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Compact Equipment

Skid Steer Loader Pre-purchase Inspection

A step-by-step pre-purchase inspection for used wheeled skid steer loaders from Bobcat, Caterpillar, John Deere, Kubota, Case, New Holland, JCB, Gehl and other makers. No mechanic needed: each check tells you what to look for and what counts as a fail, from ownership and hours to the safety interlocks, lift arms, hydraulics, chain drive, tires and engine, plus a guided operating test.

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90 days of access. Inspect and compare up to 12 items of this type.

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What you get

  • No mechanic needed. Most checks need only your eyes, a flashlight and a tire gauge; a few optional deeper checks go further if you have the tools or bring in a mechanic.
  • A guided checklist written for this kind of purchase: every question says what to look for and what counts as a fail. Ready to use the moment you pay.
  • Inspect on your phone: answers save as you go, with photos and notes on any question.
  • Send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee by text or email. They need no account.
  • A report that puts the problems first, with photos, times and location.
  • Inspect and compare up to 12 vehicles, machines or trailers of the same type with one purchase, side by side, before you decide.

Known problems, checked

Comes with a guide to the known problems and red flags to watch for.

How it works

  1. Choose a checklistPick the one that matches what you are buying, and pay by card. No account to set up first.
  2. Add what you are inspectingEnter the item, the asking price and where it is. Add as many as you are considering.
  3. Inspect it, or send itWork through the checklist on your phone, or send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee to do for you.
  4. Read the report and compareSee the problems first, with photos. Put your options side by side and decide.

What it covers 83 questions

  • Records and Identity8 questions
  • Frame and Structure6 questions
  • Pins, Bushings and Cylinders5 questions
  • Hydraulic System8 questions
  • Drive System6 questions
  • Wheels and Tires5 questions
  • Tracks and Undercarriage6 questions
  • Engine12 questions
  • Cab, Controls and Safety Interlocks9 questions
  • Attachment Plate and Bucket4 questions
  • Operating Test5 questions
  • Transport1 question
  • Bobcat Only3 questions
  • Kubota Only2 questions
  • Caterpillar Only2 questions
  • Final Review1 question

A sample of the questions

  • Serial number (PIN) plate
  • Cab or canopy (ROPS and FOPS)
  • Greasing
  • Hydraulic oil level and condition
  • Creep in neutral
  • Tire tread
  • Rubber tracks
  • Engine oil level and condition

This is a sample. The full checklist is yours when you buy.

Before You Start

You don't need a mechanic or to be a mechanic yourself. Most questions need only your eyes, a flashlight and a few low-cost tools, and each one tells you exactly what to do and what counts as a fail.

You do need the machine to be operated. If you are not an experienced operator, ask the seller or someone you trust to run it while you watch. Never stand in front of or beside a moving loader, or under raised lift arms.

Allow about two hours, including at least 20 minutes of operating.

For wheeled skid steer loaders and compact track loaders with a seated operator: Bobcat, Caterpillar, John Deere, Kubota, Case, New Holland, Takeuchi, JCB, Gehl, Mustang and similar. Answer the Wheels and Tires section on a wheeled machine, and the Tracks and Undercarriage section on a track loader. Not for stand-on mini loaders or articulated loaders.

Before you go, ask the seller to:

  • Leave the engine cold. Some checks need a cold start.
  • Have the bill of sale or purchase receipt, keys, manual and service records ready.
  • Clean the machine, especially under the rear door and the undercarriage.
  • Park it in a clear, level area with a pile of soil or gravel for the loading test.
  • Have a competent operator available.

Go in daylight. Never get under the machine or under raised lift arms unless they are held by the lift arm support device.

Answer every question as indicated. Skip the sections for equipment or a make the machine does not have (answer Not applicable).

Questions marked "Deeper check" are optional extras that need special tools. Skip any you can't do, or ask a mechanic to do them.

Write readings in the note, and add a photo of anything that fails.

Bring:

  • A flashlight
  • A tape measure and a stake or painter's tape, for the drift test
  • A tire pressure gauge (wheeled machines)
  • A basic multimeter, for the battery and charging voltage
  • A clean rag, for the cylinder rods
  • A clean card or stiff paper, for the blow-by test
  • A watch or phone timer
  • Gloves and paper towels
Tools for a Deeper Inspection (Optional)

You don't need any of these to use this checklist. For the questions marked "Deeper check", or if you bring in a mechanic, these are the tools needed, as well as those in Before You Start:

  • A hydraulic flow meter with couplers to fit this machine, and the service manual figures
  • Oil sampling kits and a lab (hydraulic, engine and chaincase oil)
  • A cooling system pressure tester with adapters for this machine
  • A scan tool or dealer service tool that reads this make
  • Wrenches for the chaincase check plug or cover
Sources and Standards
  • FieldDone pre-purchase inspection protocol for skid steer and compact track loaders (October 2026)
  • Your machine's own operator's manual and service schedule, matched to its serial number
  • NIOSH, Preventing injuries and deaths from skid-steer loaders (2011-128)
  • Bobcat loader service schedules
  • Bobcat machine inspection
  • Kubota SSV series
  • Caterpillar service, parts and operation and maintenance manuals
  • Caterpillar compact loader maintenance