Heavy Equipment Appraisal
Certified heavy equipment appraisals and 2025 IronIndex™ equipment values, nationwide.
Since 2009, HEA has delivered USPAP-compliant heavy equipment appraisals and IronIndex™ values that banks, CPAs, attorneys and insurers rely on for loans, disputes and tax work.
USPAP-compliant equipment appraisals from a 5★-rated specialist. Tell us what you own and why you need the report
we’ll follow up within one business day with pricing and next steps.
Appraising Heavy Equipment Since 2009
$$$ BILLIONS worth of equipment appraised
About HEA
We appraise heavy equipment, and only heavy equipment.
HEA is a USPAP-compliant heavy equipment appraisal firm whose reports are used by SBA lenders, commercial banks, CPAs, attorneys and IRS-related valuation work.
The same real-world valuations we perform for clients also power IronIndex™, our in-house pricing data set for used heavy equipment.
Since 2009, we’ve appraised billions of dollars in construction, trucking, agricultural and industrial equipment for clients across the United States.
We don’t buy or sell equipment and we don’t run an auction house. Our only job is delivering independent, defensible values you can use for lending, tax, buy/sell, litigation, and insurance.
Who we serve:
- SBA and commercial lenders
- Fleet owners and contractors
- CPAs and tax professionals
- Attorneys (litigation, divorce, estates)
- Insurance carriers, adjusters, and risk managers
- Turnaround and restructuring professionals
- Read more about us and our qualifications.
IronIndex™: Real-World Pricing Data for Used Heavy Equipment
What is IronIndex™?
IronIndex™ is HEA’s in-house pricing database for used heavy equipment. It blends real appraisal files with recent auction and dealer sales so you can see what similar machines are actually selling for, not just what a book or guide says they’re worth.
What IronIndex™ is built from:
- Real appraisal files from banks, CPAs, attorneys, and fleet owners
- Recent auction and dealer sales for comparable machines
- Adjustments for age, hours, condition, options, and region
- Ongoing reviews by a certified heavy equipment appraiser
Excavator Values
Real-world pricing ranges for mini, mid-size and large excavators, showing how hours, attachments and undercarriage condition move selling prices.
Wheel Loader & Dozer Values
Value ranges for loaders, bulldozers and graders, with notes on technology, rebuild history and how they’re pricing at auction versus dealer lots.
Truck & Trailer Values
Market snapshots for vocational trucks, day cabs, dumps, lowboys and tankers, tied to recent retail and auction transactions.
Skid Steer & Compact Loader Values
How skid steers and compact track loaders are holding value by brand, hours and options like high-flow, cabs and quick-attach systems.
Value ranges for row-crop, utility and 4WD tractors, combines and key implements, including how hours and spec packages affect resale.
Pricing snapshots for drilling rigs, TBMs and related specialty equipment, where small changes in configuration, diameter or history can swing values.
Every IronIndex™ data point starts with a real appraisal or market transaction. It’s a quick lens on the market—not a replacement for a USPAP-compliant appraisal report when you need a full valuation.
Browse sample values for common equipment types, then request a certified appraisal when you’re ready.
Heavy Equipment Appraisal Services
Nationwide Heavy Equipment Appraisal Services
We’re a US-based, equipment-only appraisal firm providing certified heavy equipment appraisals in all 50 states.
SBA and commercial lenders, fleet owners, CPAs, attorneys, and business owners hire us for loans, buyouts, insurance, tax and financial reporting, estates, and litigation support.
Desktop (Online) Equipment Appraisals
A desktop equipment appraisal is completed remotely: you send your equipment list, photos, and background, and we research market and auction data to develop a supported opinion of value.
Best for:
- Single machines or small groups of equipment
- SBA and bank loans with good photos and records
- Insurance updates and internal planning
- Situations where travel would add unnecessary cost
On-Site Equipment Appraisals
In an on-site equipment appraisal, we travel to your location, inspect and photograph each machine, verify serial numbers and configurations, and document condition before completing the valuation.
Best for:
- Large fleets or multiple yards and locations
- Complex or specialized machinery and installations
- Litigation, divorce, estate, and partnership disputes
- Situations where you need the most defensible, USPAP-compliant report
Equipment We Appraise
We appraise a wide range of machinery and equipment, including:
- Construction and earthmoving equipment (excavators, bulldozers, loaders, graders)
- Trucks, trailers, and fleet equipment (vocational trucks, dumps, lowboys, support trailers)
- Agriculture and farm equipment (tractors, combines, sprayers, implements)
- Mining, aggregates, and industrial equipment (crushers, screens, plants, process equipment)
- Lifts and material handling (telehandlers, forklifts, cranes, warehousing equipment)
See the full list of heavy equipment types we appraise.
