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Caterpillar® TA1 & TA2 inspections, what is it good for?

Mevas

Banned
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
13
Location
Germany, Saxony
Occupation
Owner MEVAS Machinery Evaluation
What for is a TA1 or TA2 required? Is there a better solution for buyers of used Caterpillar machines?

Description:
The TA-1 is more or less just a visual inspection of equipment and not very useful to evaluate the necessary repairs on a machine.
For a TA-2 report are several special tools needed. A TA2 is very time consuming and the local CAT-dealer will do it not for less than 900$. For larger machines it may sum up to 2000$. Hydraulic pressures will be measured and engine blow-by will be tested.

caterpillar_ta2_ta1.JPG
Does it make sense to order a TA1 or TA2?
As a buyer of used machinery it is maybe not useful to get detailed info such as "brake relief pressure" or blow-by amount. Many details in a TA-2 have to be paid but are not needed to examine the necessary repairs or adjusments. Many values will be useless if you have no reference value.

Is there a better solution?
To enable us offering appraisals for a reasonable price we decided to level our inspections somewhere between a TA1 and TA2 report. We have capabilities and tools to measure pressures but we just do it if we see a problem with the hydraulic system. We can measure the blow-by amount. But as mentioned it just makes sense if you have a reference value. MEVAS inspectors rather use their five senses to find possibly problems. With a certain amout of experience we are able to find most problems with a machine.
Additionally we have equipped most of our engineers with a CAT-Technician. It enables us to read the internal machine computer, the so called ECM. It gives us info about machine history and possibly abuse.
Mevas inspections can be arranged in most European countries for a fee of 480-680 Euro for a single machine.
 
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