I want to import a used excavator from china to canada. Like a cat 308e or kabota 185 or hitachi 135. Has anyone done it. Wich dealer to trust ,epa cerfications Montreal port is closest to me. Any help would be great thanks.
There is a thread around with people getting totally scammed on a deal like that. The machines arrived, they were fakes.
Look in the archives on here. This subject came up about a year ago. Best advice is to avoid machines from China. Don't trust any dealer. You have no idea what you'll get. If you can't inspect it in person, run away. If it's from China and seems too good to be true, it is. Run away faster! You won't come out ahead buying a machine from China.
I'll save you a lot of grief. Just send the money to me, and then I'll jack you around in English instead of Chinese. It'll be much faster getting to the point where you give up and realize you're never going to see a machine or your money again. Joe H
Below is a link to one such thread regarding non-kosher equipment that I was involved in. The more you dug into the "history" of the machine the more implausible the story became. I notice that the OP has not been back since it was confirmed that the machine was a fake............ HeavyEquipmentForums
On Machinery Trader it seems as though Shanghai is just full of beautiful, low hour machines in pristine condition, being sold for about half what a pile of junk is selling for in North America . . .
It absolutely is not that all the small excavators imported from China are junk. We used to have several Chinese machines in our store, and they were all very good. But now, we have started to operate our own brand and rarely cooperate with the previous dealers.
A company name like Achilles sure doesn't inspire much confidence you'll get a good machine. More like there will be a problem with it.
Not really sure why OP is wanting to import a Cat or Kubota from China when they are so commonly available already?
Cheap. He'll learn, or not. Joe H
For any of you thinking about buying in China dont do it.. None of the used branded excavators are EPA certified.. They may say they are but arent.. I spoke directly to CAT in China on purchasing a 305.5E Tier 4 US Spec.. they wouldn't sell it to me.. FYI is CAD a 307.5E is about $160k the brand new chinese version is like $70k in 2024 China has introduced a Non Road Tier 4 emission standards on a lot of branded machines.. They do not use DPF but their technology omits emission that are pretty darn close to Tier 4 I always thought about bringing one over and contest it with Canadian Customs bc part of the EPA regulations is the engine need to be up to Tier 4 standards.. From the data I have seen it should pass Now am I willing to take the risk of buying something and it potentially can be sent back and be out of 10s of thousands of $$ no.. My 2 cents
The only thing I’d import from China is some Hunan beef and a serving of Kung Pow chicken. It would have to be overnighted of course.
Damn. Not the same machine but bought a new 305 late last year with a plate tamp in the deal for $107,500 OTD. On topic been to China twice - everything can and could be fake. YMMV.
For Canada I would be careful about treating "used excavator from China" as one category. A real used Japanese/US/EU-market machine sitting in a China yard is a different risk from a repaint, copy, or machine built for a domestic emissions/spec market. Before choosing a dealer I would ask for a file on the exact serial number: - PIN/serial plate and engine plate, clear enough to verify with the OEM dealer - photos of hour meter, monitor, pump compartment, undercarriage, leaks, welds/cracks and attachment pins - cold-start video, travel/swing/boom/arm/bucket function video and a short stall/hydraulic response video - written statement of engine emissions label and whether it can be imported into Canada - commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading draft, port/Incoterm, and who handles customs clearance at Montreal - parts support plan: filters, pins/bushings, cylinders/seal kits, undercarriage, pump/valve/electrical parts I would not send a deposit until an independent inspection or live third-party yard inspection confirms the serial and condition. If the seller will not allow that, walk away. The cheap machine becomes expensive if customs rejects it or if a non-cross-reference part stops it for months.