A new survey by Equipment World indicates most responding contractors are planning to buy construction equipment in 2026 and details the brands they're most likely to buy.
Our 2026 Tech & Spec Survey looks at the specifications they plan to focus on for each type of equipment and how many hours they put on each type of equipment before replacing.
The survey also addresses their preferred purchase options of cash, finance or rent, and equipment disposal methods of trade-in, private-party sales or auction.
Contractors’ use of technologies like machine control and fleet management software was another line of query, as was how many contractors perform their own repairs.
Here are some of the highlights from the report, which had 97 respondents in June, July and December 2025. Of those responding, 83% were in upper- or middle-management of their construction companies.
To see the full Equipment World 2026 Tech & Spec Survey, click here.Purchase Plans
The survey reveals that 83% of respondents plan to buy at least one piece of construction equipment this year.
The largest category was 38% planning to buy one to two machines.
Taking out a loan is the top form of purchase, with 42% listing financing as their No. 1 purchase option.
Cash was close behind at 37%.
Lease to purchase and rent to purchase came in at a combined 17%.
Of the more than 25 equipment brands contractors were asked to choose from on the survey as being part of their fleets, these were the top five:
Caterpillar — 60%
John Deere — 45%
Bobcat — 41%
Case CE — 34%
Kubota — 35%
When and How They Replace Their Equipment
Getty ImagesWhen it comes time to say goodbye to an old machine, the largest percentage prefer to sell it, either to another contractor (29%) or at auction (19%).
Of the other respondents, 39% prefer to trade in at their dealers.
The hours respondents put on their equipment before replacement varied by type of machine.
On the compact end, the largest percentage of respondents (50%) replaced skid steers and compact track loaders at 2,000 to 6,000 hours.
Here are the highest-percentage hour ranges for replacement of larger machines:
Excavator — 8,000-10,000 hours.
Wheel loader — 10,000-12,000 hours.
Dozers — 8,000-10,000 hours.
Backhoes — 8,000-10,000 hours.
Articulated dump trucks — 12,000-14,000 hours.
And when it comes to keeping their machines running, 83% perform at least small repairs and preventive maintenance in-house.
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Topcon Positioning SystemsDespite growing popularity, nearly 65% of respondents do not use 2D or 3D machine control, although about one-fourth said they were interested in it.
Those using 3D control — 24.7%.
Those using 2D — 10.3%.
Reasons cited for not using machine control: Cost, time to learn, older operators who perform well without it, and it’s not needed on the type of work they primarily perform.
Reasons cited or adopting machine control: Efficiency, precision, increased productivity and reduced labor costs.
Fleet management software also similar lower adoption, with 39% using either a cloud-based or computer-based system.
The remainder used either a manual system (40%), spreadsheet or Excel (39%), or no system at all (9%).
To see the full Equipment World 2026 Tech & Spec Survey, click here.
To see the full Equipment World 2026 Tech & Spec Survey, click here.
To see the full Equipment World 2026 Tech & Spec Survey, click here.
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Topcon Positioning Systems
To see the full Equipment World 2026 Tech & Spec Survey, click here.
