Construction equipment repair: get found when the machine breaks down

What a contractor with a broken-down machine is looking for

An excavator stuck in place, a boom lift that will not go up, a compressor that will not start: the contractor has no time to compare several websites. They want answers to four questions:

1. Do you repair this type and this brand of equipment?
2. Can you come on site, or do I have to bring the machine in?
3. How soon can you get to it, and until what time?
4. Do you have the parts, or how long will it take to get them?

If these answers are not visible before they call, you are not in the running. The same reasoning applies to a dealer of new or used equipment: someone who has to replace a machine wants to know quickly what you have and in what condition. Contractors who plan their jobs in project and Gantt software, such as SubmitX, can also see more easily which tasks a breakdown delays: response time becomes the first thing they look for.

Getting found: region, equipment type, service

The contractor types "forklift broken down" or "boom lift won't go up". Use those words in your listing, not only your shop's jargon. If you also rent equipment, see the article on equipment rental.

Timeline, estimate and parts: what to say before doing the work

The Civil Code of Québec governs service contracts. The following rules, summarized for information purposes, are in line with good business practice:

• Before the contract is entered into, the provider must give the client, as far as circumstances permit, any useful information about the nature of the task and the property and time required (art. 2102).
• When the price was estimated, the provider must justify any increase (art. 2107).
• The property supplied must be of good quality, and the provider is bound by the same warranties as a seller with respect to it (art. 2103).
• The provider must act in accordance with the usual practices and rules of the trade and, where applicable, make sure the service provided complies with the contract (art. 2100).

In practice: a written estimate with a range, an honest parts lead time and a call as soon as the situation changes. Confirm with a legal professional for your standard contract.

Repairing and modifying without compromising safety

A client who picks up a repaired machine must be able to use it on a job site without risk to their workers. The Safety Code for the construction industry (CSTC) sets rules that directly affect shop work:

• After any repair or part replacement, a vehicle or piece of equipment used on a job site must be as safe as when it was new (s. 3.10.1). The same applies to a hoisting apparatus (s. 2.15.1).
• A modification requires a certificate signed and sealed by an engineer confirming safety equivalent to that of the apparatus when new (s. 3.10.1 and, for a hoisting apparatus, s. 2.15.1).
• Before any work in the danger zone of a machine (maintenance, repair, inspection, adjustment, cleaning, unjamming), lockout or, failing that, a method ensuring equivalent safety must be applied (s. 2.20.2).
• According to the CNESST guide on machine safety, a protective device may only be replaced by another one that offers at least equivalent safety.
• For a personnel hoisting apparatus, the owner keeps a register of inspections and repairs (s. 2.15.12).

Selling equipment: new, used and documents

The manual, the plate and the inspection

According to the CNESST guide, any machine, new or used, put into service on or after July 27, 2023 must come with a manufacturer's instruction manual whose minimum content is set by the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety: intended uses, instructions, and the nature and frequency of inspections of safety functions. If the manual does not exist or is incomplete, an engineer must specify these elements in writing. Confirm with the CNESST for your type of equipment.

The CSTC also requires certain heavy equipment, such as loaders, graders and compaction rollers, to have a rollover protective structure bearing a plate (manufacturer, serial number, standard applied, model and make, s. 3.10.3). A mobile elevating work platform must undergo a structural inspection 10 years after it was manufactured and then every 5 years, but also after any suspected or actual damage and after a change of owner (s. 2.15.16). An informed buyer will ask for these documents: you might as well have them ready.

If the buyer discovers a defect

The Civil Code requires the seller to warrant that the property is free of latent defects that make it unfit for the use for which it is intended (art. 1726). With a professional seller, the defect is presumed to have existed at the time of the sale when the malfunction or deterioration occurs prematurely compared with identical property or property of the same kind, unless the defect is due to improper use (art. 1729). The wholesaler and the importer are also bound (art. 1730), and the buyer must report the defect in writing within a reasonable time (art. 1739).

So describe the real condition of used equipment: hours, maintenance history, repairs, known defects. Confirm with a legal professional.

Where SubmitX Network fits in

SubmitX Network is a construction network for Quebec. Its profiles can be searched by region, trade and radius, and the "equipment" type covers rental, sales, repair and maintenance. To see how a contractor searches a construction directory, read our article on the Quebec contractor directory. No SubmitX software account is required.

Regions will open one by one, once there are enough profiles for a first search to return results. For now, no region is open: the network is closed and the waiting list is active. You can prepare your listing and sign up now, free for now. SubmitX sells neither contact details nor client leads. Join the waiting list for equipment dealers and repairers.