Waco Equipment Appraisal
Heavy equipment valuations for Waco contractors, plants, farms and fleets. Starting at $295.
Waco equipment appraisal is a signed report that puts a certified value on each piece of heavy equipment you list: the cranes, excavators and paving machines of a highway contractor, the aerial lifts and forklifts of a plant or a fleet, and the tractors, hay balers and stock trailers of a farm in McLennan, Falls or Bosque County. The report follows the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and carries the signature of a Certified Machinery and Equipment Appraiser (CMEA).
- Machines in Waco, Marlin and Clifton can all go on one report.
- A desktop appraisal works from your photos and records, so a machine on a highway job keeps working.
- When a lender or a court asks for it, the equipment is inspected on site.
- The serial number or vehicle identification number (VIN) you send identifies each machine in the report.
- Before you commit to anything, the fee and the date of delivery are in writing.
- USPAP-compliant
- Signed by a CMEA
- Rated 5.0 on Google
How do I get a Waco equipment appraisal started?
1. Say what needs appraising
The form starts with the equipment: what kind, and how many pieces.
2. Choose the method and the date
Choose between a desktop appraisal and a visit to the equipment, tell us where the equipment is, and say when you need the report. The last question is where to send the quote.
3. Send the records
Once you accept the quote, send the list with serial numbers, hours or miles, and photos. If a machine is leased, say so.
What should a Waco equipment owner know first?
- The appraisal district
- A business in Waco lists its equipment each year with the McLennan Central Appraisal District on South 26th Street, the office that sets property tax values for the county. That list is called a rendition. Texas sets April 15 as the date, and the district’s FAQ says the same. Falls County and Bosque County each have a district of their own. McLennan Central Appraisal District
- Age and original cost
- The McLennan district’s FAQ says the age and original cost of property are very important and may help in determining its value. It also says the chief appraiser, who runs the district, may ask an owner to explain how a rendered value was determined. Keep the purchase date and price for each machine.
- Leased equipment
- The same FAQ says leased equipment is taxable to its owner as of January 1. If some of the machines in your yard are leased, tell us which ones when you order.
- Farm and ranch machinery
- The Texas Tax Code exempts machinery used in producing farm or ranch products from property tax. The McLennan district’s FAQ and forms page do not mention farm machinery, so a farm owner should ask the district before filing.
- Time to deliver
- With the records and photos in hand, a desktop report normally needs 7 to 10 business days. A short list of one or two machines can come back in 24 to 48 hours when you ask for a rush. An inspection on site adds travel time.
- Fee
- Starting at $295. A longer list, an inspection on site or a rush raises it.
What is particular to equipment around Waco?
A highway rebuild through the city, truck-mounted lifts and plant equipment, and hay, corn and cattle farms around it.
The Interstate 35 rebuild
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is rebuilding about three miles of Interstate 35 in Waco, from South Loop 340 to 12th Street, and widening the main lanes from six to eight. Work of this kind uses excavators, cranes and paving machines. A concrete paver is set up for a paving width, so say what width yours is set for and which extra parts come with it. For a crane, list the boom sections and send the latest inspection.
Truck-mounted lifts and plant equipment
The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce lists Versalift among the area’s manufacturers, and its table gives the product as aerial lifts, the boom-and-platform machines that raise a worker overhead. A lift mounted on a truck has two serial plates, one on the truck and one on the lift, and the two can differ in age because a lift is sometimes moved to a newer truck. Send both plates and the truck’s miles. For a forklift, give the hours, the capacity on its plate and, if it is electric, the age of the battery.
Hay, corn and cattle
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm census lists hay, corn and wheat as the main crops in McLennan County, with cattle, poultry and dairy cows on the livestock side. In Falls and Bosque counties, cattle bring in most of the farm sales. Many balers keep a count of the bales they have made, the way a tractor counts hours. Send that count with the baler’s year. For a tractor, say whether a front loader and other implements sell with it.
What clients have said
“Thank you for being so helpful in moving the report date to allow me to review and comply with my filing deadlines.”
“Appreciate your help…again.”
“I very much appreciate your working on Sunday to make this happen.”
What equipment is appraised around Waco?
Construction, plant, farm and trucking equipment in McLennan, Falls and Bosque counties, from one machine to a full yard.
Cranes
Crawler cranes, truck cranes and boom trucks, which are trucks with a crane mounted behind the cab. Include the boom sections and the latest inspection.
Earthmoving and paving
Excavators, dozers, motor graders, wheel loaders, asphalt pavers and concrete pavers. Photograph the hour meter.
