What "serial-verified" means in our yard
Brochure specs describe a model. The data plate describes the machine you are actually renting.
Every unit page on this site carries a spec block. This post is about where those numbers come from, because the answer is not the same at every yard.
A brochure describes a model. A plate describes a machine.
A manufacturer brochure tells you what a model was when it left the factory. That is a useful starting point and a poor finishing one. Machines get changed. Counterweights come off. Buckets get swapped for something wider than the one it shipped with. A previous owner fits different tyres and the whole reach envelope moves.
The data plate is bolted to the machine in front of you. It carries the serial, the model, and the weights the manufacturer stamped for that unit. It does not care what the brochure said.
What we check
- Read the plateSerial and model come off the machine, not off a spec sheet in a drawer.
- Match the serial to the specsThe serial pins the build. Two machines wearing the same model name can carry different figures.
- Record the hoursOff the meter, on the day. We list hours on every unit that has them.
- Note what changedNon-original bucket, added counterweight, replaced tyres — it goes in the condition notes.
Why it matters on a load chart
Lifting figures are the sharp end. A telehandler load chart assumes a specific carriage and a specific counterweight. Change either and the chart on the door is describing a machine that no longer exists. That is not a paperwork problem. That is the thing that decides whether the load goes up safely.
The same logic runs through everything else. Transport weight decides your trailer. Bucket volume decides your truck count. Operating weight decides whether the ground holds. Get the figure from the machine and those decisions hold.
When we are not sure, we say so
Some figures on this site are marked as representative. That is not hedging. It means the number describes the model and we have not yet matched it against that unit's plate. When we have, the unit carries a serial-verified stamp instead.
What to ask any yard
- What is the serial, and can I see the plate?
- What are the hours, read today?
- Is anything on this machine not original?
- Does the load chart match the carriage that is on it right now?
Four questions. A yard that can answer them quickly is telling you something about how it keeps its records. Ask us and see.
