a great alternative to selling to a dealer, even if the machine is in poor condition. Auctioning old equipment using online bidding sites requires less effort than direct selling and also broadens your reach to an extensive list of potential buyers.

Final notes

Old equipment does not need to sit idle and take up wasted space in your facility. There are ways to dispose of it while potentially recouping some of your costs. Whether you have one machine reaching its end of life or several, the options we listed will help you determine the best approach to disposing of any equipment that is no longer useful in your operations.