Where We Provide Heavy Equipment Appraisals
We provide heavy equipment appraisals across the United States. Most projects start as desktop (online) assignments, with on-site inspections scheduled when equipment condition, concentration, or risk justify a visit. The goal is simple: deliver a USPAP-compliant report that holds up, no matter where your machines are located.
Nationwide Coverage
We appraise equipment in all 50 states, from large metro fleets to rural yards and farm communities.
- Desktop appraisals are often the fastest, most cost-effective choice when equipment details and photos are available.
- When equipment is highly concentrated, high-value, or part of a complex case, we travel on-site to inspect units in person.
Typical Locations We Serve
We regularly appraise equipment for contractors, fleet owners and operators in and around major metros, regional hubs and rural communities.
Whether your machines are at a single yard, spread across multiple job sites, or stored on farms and industrial facilities, we can scope a desktop or on-site appraisal that fits your situation.
Equipment Appraisal 101: Introduction to Heavy Equipment Values
We created this Heavy Equipment Appraisal 101 infographic to walk through the core questions every valuation has to answer: what you own, why you need the appraisal, how we gather data and how we arrive at an opinion of value. It follows the same five-step process we use in real USPAP-compliant assignments, whether your goal is fair market value, liquidation value or something more specialized.
At a Glance: How Our Equipment Appraisal Process Works
- Step 1 – Intake: You share your equipment list, photos, and why you need the appraisal (loan, buy/sell, tax, insurance, litigation, or internal planning), plus any deadlines or special requirements.
- Step 2 – Research: We gather market data: recent sales and auction results, dealer listings, manufacturer specs, and pricing guides for comparable machines.
- Step 3 – Analysis & adjustments: We choose the right approaches to value (cost, sales comparison and, when appropriate, income) and adjust for age, hours, condition, configuration, technology, market demand and geography.
- Step 4 – Opinion of value: We develop a supported opinion of value (fair market, orderly or forced liquidation, salvage or scrap), matched to your assignment’s purpose and USPAP standards.
- Step 5 – Written report: You receive a written, USPAP-compliant appraisal report you can use with SBA lenders, banks, CPAs, attorneys, insurers, or internal stakeholders.
If you want to go deeper into how appraisers think about value types, methods, and market factors, you can read my 2025 “Introduction to Heavy Equipment Values” guide.
Who Relies On Our Equipment Values
Our equipment appraisals and IronIndex™ values don’t live in a vacuum. They’re read, questioned and relied on by people who make real decisions with real consequences. Lenders, fleet owners, CPAs, attorneys, insurance teams and turnaround professionals use our numbers to document collateral, support negotiations and defend their position when the values are challenged.
Lenders and Credit Teams
SBA and commercial lenders use our equipment appraisals to document collateral support, set advance rates, and justify loan decisions to internal credit committees and regulators. They need reports that clearly explain methods, data sources, and value conclusions.
What lenders look for in our reports:
- Plain-language explanations they can share with credit and examiners
- Clear identification of each asset and its role in the business
- Market-supported values tied to recent sales and auction data
- Explicit value type (fair market, orderly liquidation, forced sale, etc.)
Fleet Owners & Operators
Fleet owners and operators use appraisals to understand what their iron is really worth (beyond book numbers or dealer estimates). They need a realistic picture when they’re buying, selling, consolidating yards, or evaluating whether to hold, rebuild, or replace key units.
How fleet owners use our values:
- Planning buy–sell or trade cycles for major machines
- Comparing “run it longer” vs. replacement scenarios
- Supporting internal capital allocation and budgeting
- Documenting values for insurance schedules and risk reviews
CPAs & Financial Advisors
CPAs and financial advisors rely on equipment appraisals when they need supportable numbers for financial statements, tax planning, and transaction work. They’re not looking for hype, they’re looking for a clear trail from assumptions to conclusions.
