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Had to choose between a used Liebherr and a Terex for my first rig
Last year I was looking at a 2005 Liebherr with 8,000 hours for $85k and a 2008 Terex with 12,000 hours for $72k. I went with the Liebherr because the maintenance records were cleaner and the operator said it drove smoother. First job with it was a 3 story hotel build in Phoenix and it handled the picks like a dream. Has anyone else dealt with a similar choice between two used cranes?
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wren2173mo ago
That first Phoenix hotel job on the Liebherr is the part that got me. I used to rag on German parts pricing too, but a machine that shows up and works every day for a critical first gig makes the higher cost worth it. Clean records and smooth operation pay off faster than cheap repair bills when you're building your name.
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faithf773mo ago
$85k for a Liebherr with 8,000 hours sounds like a deal until you factor in the parts markup. I've seen guys eat their whole first year's profit on a single hydraulic pump replacement for those German machines. The Terex might have had more hours but you can get parts for them at any rental yard across the country. Plus the resale on a Terex holds better once you cross 10,000 hours because everyone knows they're simpler to fix. I get why you went with the cleaner records though, that's hard to argue with on a first rig.
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