Pre-Shipment Inspection: 12-Point Checklist

Most machinery orders settle the balance before the container sails. That is normal in this trade, and it is also the moment a buyer carries the most risk. A pre-shipment inspection turns a blind payment into a documented decision.

Here is the checklist we run on our own shipments. You can hand it to your inspector or work through it on a video call.

Why we check before the container leaves, not after it lands

Once a container is on the water, your options shrink fast. Fixing a wrong engine, a missing guard or a hydraulic setup that does not match the order means return freight, re-import paperwork, and a selling season that quietly disappears while you argue. At the factory, before the doors are sealed, the same three problems cost you a day.

None of this has to be elaborate. It has to be specific, photographed, and measured against the specification you ordered.

The twelve-point pre-shipment checklist

1. Confirm the model and serial numbers

Every machine carries a serial number, and those numbers belong on the packing list. We photograph each identification plate next to the unit it belongs to, because that is how you reconcile the container contents later, when nobody remembers which crate went where.

2. Verify the engine is the one ordered

Engine brand, model and displacement are among the most commonly substituted parts in this business. Photograph the engine plate on every unit. If you ordered a named brand, read the plate. Paint colour and a sticker on the hood prove nothing.

3. Check dimensions against the specification

Get a tape on the working width, overall length and height. A mower sold as 800mm that measures 700mm is a different product, and it will not cover the area your customer was promised.

4. Verify hydraulic and mechanical function

Run every powered function through a full cycle while you watch: dump rams, lift cylinders, mixer drums, cutting decks, track movement in both directions, blade or auger engagement. If a function works one way and not the other, that is a fault, not a break-in characteristic.

5. Test the remote control at full range

On remote-controlled machines, walk the transmitter out to the specified range and keep watching. Control should stay continuous, and on signal loss the machine must stop rather than carry on. Test every button on the transmitter, the emergency stop included.

6. Inspect the tracks, tyres and running gear

Look for track tension, damage, odd wear, and leaks around the final drives. Check wheel bearings for play. Confirm the tyre type matches the specification, since industrial and agricultural tyres are not interchangeable for every job.

7. Check for fluid leaks

Hydraulic and fuel leaks are the defect we find most often at the finish line. Look under the machine after it has run, not only at the fittings. A weep onto the deck or the chassis floor is cheap to fix now and expensive to explain six weeks later.

8. Confirm safety devices are fitted and functional

Guards, emergency stops, roll-over protection where specified, warning decals in the right language, and the operator manual in the language of the destination market. A machine that ships without its guard cannot be sold legally in most markets, so there is no workaround here.

9. Verify paint, welds and finish

Check structural welds for porosity and incomplete fusion, then look at edges and corners, which is where corrosion starts. This is not cosmetics. A machine that corrodes inside a container will corrode in the field.

10. Confirm accessories and spare parts

Tools, spare blades, filters, belts and any wear parts you ordered should be counted against the packing list and photographed. Accessories are the item that quietly goes missing, and counting them takes two minutes at the factory.

11. Review the compliance documents

The certificate of conformity for your market, EPA for the United States and CE declaration for the European Union, plus the engine approval evidence and the noise data for outdoor equipment. Read them and check they name the model you are actually receiving, not the model family.

12. Photograph the loading and the sealed container

Ask for photographs of each unit in position, the chocks and lashing, and the sealed container with its number visible. That set of images is your evidence trail if the shipment arrives damaged or short-landed.

Running the inspection remotely

Nobody needs to fly to a factory for a first order. A live video call with a walk-round works well, provided you control the sequence rather than letting the camera wander.

Send the checklist beforehand and book a time, rather than calling when someone happens to be free.
Ask the camera to show the serial plate and engine plate on the unit being shipped, not on a showroom machine.
Have each powered function demonstrated on camera, in both directions.
Let the machine run for several minutes so a leak has time to show itself.
Finish with the packed units and the loading plan, and ask for the photographs by email the same day.

A supplier who finds this routine is a supplier with a working quality process. One who resists, postpones, or shows you a different machine each time is telling you something useful while the balance is still in your account.

What to do when the inspection finds a problem

Finding a defect before shipment is a success, not a failure. The remedy should be written into the order in advance.

Minor finish issues: corrected before loading, with fresh photographs as evidence.
Wrong component: replaced and re-inspected. Do not accept a promise to ship the correct part with your next order.
Wrong model or configuration: the machine is rebuilt to specification, or left out of the shipment and refunded.
Missing documents: release the balance only once the documents exist. A customs authority cannot issue a certificate retroactively.

Agree these remedies when you place the order, not when a problem turns up. Without a stated remedy, a defect becomes a negotiation with a container waiting at the gate, and you will lose it more often than you win.

Questions we get asked

Can I inspect the machines before paying the balance?

Yes, and we would rather you did. Ask for photographs and a live video walkthrough of the exact units on your order before the balance goes out, then confirm the loading photographs afterwards, once the container is packed and sealed with its number visible. Nothing in that sequence slows the shipment down.

Do you allow third-party inspections?

Yes. Independent inspection companies are welcome at the factory, and we schedule access around the date your production is due to finish. Bring your own inspector or appoint one locally. Have them photograph the same items on our checklist, and the report will stand up if you ever need to rely on it.

What should I photograph during a remote inspection?

The serial plate and engine plate on each unit, every powered function mid-cycle, the safety devices and decals, the area under the machine after it has run, and the packed units beside the loading plan. Take a wide shot of each machine too, so you can tell which unit a close-up belongs to later.

What if a machine fails inspection?

It gets corrected or replaced before loading, and we send new photographs to prove it. Minor finish faults are touched up. A wrong component is swapped and re-inspected. A wrong model is rebuilt or held back and refunded. Agreeing that remedy when you order is what keeps the conversation short.

Do the machines ship with the operator manual?

Yes, in the language of the destination market, and packed with the machine rather than posted separately. An operator standing beside a machine cannot work from a file sitting in an inbox, and the manual is part of what you paid for, so check it is in the crate before the container is sealed.

Want this checklist applied to your order before the container is sealed? Send us the models and the destination port and we will schedule the inspection walkthrough, then email the photographs the same day. Prefer your own inspector in our yard? Tell us when you order and we will arrange access around the production date. You can also ask for the checklist as a printable file for your own team.

Pre-Shipment Inspection: 12-Point Machinery Checklist