Took a gamble on a used power trowel from a farm auction, still shocked it works

I have always been the type to buy new tools because I hate surprises on the job. But last spring I went to a farm auction outside Columbus with my buddy, and they had a 36 inch power trowel sitting in the back of a barn. The blades were rusted and the engine looked like it had been through a dust storm, but the price was only $400 and my current one was on its last legs. I figured worst case I part it out for scrap, so I loaded it up and spent two weekends cleaning the carb and replacing the belts. First pour I did with it was a 2,400 square foot garage floor and it ran smooth the whole time, no hiccups. I checked the hour meter and it read 1,900 hours, which should be way past its prime, but the gearbox feels tight. I am wondering if anyone else has had luck with auction tools or if I just got lucky this one time. What is the oldest piece of equipment you have bought used and actually trusted on a paying job?

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dixon.willow5d ago

Went to a surplus auction four years back and grabbed a rusty 10 inch table saw for $85. The fence was bent and the blade guard was missing so I almost passed, but I straightened the fence with a mallet and it still cuts true today. Used it to rip all the framing for a deck addition last summer, which was a paying job, and it never stalled once. Sometimes you just catch a machine that was rode hard but put up wet, and it keeps going out of spite.