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Quarry plant at auction means loading shovels, crushers and the haulers and excavators that work with them. In a quarry the value sits in the parts that wear: bucket edges, pins and bushes and tyres on a shovel, jaws, liners, magnets and conveyors on a crusher, body and articulation on a dump truck. Read the listing for those, plan the low-loader move for the heaviest machines, and price tyres and wear parts into the bid.
Which quarry machines come up at our auctions, and who sells them?
Loading shovels and crushers both appear in our sales, with loading shovels such as the Komatsu WA470-3H seen in recent ones. Dump trucks and face excavators can come up alongside them where a seller holds them. Sellers can include owners, traders, dealers, administrators and receivers reducing or closing down their plant holdings.
These machines run through our plant machinery auctions and are sold from the seller's premises or the location stated in the lot details. Excavators have their own guide, buying used excavators and telehandlers at auction, and the smaller site dumpers and rollers are covered in construction site plant at auction.
- Wheeled loading shovel. Quarry job: Loading trucks, feeding crushers, stockpiling. Where the money goes: Tyres, bucket edge and teeth, pins and bushes.
- Mobile jaw crusher. Quarry job: Primary crushing of rock and demolition waste. Where the money goes: Jaw plates, feeder, conveyors, magnet.
- Cone crusher. Quarry job: Secondary crushing to size. Where the money goes: Mantle and concave, setting system.
- Impact crusher. Quarry job: Recycling and shaping aggregate. Where the money goes: Blow bars, aprons, rotor.
- Articulated dump truck. Quarry job: Hauling from the face to the plant. Where the money goes: Body liner, articulation joint, tyres, brakes.
- Static crushing plant. Quarry job: Fixed processing on site. Where the money goes: Structure, conveyors, dismantling and rebuild.
Our auctions are trade-only, and Universal Auctions Group Ltd acts solely as auctioneer and agent for the vendor, so the contract of sale is between the vendor and the successful bidder. Listings are prepared from information and photographs supplied by the vendor. UAG does not mechanically inspect or test assets or provide condition reports.
What wears on a loading shovel used in a quarry?
The parts that meet the rock and the parts that carry the load. Look at the bucket cutting edge, teeth and wear plates, the pins and bushes in the loader arms and bucket linkage, the articulation joint, and the tyres. HSE's crusher guidance lists regular inspection of bucket teeth among the ways to keep metal out of a crusher, so the teeth deserve a close look in the photographs.
- Bucket. Zoom the photographs on the cutting edge, teeth and side cutters, and on the bucket floor for wear-through or welded patches. Note the bucket size: HSE advises matching bucket size to crusher capacity.
- Pins and bushes. Play in the boom, bucket and steering pins shows as gaps and uneven wear around the bosses.
- Articulation and axles. Look for leaks at the centre joint and axle seals, and ask whether brake test records exist.
- Visibility aids. HSE notes that combination mirrors are often fitted to loading shovels and that radar or CCTV is often added. Check what is fitted and stated.
- Use. HSE warns that visibility with the bucket raised is very poor and does not recommend loading shovels as lifting machines unless the bucket is detached and proper attachments are provided. Hooks welded to a bucket are a question to ask.
How should you read a crusher listing?
By type first, then by wear parts. A jaw crusher, cone crusher and impact crusher each wear in different places, so the photographs that matter change. Then read the feed and discharge side: hopper, feeder, conveyors and belts, and any magnet. HSE notes that on reinforced concrete a magnetic separator is often positioned over the discharge conveyor to remove steel.
- Jaw crusher. Main wear parts: Fixed and swing jaw plates, cheek plates. What to ask before bidding: Wear on the plates, spares in the lot, closed side setting range.
- Cone crusher. Main wear parts: Mantle and concave. What to ask before bidding: Liner wear, setting and overload system, lubrication.
- Impact crusher. Main wear parts: Blow bars, impact aprons, rotor. What to ask before bidding: Blow bar wear and spares, rotor condition.
- Feeder and prescreen. Main wear parts: Pans, grizzly bars, springs. What to ask before bidding: Whether the feeder and any prescreen are fitted.
- Conveyors. Main wear parts: Belts, rollers, skirts, scrapers. What to ask before bidding: Belt condition, guards fitted, side conveyor included.
- Magnet and power unit. Main wear parts: Magnet belt, engine or electric drive. What to ask before bidding: Magnet stated in the lot, hours on the power unit.
Spare jaws, liners or blow bars sold with a crusher are worth money, but only if the listing states them. A crusher often works alongside a screener and stockpile conveyors; these may be offered as separate lots, so check what each lot actually contains.
