For a business that needs a truck-mounted EWP on the fleet, the first fork in the road is not which brand — it is whether to buy new or used. Both can be the right answer, and both can be an expensive mistake if chosen for the wrong reasons. This guide lays out the factors that should actually drive the decision, without pretending there is a universal winner, so you can weigh a new machine's certainty against a used machine's earlier availability with clear eyes.
What a new machine really buys you
A new truck-mounted EWP starts its life in your hands. The full 10-year window to the first major inspection under AS 2550.10 is yours, the service history begins with you, and the machine carries the manufacturer's warranty and current-generation safety systems.
The advantages worth paying for include:
- A full decade before the first major inspection falls due, with no inherited unknowns in the structure.
- Manufacturer warranty and factory support during the early years of ownership.
- Current-model parts availability and design compliance with the standards in force at manufacture.
- A logbook and maintenance history you control from day one — valuable at resale as well as in service.
- The ability to specify the machine for your exact work: reach, insulation rating, body configuration and the base truck.
Where a used machine earns its place
The case for a used machine is usually about timing and capital efficiency. Factory build slots for specified truck-mounted EWPs can involve long lead times, while a sound used machine can be inspected, purchased and put to work far sooner. For a business whose work has already arrived, availability can outweigh the appeal of a factory-fresh unit.
A used machine also lets a business match its spend to genuine utilisation. If the machine will work intermittently rather than daily, the additional cost of a new unit may never pay for itself in the hours it actually lifts. The discipline is to be honest about the duty cycle rather than buying for the busiest fortnight of the year.
The 10-year clock changes the comparison
The single factor that most distorts a naive new-versus-used comparison is the major inspection cycle. Because the 10-year clock runs from the date of manufacture, a used machine carries whatever remains of its current cycle — and that remaining time is part of what you are buying, or not buying.
A seven- or eight-year-old machine faces a significant, planned strip-down inspection within a few years, with the downtime and potential rectification that entails. A machine recently through its major inspection, by contrast, has had its structure re-verified and documented — in some respects a better-known quantity than an unproven mid-life unit. Neither situation is disqualifying, but the position in the cycle should be reflected in the price you pay and the plan you make.
Risk, evidence and the pre-purchase inspection
The honest disadvantage of buying used is information asymmetry: the seller knows the machine and you do not. The remedy is evidence. Insist on the logbook, the inspection history and any major inspection certification, and treat gaps in the paper trail as a finding in themselves.
Where the records or the machine's condition leave doubt, an independent pre-purchase inspection by a competent person converts guesswork into an assessment — of the boom structure, pins and slew, hydraulics, safety systems and the base truck. That evidence either supports the asking price or gives you the grounds to walk away.
Making the call
Whichever way the decision goes, the machine's inspection obligations under AS 2550.10 follow it — new machines simply start the cycle, used ones join it partway through. For help verifying a used machine's condition and compliance position before you commit, call 0416 689 689.
A defensible decision usually comes down to:
- Utilisation — daily, revenue-critical work favours new; intermittent or project-based work often favours used.
- Timing — if the work cannot wait for a factory lead time, a verified used machine may be the only realistic option.
- Specification — highly specific requirements (insulation rating, reach, body fit-out) can be hard to find used and may force the new route.
- Lifecycle position — price any used machine against its remaining time to the next major inspection, not just its age and hours.
- Evidence — never buy used without records, and commission an independent inspection where anything is unclear.
This guide is general information prepared by EWP Australia and is grounded in publicly available Australian Standards and Safe Work Australia material. It is not a substitute for the current published edition of the relevant standard or for site-specific engineering advice. Always work from the current standard and consult a competent person for your specific equipment and application.