The importance of the serial number on heavy equipment

All equipment usually has a product identification number or also known as a serial number.

The serial number is an alphanumeric code designated by the manufacturer for each vehicle whose mission is to identify a specific machine in a batch. This number is usually on plates on the outside of the cabin and has the particularity of being different for each vehicle, so it’s considered a matchless distinctive feature.

Through the serial number, you can perform the following tasks:

-When requesting spare parts using the machine’s serial number, the probability of error is less because an official distributor will take this information into account for a collation of available parts for your equipment in its database and inventory.

-Get the correct operation and maintenance manuals if necessary. Although there are identical models of machinery manufactured in different years or countries, these could have other parts for compliance with standards or technological improvements with different manuals; that you can identify with the serial number.

-Correct identification of the equipment configuration. Different brands manufacture machinery with special configurations for a specific model. For example, there are excavators of the same model equipped with the standard long, long narrow undercarriage, reduced tailswing, zero tailswing, etc. The serial number can provide exact information on the original configuration of the machine.

In renowned brands such as Caterpillar and John Deere, the serial number may provide additional information about the manufacture of the equipment that you wish to consult, such as:

-Year of manufacture: Some companies associate part of the serial number with the year of manufacture of each machine. These cases are common if the brand follows the ISO 4030 and 3779 standards.

-Country of origin: Companies like Caterpillar associate a part of their serial number with the manufacturing country.

– Engine: Only some manufacturers through software systems will provide information associated with a specific machine. That is, they will give a unique and unrepeatable combination of serial numbers between engine and equipment. This way, you will be able to know if the vehicle received a replacement for this part.