What do guarding, blockages and tramp metal tell you about a crusher?
They tell you what the machine has been through and what you must have in place before it runs. HSE says all dangerous parts should be suitably guarded and that failure to replace guards after cleaning or maintenance is a major cause of injury. HSE also names tramp metal as a cause of stalling, so magnets, metal detectors and guards belong on your checklist.
HSE's guidance on mobile jaw crushers warns that these machines can kill and have killed, and lists the causes of blockages: stalling from overload, overfeeding or tramp metal, and bridging from oversize feed or excessive fines. It recommends sizing bars on feeds, magnets or metal detectors, and following the manufacturer's recommendations on feed rate and crusher settings. For a buyer, the questions follow: are all guards present and fitted in the photographs, is the magnet part of the lot, do the manuals come with it, and is there a remote facility for setting the feed. Missing guards and manuals are a cost to price, not a detail to sort out later.
What should you check on an articulated dump truck from a quarry?
The body, the articulation and the brakes. Look for wear-through, patches and liner plates in the body and tailgate, play and leaks at the articulation and oscillation joint, hoist ram condition, and tyre wear across all axles. Ask whether brake test records exist: HSE's quarry guidance describes a daily brake check backed up by regular tests with electronic equipment.
HSE's brake testing guidance adds that the park brake should be checked on a ramp steeper than the steepest road in the quarry, and that an electronic test system may be permanently fitted to a dump truck. Visibility matters too: HSE notes that drivers of some dump trucks cannot see an object 1.8 metres high twenty metres in front, and that convex mirrors and CCTV improve all-round vision. Check which aids are fitted, because adding them is your cost. Site dumpers are a different class of machine and are covered in the construction plant guide linked above.
How do hours, and mobile versus static plant, change what you are buying?
Hours on a quarry machine are a starting point, not a verdict. Hour readings are supplied by the vendor and have not been independently verified by UAG. Buyers should satisfy themselves as to their accuracy before bidding. Wear depends on the material, the haul roads and how the machine was used. A tracked mobile crusher carries its own power unit; static plant may have no hours meter at all, and must be dismantled, moved and rebuilt.
Read hours against the wear you can see: tyre tread and the bucket edge are better evidence than the meter alone. On a mobile crusher, the power unit hours and the crusher's own wear parts tell different stories, so ask about both. On static plant, HSE says it is a legal requirement that the structure of quarry plant is properly designed and maintained, and its integrity guidance shows conveyor stringers and supports lost to corrosion. Look for corrosion in the photographs of legs, hoppers and conveyor frames. Under PUWER, equipment whose safety depends on installation should be inspected after reassembly at any new site and before first use.
Moving the largest machines is a low-loader job, and under National Highways' definition a vehicle and load weighing over 44,000kg in total, or a load wider than 2.9 metres, among other limits, is an abnormal load, and depending on its size notice may be due to police, highway and bridge authorities. Buyers are responsible for arranging collection and transport. Any delivery option specifically stated within a lot is provided by the seller and subject to separate agreement. Our collection and transport guide covers the move.
What paperwork should you ask for on quarry plant?
Anything that shows how the machine has been looked after and inspected. Service records, wear part replacement history, brake test results, manuals and parts books are all worth asking about. HSE says equipment obtained from another party should be accompanied by physical evidence of its last inspection, so ask what inspection records the vendor holds.
Records of jaw or liner changes date the wear parts in the photographs, and a parts book saves time ordering the first set. Ask through us before the close, and treat a lot with no records as one where you rebuild the history yourself. Viewing is available strictly by prior appointment and is strongly recommended; any testing must be agreed in advance and is subject to the vendor's site and safety requirements.
How do you price tyres and wear parts into a loading shovel bid?
Treat them as the real budget. As an illustrative example for a used loading shovel: a set of four tyres £12,000, bucket cutting edge and teeth £1,800, pins and bushes £3,000, service, filters and fluids £1,400, and a £1,800 contingency, a £20,000 wear budget. Take whatever the photographs say you will need off your maximum bid.
The budget sits on top of the invoice for the lot, which is explained in the real cost of buying at auction. To turn the photographs into numbers:
- Estimate remaining tread on each tyre from the photographs and price only the tyres you expect to replace in your first year.
- Price the bucket edge and teeth unless the listing shows them recently replaced.
- Add pins and bushes if the linkage shows play or uneven wear around the bosses.
- Add a full service, because you cannot rely on hours or history you have not seen evidence for.