Where CPAs use equipment appraisals:
- Purchase price allocations and business combinations
- Estate, gift, and trust planning involving machinery-heavy businesses
- Impairment testing and balance sheet reviews
- Support for tax positions tied to equipment values
Attorneys & Legal Professionals
Attorneys and legal professionals use our appraisals when equipment values are central to a dispute or agreement. They need reports that can stand up to questioning, be understood by judges and mediators, and clearly separate facts, assumptions, and opinions.
Legal matters where our reports are used:
- Shareholder and partner disputes involving equipment-heavy businesses
- Divorce cases with significant machinery and fleet assets
- Business breakups, buyouts, and forced sales
- Litigation support where opposing parties disagree on value
Insurance Carriers & Risk Managers
Insurance carriers, adjusters, and risk managers use our equipment appraisals to document values before a loss, support claims after an event, and validate whether existing schedules still reflect reality. They need clear, defensible numbers when negotiating with insureds, reinsurers, and internal stakeholders.
Where insurance teams use equipment values:
- Establishing and updating equipment schedules and limits
- Supporting loss and damage claims after fires, accidents, or weather events
- Validating reported values during underwriting and renewals
- Comparing repair, rebuild, and replacement scenarios for major units
Turnaround & Restructuring Professionals
Turnaround consultants and restructuring professionals rely on equipment appraisals when they’re stabilizing a distressed business, negotiating with lenders, or planning an orderly wind-down. They need a grounded view of what the iron is really worth under different scenarios, not just optimistic book numbers.
How turnaround teams use our reports:
- Assessing collateral coverage for existing and proposed credit facilities
- Prioritizing which assets to keep, idle, sell, or scrap
- Supporting negotiations with lenders, investors, and key vendors
- Modeling outcomes under fair market, orderly liquidation, and forced-sale assumptions
If you’re in any of these roles and need defensible equipment values for an upcoming decision, you can start an appraisal using the form at the top of this page.
Testimonials & Case Results
Our reports don’t just check a box, they get used in real decisions. SBA and community lenders, local governments, contractors, turnaround teams and donors have used our equipment appraisals to support lending, purchases, and charitable contributions. Here are a few examples of how our work has been put to use:
Community bank lending
“I was very pleased with the speed and thoroughness of your work and will recommend you to others needing appraisal services.”
Case result: Supported a loan modification for a local farm with collateral coverage of roughly 300% of the loan, using a desktop appraisal of ~90 pieces of equipment and trucks that satisfied internal audit, credit and appraisal review requirements.
Local government finance
“The information provided was timely and assisted tremendously in our decision on the machine. We will look to Heavy Equipment Appraisal for future needs of our organization.”
Case result: Enabled the Solid Waste Committee to purchase used Bomag compactors within the 5% price tolerance required by Tennessee law, based on a series of desktop appraisals on landfill compactors and a dozer documenting fair market value under Tennessee Code Annotated.
SBA / business lending
“Thanks for the quick turn and the professional approach to getting this done for all concerned.”
Case result: Allowed CRF to satisfy SBA requirements and close a business loan before month end, using a rush on-site appraisal of a 100+ unit excavation fleet after a prior desktop review was rejected by the SBA.
Construction contractor
“I am looking to buy another machine & NEED your equipment appraisal services again.”
Case result: Helped his credit union finance two used machines at prices thousands below supported fair market value, through desktop appraisals of a 2005 Ingersoll-Rand ZX-75 midi excavator and a 1995 Cat D3C LGP dozer that reinforced his negotiations.Non-profit & tax documentation
“Their staff is very professional, responsive and detailed. We couldn’t be more pleased and highly recommend their services.”
Case result: Documented a like-kind charitable contribution to a religious non-profit for income tax reporting, via a desktop appraisal of a low-hour 2007 Case 580M II loader backhoe and a completed IRS Form 8283.Turnaround / partner buyout
“The report looks good to everyone. Thank you for being so professional and accommodating throughout the process.”
Case result: Provided a USPAP-compliant third-party valuation to price a partner buyout, with an on-site appraisal of ~150 trucks, trailers, loaders, tractors and lifts in New Mexico that was shared with the owners’ attorney, accountant and lenders.
If you’re facing a similar lending, tax or transaction decision and need defensible equipment values, you can start an appraisal using the form at the top of this page.
Let’s Find Out What Your Equipment is Worth Today!
Tell us what you own, where it’s located and why you need a heavy equipment appraisal. We’ll respond within one business day with pricing and next steps for a desktop or on-site assignment.