Aerial lifts and forklifts
Aerial lifts on trucks, boom lifts, which raise a worker on a platform, and forklifts. Note the capacity plate on each.
Tractors and hay equipment
Tractors with their loaders, hay balers and the other hay equipment on a farm.
Semi trucks and trailers
Semi trucks and dump trucks, and the flatbeds, lowboys and stock trailers that semi trucks pull. A lowboy is the low trailer that moves a machine. Each unit needs its VIN, and each truck needs its miles.
Generators
Standby and portable generators. Give the hours and the rated output on the plate.
Something else? Name it on the form.
How do I choose a Waco equipment appraiser?
Will the report show which machines are leased?
The McLennan district’s FAQ says leased equipment is taxable to its owner as of January 1. Ask whether the appraiser lists each machine as owned or leased, and mark which is which on your list.
Will each machine get its own value?
The McLennan district may ask you to explain how you arrived at a value. One total for a whole yard explains little. Ask for a figure for each machine, with its year and serial number beside it.
Can the report meet a date at 800 Franklin Avenue?
The federal district clerk and the bankruptcy court’s Waco office share that address. If the report is for a case there, put the court date on the form and have the delivery date confirmed in writing.
Which Waco offices and courts come into an equipment file?
The McLennan Central Appraisal District. An owner who disagrees with the value the district sets can file a protest. The district’s FAQ gives the deadline as May 15 or 30 days after the notice of value was sent, whichever is later. An independent appraisal can go to that hearing. McLennan Central Appraisal District
The federal courts. The Waco Division of the Western District of Texas takes in 13 counties, McLennan, Falls and Bosque among them. Its clerk is at 800 Franklin Avenue, and the bankruptcy court’s Waco Division office is in the same building.
Lenders and the SBA. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lists McLennan, Falls and Bosque counties under its Dallas/Fort Worth District Office, which is in Euless. A bank may ask for fair market value, the price a willing buyer and seller would settle on, or orderly liquidation value, the lower price when the equipment must be sold within a limited time. Your lender will say which.
What do I send for a Waco appraisal?
- A list of the equipment with the year, make and model of each piece.
- The serial number of every machine and the VIN of every truck and trailer.
- Hours or miles, and the bale count on a baler that keeps one.
- Photos showing the whole machine, the serial plate and the meter. For a lift on a truck, photograph both plates.
- The purchase date and price, if you have them.
- A note of which machines are leased and which you own.
Which towns around Waco are covered?
McLennan, Falls and Bosque counties, including:
- Waco
- Hewitt
- Woodway
- Robinson
- Bellmead
- Lacy-Lakeview
- McGregor
- Lorena
- West
- Mart
- Riesel
- Moody
- China Spring
- Marlin
- Rosebud
- Clifton
- Meridian
- Valley Mills
McLennan County shares the Dallas/Fort Worth SBA office. Fort Worth equipment appraisal
Bell and Coryell counties are in the Waco Division. Killeen and Temple equipment appraiser
Robertson County, north of Bryan, is in the Waco Division as well. College Station and Bryan equipment appraiser
What else do Waco equipment owners ask?
Who sells heavy equipment, farm equipment and trucks in Waco?
HOLT CAT, the Caterpillar dealer, says its store on West Loop 340 sells, services and rents heavy equipment. Kirby-Smith Machinery in Hewitt lists Komatsu among its brands and offers new, used and rental machines. United Ag & Turf is the John Deere dealer on South Interstate 35, and Rush Truck Centers in Robinson sells Peterbilt, Hino and Isuzu trucks, new and used. Ritchie Bros. auction results also include machines located in Waco.
Do you appraise equipment in Hillsboro?
Yes. Hillsboro is in Hill County, which shares Waco’s federal court division and SBA office and has its own appraisal district.
Does a farm have to list its tractors and balers for property tax?
State law exempts farm and ranch production machinery from property tax. The McLennan district’s FAQ does not cover farm machinery, so ask the district how it handles yours. An appraisal gives the market value of each machine in either case.
I sell heavy equipment in Waco. Is my inventory listed the same way?
The McLennan district’s forms page lists a separate Dealer’s Heavy Equipment Inventory Declaration for a dealer’s machines. When you order, tell us which machines are inventory and which you use in the business.
Get a quote for your Waco equipment appraisal
Cranes, excavators, pavers, aerial lifts, forklifts, tractors, hay equipment and semi trucks in McLennan, Falls and Bosque counties, appraised for contractors, plants, farms, lenders and courts. Four questions on the form bring a quote to your inbox.