- Hold a contingency for what the photographs cannot show, then set your maximum bid from what is left.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pricing the shovel and ignoring the tyres. On a large loader the tyres can be one of the largest costs after the hammer price. Read the tread before the hours.
- Assuming crusher spares come with the machine. Jaws, liners, blow bars and the magnet belong to the lot only if the listing states them.
- Overlooking missing guards. Count the guards in the photographs and price every one that is missing.
- Treating static plant as a single machine. Dismantling, transport, foundations and rebuild are part of the price, and the structure needs checking for corrosion.
- Bidding on a machine you cannot move. Check the machine's weight and width, plus the low loader's, against abnormal load limits and line up a suitable low loader before the sale, not after it.
About this guide, and where to check the terms
Last reviewed 25 October 2026. This guide is general information for trade buyers and is not legal, tax, safety or financial advice, and every worked example in it is illustrative rather than typical or achievable. Machine condition, hours, transport and VAT treatment turn on the individual lot and your own operation, so check each listing and take your own advice where the position matters. The terms of the individual sale govern each lot.
- Auction terms and conditions. Registration, bidding, payment, collection, storage and export: universalauctionsgroup.com/terms-and-conditions.
- Plant machinery auctions. Current plant and machinery sales: plant machinery auctions.
- How to bid. Registration and buying, step by step: buying with us.
- Buyer fees. The buyer's premium and any other charges for a lot are stated on that lot's Additional Fees tab.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first on a used loading shovel from a quarry?
The bucket, the linkage and the tyres. Zoom the photographs on the cutting edge, teeth and bucket floor, look for play and uneven wear at the boom, bucket and steering pins, and judge the tread and sidewalls on every tyre. Then ask about service and brake test records. Hour readings are supplied by the vendor and have not been independently verified by UAG. Buyers should satisfy themselves as to their accuracy before bidding.
Do crushers at auction come with spare jaws or liners?
Only if the listing states them. Spare jaw plates, cone liners or impact blow bars can add real value to a crusher lot, and so can the magnet, side conveyor and manuals, but each belongs to the lot only where the description includes it. Anything visible in a photograph and not described should be treated as unconfirmed, and questions should go in before the lot closes.
What does HSE say about running a mobile crusher?
HSE's guidance on mobile jaw crushers says all dangerous parts should be suitably guarded, that failure to replace guards after cleaning or maintenance is a major cause of injury, and that a stalled crusher should be treated as possibly jammed with tramp metal. It recommends magnets or metal detectors, sizing bars on feeds and following the manufacturer's recommendations on feed and settings.
Do I need an abnormal load notification to move quarry plant?
It depends on the loaded vehicle. National Highways defines an abnormal load as one with, among other limits, a total vehicle and load weight over 44,000kg or a width over 2.9 metres, and moving one can carry notification duties to police, highway and bridge authorities, depending on its size, which hauliers can submit through National Highways' ESDAL system. Buyers are responsible for arranging collection and transport, so check the machine's weight and width before bidding.
How do you judge a crusher that has no hours meter?
Through its wear parts and its paperwork. Static plant often has no meter, and where a mobile unit has one, the same applies: hour readings are supplied by the vendor and have not been independently verified by UAG. Buyers should satisfy themselves as to their accuracy before bidding. Look at the photographs of the jaw plates or liners, the conveyor belts and the feeder, ask what service and inspection records exist, and price the unknowns into your bid. Ask before the lot closes.
What inspection does used quarry plant need before it works?
Under PUWER, HSE says equipment whose safety depends on installation should be inspected after installation and after reassembly at any new site, before first use, and that equipment obtained from another party should be accompanied by evidence of its last inspection. Ask us before the close what inspection, service and brake test records the vendor holds, and plan your own inspection before the machine starts work.
Sources and references
- Safe operation and use of mobile jaw crushers · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/quarries/crushing.htm
- Vehicles and visibility (quarries) · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/quarries/hardtarget/visibility.htm
- Vehicles and brake testing (quarries) · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/quarries/hardtarget/testing.htm
- Inspection of work equipment · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/inspection.htm
- Abnormal loads and the ESDAL system · National Highways, 2026 https://nationalhighways.co.uk/roads-and-travel/freight-and-professional-drivers/abnormal-loads-and-the-esdal-system/
Loading shovels, crushers and other heavy plant come up in our timed online plant and machinery sales, which you can bid in from anywhere. Stock stays with the seller until it is sold and paid for, and overseas trade buyers are welcome to participate.
View current plant auctionsUniversal Auctions Group. This article is general information for trade buyers and sellers and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
