Screening Equipment Buyer Guide

• Used pricing typically spans from $60,000 for aging, compact screeners to over $450,000 for high-capacity, late-model tracked scalpers and incline screens.
• Operating weights generally range between 25,000 lbs (11,300 kg) for compact contractor units to well over 85,000 lbs (38,500 kg) for high-production triple-deck units.
• Target engine hours typically top out around 10,000 to 12,000 hours, though structural screen boxes often require rebuilding or replacing around 6,000 to 8,000 hours.
• Average fuel consumption runs from 3.5 to 7.5 gallons per hour (13 to 28 L/h) depending on engine tier, screen box throw, and onboard conveyor demand.
• Common media attachments include woven wire mesh, punch plates, grizzly bars, finger screens, and bofar decks.
• Standard jobs include topsoil classification, crushed aggregate sizing, quarry overburden removal, and concrete demolition recycling.

• 1Inspect the screen box side plates for stress cracks around the eccentric shaft housing, exciter mounts, and cross-member welds.
• 2Check screen box suspension components, verifying that coil springs or rubber marsh mallow mounts are not collapsed, split, or unevenly worn.
• 3Assess conveyor belts, idlers, and skirt rubbers for gouging, severe edge fraying, or seized rollers that create fire and belt-wear risks.
• 4Examine hydraulic pump pressures and motor performance under full operating vibration; sluggish start-up indicates drive motor cavitation or pump degradation.
• 5Inspect tracked undercarriages for track chain stretch, carrier roller flat spots, sprockets wear, and hydraulic drive motor seal leaks.
• 6Look inside the feeder hopper for high-impact abrasive wear, thinning liner plates, and structural fatigue in the apron or belt feeder mechanism.
• 7Check eccentric shaft bearings by running the screen dry; listen for high-pitch whining, knocking, or excessive bearing temperature spikes via an infrared thermometer.
• 8Review electrical and hydraulic control harnesses near the vibrating frame to ensure heavy vibration has not chafed through wiring or hose jackets.
• 9Confirm hour meter integrity by matching engine control module (ECM) hours to telematics records, ensuring the screen box drive hours reasonably mirror total engine run time.
• 10Verify the machine's maintenance history, confirming that screen bearing grease purges and eccentric oil changes were conducted at strict 250-to-500-hour intervals.

Commonly-reported issues from operators and technicians. Every machine varies — always inspect before you buy.