Lost $900 on a GPS guided rover that was pure hype

Bought a used GPS rover off a dealer in Phoenix last spring for $900. The thing couldnt hold a fixed solution on a cloudy day, let alone in our trench cuts. Spent 3 weekends trying to reflash the firmware and calibrate it with no luck. Anyone else get burned buying used survey gear from these online liquidators?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica9217d ago

That "couldnt hold a fixed solution" part hits close to home. My buddy in Tucson bought a used Trimble off some online auction site last fall, same kind of deal. He thought he was getting a steal at $850, but the thing would lose lock every time a truck drove past his job site. He tried every trick, new batteries, different radios, even called the manufacturer for help. Nothing worked, so he finally took it to a local repair shop. Turns out the board inside was fried from a bad wiring job someone did before. He ended up paying $400 just to get it working, so the "deal" wasnt a deal at all. I guess you really gotta know who you are buying from or just get lucky.

simon_carr7d ago

$400 to fix a board doesn't sound crazy for used gear. Most repair shops charge at least $100 an hour just to look at it. Your buddy could've probably sent it back to Trimble and gotten a refurb for not much more than that. The real issue is people treat online auctions like a lottery, then act surprised when they lose.