We buy most of our equipment from Heavy Equipment Auctions you can get some great deals. If you don't know much about heavy equipment take somebody with you that does b/c you'll get ripped off at auctions.

Most people I know look at the 2 you mentioned, eBay and Craig's list. A lot do what Chaplin said, equipment auctions are one of the best places to go.

Used Heavy Construction Equipment including Backhoes, Dozers, Excavators, Loaders from Caterpillar, Komatsu, Volvo, Case and others For Auction and For Sale with Inspections is a good place to start also.

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Here is another on that I have heard about:

Proxibid: Live Webcast Auctions by Real Auctioneers, Auctions Online, Real-time Bidding – Proxibid

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Iron Planet is a good place to buy your equipment. They do a very detailed inspection of the equipment and take notes. They can also find equipment for you. I remember we sold one piece of equipment on Iron Planet and they even did an oil analysis.

Ritchie Brothers can be pretty hit and miss. You will get the best deals here, but you can also get junk. Ritchie Brothers requires everything to be painted so it looks pretty. As always, buyer beware.

I use Iron Planet and Machinery Trader for leads. You can localize your searches to find stuff close to you and the pics on the sites are generally pretty thorough. I wouldn't bid or make an offer without going to look at it first though.
Good luck!

Couldn't agree more. It's amazing what a paint job can do to make a machine look in excellent condition.

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Amen, bro! I just got back from looking at a 963 that had been freshly painted but the undercarriage was worn out, grousers down to about 20%, none of the interior switches worked correctly and the seat was pretty much shot and they were still asking nearly 50 grand for it. Needless to say I walked away.

I went and looked at a job this morning and a contractor working at the plant had an old Cat 983. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those.