treemuncher
Senior Member
Way back on October 21st, 2019, I first wrote an email to an equipment dealer in Germany regarding a used Menzi Muck A91F 4x4+. I do not speak German and he does not speak English. As of yesterday morning, December 23, 2019, I have finally taken possession of that machine after what seemed to be a very long process. I learned a lot along the way and I'm satisfied with what I purchased. I thought I could pass along some lessons that I took in along the way.
If you are looking at something that has to be imported, start doing your homework on importation duties, taxes and any other costs that you will have to assume along the way. The internet is your friend. Be patient, be diligent and be persistent. While in negotiations for the deal, the US government decided to add a 25% tariff to excavators built in the UK (England) and DE (Germany), which could have added almost $25k to the deal. I dug deeper and the tariff meant where the equipment was made and not where it was shipped from. Additional documentation had to be provided for the US customs for this but it was a minor addition. EPA will be the next major hurdle - if it is certified for US emissions, it's nothing more than forms to fill out and manufacturer's certificates to be obtained. John Deere has a handy phone app that made the EPA stuff easy - you just need the engine serial number to obtain the documentation.
You should have an escrow agent and extra shipping insurance, you WILL NEED a customs agent, you will need trucking on both continents and a huge ferry boat. After talking with several different customs agencies, wasting a bunch of time with them, I finally stumbled across FreightPlus LLC in Marietta, GA. They are a worldwide shipping agency with agents around the world that handled everything, including escrow services to protect my money. I'm too small a fish in a big sea to lose the better portion of $100k to a bad business deal done overseas. Their German agent was fluent in English as well as German which made everything flow much easier. Google Translate works great but there is always something lost in translation. Emails got the deal in place, the escrow agent made sure that the machine was what was advertised and ready to load before transferring my funds over to the seller. Paul Lindfield, the agent that I dealt with here in the states, kept me updated at all times - when the machine was loaded, when it was in port, when it loaded onto the ship, etc. The cost for this particular move was roughly $10k from the seller's yard to my yard, including shipping insurance, escrow service, all customs paperwork, all trucking and sea shipping. I thought that was fair and made it on the high side of my early estimates for shipping - the best part was that I got back to work and off of the phone - Paul and his crew handled everything for me once I got the deal in place and provided them with the forms they needed.
RORO - a term I had never heard of before this - Roll On/ Roll Off service in overseas shipping is nothing more than a giant ferry boat that hauls vehicles - from mini cars to giant cranes, they haul it all. Easier than dealing with containers. My overseas transportation was handled by the Olympian Highway. I was able to watch the progress of the vessel by vesselfinder.com (searching by the ship's name) from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium in late November, to England, then Nova Scotia and then several stops along the US east coast ports before it finally came into Charleston, SC on December 18, 2019.
![2705252[1].jpg](https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/data/attachments/191/191534-cd1e58dcc75f26029583cfd84390b5c0.jpg "2705252[1].jpg")
Expect the unexpected. When the machine was being loaded onto the ship in Belgium, a hydraulic hose blew out. I had already paid for the machine so it was my responsibility, not the seller's. Fortunately, the oil stopped leaking when the machine was shut off. The captain got word to me that I had to get it repaired on ship before it could be unloaded. Thanks to an internet search, I secured the services of Jeff at Construction Equipment Solutions in North Charleston, SC. He had a TWIC card for entry into the port and put me on his calendar. He was at the docks once the ship arrived and got the broken hose replaced. He texted me a pic of the machine coming off the ship. He was great to deal with and took care of my issues as quick as he could.
A couple of days waiting on US Customs to release the machine and then it was loaded onto a flat deck trailer and delivered to my yard. I did not have manuals for this exact machine and it is different than anything else out there - it was white knuckle time trying to get it off the trailer while nearly 5' above grade. I was down to 1/2 tire width on the left rear corner tire before I got it on the dirt pile and fully off the trailer. It was a relief to have it off and fully delivered. I now know that the machine has 4 different steering modes and that the primary steering button does not function as it should.
So, why did I go through all of this ordeal to purchase a machine sight unseen? I've been in the market for a newer Menzi for the last 10 years or so, since I sold off the 5000TM model that I used to have and hated. I've watched these machines evolve into a technological masterpiece but I can not afford or justify new. What I have looked at here in the states is usually ridden hard and put away wet - so worn out within minimal hours you just know it has not been taken care of. Few machines here in the states are well equipped with options and most are just basic models. What I have purchased has almost every available factory option installed - this machine is a rare find from my shopping experience. It's not perfect but it has had very well trained operators from what the condition of the machine tells me. At 7200 hours, this machine shows less wear and tear than most of the 2000-4000 hour machines that I've considered here in the states. I've been inspecting it and making a list of what needs to be fixed - so far, other than low hyd fluid from the leak, nothing major that must be repaired prior to putting it into service on my property so I can learn it well enough to put it to regular work.
