What a 3-Minute Walk-Around Video Should Show Before You Buy a Used Excavator Online

Most overseas buyers do not fly to Shanghai to kick tires. They buy from photos, hour-meter screenshots, and a short video shot on someone's phone. That approach works, provided the video answers the questions that decide whether the machine will work on day one.

We send walk-around clips with almost every serious inquiry. Buyers who know what to look for close deals faster and have fewer surprises after landing. Buyers who only watch the boom swing left and right sometimes miss the expensive parts.

Ask for a cold start. A warm engine that fires in two seconds tells you almost nothing. On a cold morning (or after the machine has sat overnight), listen for hard cranking, white/blue smoke that refuses to clear, and how long it takes for idle to stabilize. A little smoke in the first 20–30 seconds is common on older diesels. Smoke that hangs around after a minute of idle is a different conversation.

Idle boom movement looks smooth on almost every machine. Ask the seller to dig, curl, and dump with a loaded bucket — or at least raise the boom fully, hold it, and show whether it drifts. Boom drift while the control is centered usually points to worn spool valves or cylinder seal issues. Cycle the swing left and right a few times; grinding or uneven speed often shows up before a pressure gauge does.

Also request a close shot of the pump area and main control valve for fresh oil stains. Dry dust is normal. Wet oil with clean edges often means a recent leak that was wiped for the camera.

Track shoes, rollers, idlers, and sprockets can quietly eat a big slice of your budget. In the video, have the operator walk the machine forward and reverse on flat ground. Look for:

(1)Loose track sag that looks excessive on one side
(2)Missing or heavily cupped track pads
(3)Rollers that do not turn, or that throw grease
(4)Sprocket teeth worn to a sharp knife edge

If the machine will work in rocky quarry conditions, undercarriage remaining life matters more than a shiny cab. We usually photograph link pitch and roller wear separately so buyers can estimate remaining hours instead of guessing from a 15-second clip.

Film the hour meter with the ignition on. Then film the serial plate. Then open the side doors and show the radiator, air filter housing, and battery tray. Corrosion patterns, mismatched hose clamps, and brand-new filters on an otherwise dusty machine are all useful signals — not automatic deal-breakers, but worth asking about.

Inside the cab, check whether warning lights clear after start, whether the monitor language can be switched, and whether the seat and pedals look consistent with the claimed hours. A 4,000-hour meter in a cab that looks like 12,000 hours deserves a straight question.

You do not need a long checklist email. A short note works:
(1)Cold start + 60 seconds idle
(2)Full boom/stick/bucket cycle under load
(3)Swing both directions
(4)Travel forward/reverse, both tracks
(5)Close-ups: hour meter, serial plate, undercarriage, pump compartment

At Feishengda, we already shoot this package for stock machines and can add operation footage for specific units. If a supplier refuses video, or only sends a polished marketing clip with music and no serial plate, treat that as information — usually the wrong kind.

A good walk-around will not replace a formal inspection report. It will, however, screen out many machines that should never receive a deposit.