Caterpillar, John Deere, and Komatsu Among Value Retention Leaders

Heavy duty materials handling equipment from JLG, Caterpillar, and Komatsu hold their value longer than other brands, according to a group that ranks different types of industrial equipment.

For the second year in a row, the construction equipment data firm EquipmentWatch, ranked 28 different categories of construction, agricultural, and lift/access equipment according to their ability to retain their value the longest. Awards were presented to each model or series of equipment projected to retain the highest percentage of its value after five years.

This year, Caterpillar tied with John Deere for the most awards on the list, with four each. Caterpillar remains the all-time leader with nine total awards, with Deer a close second with eight.

New Winners

Only five pieces of equipment that were on last year’s list won again in 2017, an indication that residual values among the most popular types of equipment are highly competitive.

The repeat winners were Apache for self-propelled sprayers, CASE for backhoes, Gehl for small skid steer loaders, JLG for articulating boom lifts, and SkyTrak for lift trucks/telehandlers.

Highest Resale Value

The 28 different types of equipment on the list are most likely to retain their value over the long term, according to Garrett Schemmel, the site’s vice president.

“The Highest Retained Value Award is indicative of excellence across a manufacturing organization,” Schemmel said in the news release announcing this year’s winners. “Product quality has the most obvious impact on an asset’s performance on the secondary market, but residual values are also highly impacted by brand affinity and fair original pricing. A manufacturer must excel on all three fronts to gain recognition as a Highest Retained Value Award winner.”

Recognized Brands and Some Unexpected Surprises

Many of the brands on the list were among the best-selling in the industry, including Caterpillar, Deere, and Komatsu. But there also were some names that made the list this year, including Bomag, Challenger, and Hyundai.

“For purchasers of equipment there is perhaps no single measurement more influential in the buying decision process,” Schemmel said. “The residual value of an asset will have a significant impact on leasing terms and lifetime ownership costs. Informed buyers do well weigh value retention heavily when considering equipment acquisition.”

EquipmentWatch produces database information products for the construction equipment industry and is a subsidiary of Informa, an international business intelligence group serving the commercial, professional and academic communities.

To create this year’s list, the site evaluated 12,536 different types of equipment.