I've been shopping mulchers, ditch buckets and more. First step is to find the hydraulic couplers that I will need to get power from the system. You don't find these at the local hydraulic store.....
If you are looking at something that has to be imported, start doing your homework on importation duties, taxes and any other costs that you will have to assume along the way. The internet is your friend. Be patient, be diligent and be persistent. While in negotiations for the deal, the US government decided to add a 25% tariff to excavators built in the UK (England) and DE (Germany), which could have added almost $25k to the deal. I dug deeper and the tariff meant where the equipment was made and not where it was shipped from. Additional documentation had to be provided for the US customs for this but it was a minor addition. EPA will be the next major hurdle - if it is certified for US emissions, it's nothing more than forms to fill out and manufacturer's certificates to be obtained. John Deere has a handy phone app that made the EPA stuff easy - you just need the engine serial number to obtain the documentation.
You should have an escrow agent and extra shipping insurance, you WILL NEED a customs agent, you will need trucking on both continents and a huge ferry boat. After talking with several different customs agencies, wasting a bunch of time with them, I finally stumbled across FreightPlus LLC in Marietta, GA. They are a worldwide shipping agency with agents around the world that handled everything, including escrow services to protect my money. I'm too small a fish in a big sea to lose the better portion of $100k to a bad business deal done overseas. Their German agent was fluent in English as well as German which made everything flow much easier. Google Translate works great but there is always something lost in translation. Emails got the deal in place, the escrow agent made sure that the machine was what was advertised and ready to load before transferring my funds over to the seller. Paul Lindfield, the agent that I dealt with here in the states, kept me updated at all times - when the machine was loaded, when it was in port, when it loaded onto the ship, etc. The cost for this particular move was roughly $10k from the seller's yard to my yard, including shipping insurance, escrow service, all customs paperwork, all trucking and sea shipping. I thought that was fair and made it on the high side of my early estimates for shipping - the best part was that I got back to work and off of the phone - Paul and his crew handled everything for me once I got the deal in place and provided them with the forms they needed.
RORO - a term I had never heard of before this - Roll On/ Roll Off service in overseas shipping is nothing more than a giant ferry boat that hauls vehicles - from mini cars to giant cranes, they haul it all. Easier than dealing with containers. My overseas transportation was handled by the Olympian Highway. I was able to watch the progress of the vessel by vesselfinder.com (searching by the ship's name) from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium in late November, to England, then Nova Scotia and then several stops along the US east coast ports before it finally came into Charleston, SC on December 18, 2019.
Expect the unexpected. When the machine was being loaded onto the ship in Belgium, a hydraulic hose blew out. I had already paid for the machine so it was my responsibility, not the seller's. Fortunately, the oil stopped leaking when the machine was shut off. The captain got word to me that I had to get it repaired on ship before it could be unloaded. Thanks to an internet search, I secured the services of Jeff at Construction Equipment Solutions in North Charleston, SC. He had a TWIC card for entry into the port and put me on his calendar. He was at the docks once the ship arrived and got the broken hose replaced. He texted me a pic of the machine coming off the ship. He was great to deal with and took care of my issues as quick as he could.
A couple of days waiting on US Customs to release the machine and then it was loaded onto a flat deck trailer and delivered to my yard. I did not have manuals for this exact machine and it is different than anything else out there - it was white knuckle time trying to get it off the trailer while nearly 5' above grade. I was down to 1/2 tire width on the left rear corner tire before I got it on the dirt pile and fully off the trailer. It was a relief to have it off and fully delivered. I now know that the machine has 4 different steering modes and that the primary steering button does not function as it should.
So, why did I go through all of this ordeal to purchase a machine sight unseen? I've been in the market for a newer Menzi for the last 10 years or so, since I sold off the 5000TM model that I used to have and hated. I've watched these machines evolve into a technological masterpiece but I can not afford or justify new. What I have looked at here in the states is usually ridden hard and put away wet - so worn out within minimal hours you just know it has not been taken care of. Few machines here in the states are well equipped with options and most are just basic models. What I have purchased has almost every available factory option installed - this machine is a rare find from my shopping experience. It's not perfect but it has had very well trained operators from what the condition of the machine tells me. At 7200 hours, this machine shows less wear and tear than most of the 2000-4000 hour machines that I've considered here in the states. I've been inspecting it and making a list of what needs to be fixed - so far, other than low hyd fluid from the leak, nothing major that must be repaired prior to putting it into service on my property so I can learn it well enough to put it to regular work.
I've been shopping mulchers, ditch buckets and more. First step is to find the hydraulic couplers that I will need to get power from the system. You don't find these at the local hydraulic store.....