Quick Data: Top-Selling Excavators and Sales Trends

Cat excavator pulverizing rocks
Caterpillar

Quick Data is a snapshot of new and used excavator sales trends for the 12-month period of May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, according to Randall Reilly’s Top Bid auction price guide and EDA equipment financing data.

A total of 12,959 new excavators were financed from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, according to Randall Reilly’s EDA equipment finance data. This was a 14.7% increase from 11,295 new units sold the previous year 

Similarly, used excavator sales were also up .027% to 14,627 up from 14,623 units sold from May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021.

The top-selling new models, based on number of units financed, were the Cat 336 (624), the Deere 85-G (602) and the Cat 320 (484).

John Deere claimed the first and third spots for the top financed used excavators with the mid-sized 210G LC (426) and the 350G LC (310), respectively. Coming in second in the used excavator market was the Caterpillar 336F L (367).

Texas had more buyers of new excavators than any other state with 1,137 units financed. Buyers were also active in Florida (829) and North Carolina (744). 

For those financing used machines, Texas buyers again were in the top spot, accounting for just under 11%, with 1,592 units being financed in this period. Georgia added another 6% with 825 units, and North Carolina was close behind with 667 units or approximately 5%.

 Chart showing Top Financed New and Used Excavators from May 2021-April 2022*In terms of units sold May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022. Source: EDA. Data is continually updated.EDA; Chart: Equipment World

Auction Data

Looking at the top 20 excavators sold for the 12-month period of June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 in terms of auction price, Cat came out on top. (See chart below.)

Top 20 Excavators Sold at AuctionTop Bid; Chart: Equipment World

As reported by the Top Bid auction price guide, 16 of the top 20 price spots were Cat models.

The top auction price paid for an excavator during this time was $865,000 for a 2019 Cat 390FL with 75 hours at an Alex Lyon & Sons sale in Bushnell, Florida on February 11, 2022. The second-highest price paid was $750,000 for a Komatsu PC1250LC-8 with 2,438 hours at a Ritchie Bros. sale in Chehalis, Washington. 

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In total, 766 excavators were sold at auctions tracked by Top Bid during this time, with an average price of $153,015.

EDA data is compiled from state UCC-1 filings on financed construction equipment. EDA continually updates this data as information comes in from each state.

Top Bid and EDA are owned by Randall Reilly, parent of Equipment World.