What Caterpillar machines cost in Australia

Used Caterpillar excavators are listed from $47,500 for a 2019 304E2 CR to $188,000 for a 2023 320GC, and used track loaders from $75,000 to $102,000. Caterpillar publishes no prices, so most new machines are price on application, but a new 320 is listed at $225,000 and a new 950GC wheel loader at $325,000, all ex GST.

A Caterpillar is priced by its size, hours and age, and by who is selling it, not by the badge alone. Caterpillar does not publish an Australian price list and most new machines are shown as price on application, so the useful numbers are in used listings and a handful of new ones. This guide sets out what 11 used excavators, six loaders and four dozers or wheel loaders ask across NSW, VIC, QLD and WA, the new prices that are published, how a used Cat compares with a like for like Komatsu, and how a purchase is funded. It suits earthmoving contractors, civil and plant hire firms, farmers and owner operators.

What used Cat excavators are listed for

A Caterpillar is priced by its hours, its age and who is selling it. Caterpillar does not publish prices for its Australian machines, and most new machines are advertised as price on application, so the real numbers sit in used listings. This table is the used excavator range, from the 3 tonne class to 36 tonnes, from Machines4U listings opened on 1 November 2026. Prices are ex GST as shown on each listing. Hours and condition are the seller's claims. Figures are indicative market data and not Ventas offers. For other brands, read our excavator price guide.

Three things stand out. Weight sets the price band: the used machines here run from $47,500 for a 2019 304E2 CR to $188,000 for a 2023 320GC, and the 20 to 36 tonne machines cluster at $149,000 to $188,000 whatever their hours. A 2018 336F with 8,450 hours asks $159,500, which is $9,500 less than the 2018 320 with 6,399 hours, so size alone does not decide it. Hours and age matter more within a model: the 2023 320GC with 1,628 hours asks $188,000, $19,000 or 11 per cent more than the 2018 320 with 4,771 more hours (our arithmetic). And the listings contradict themselves. Eight of the 11 rows have a conflict in hours, location or GST basis, so match the serial number and location to the invoice before you pay a deposit. The 315F LCR header says no GST, while its text says plus GST.

New Caterpillar prices

New Caterpillar prices are rarely shown. On the Machines4U Caterpillar brand pages, five of the new Cat excavator listings (1213769, 1213762, 1267164, 1211344 and 476912) were price on application, and a 2026 320 listing contradicts itself by showing $225,000 in the price field and POA in its text. These are the new or near-new prices that were published on 1 November 2026.

Treat them as a guide to the order of magnitude, not a quote. A dealer quote includes the bucket package, delivery, warranty and any Cat Extended Protection Plan, and the 303CR, 330GC and 950GC listings all say to confirm additional costs with the seller. The used 2023 320GC at $188,000 asks 84 per cent of the $225,000 new 320 (our arithmetic), though the new one is a different model with a grab and long reach fitted.

Cat skid steers and track loaders

Compact track loaders and skid steers are where Caterpillar prices are easiest to read, because the 259D3 is sold in volume. The Machines4U 259D3 page showed 11 listings on 1 November 2026. The table uses six that were opened, all ex GST. For the same loaders against Bobcat and Kubota, see our Bobcat price guide.

Four 2020 to 2021 259D3 listings from 618 to 1,185 hours ask $88,000 to $102,000, so the spread within one model is about $14,000 and the Western Australian machine with three attachments asks the most. The 2022 299D3 asks $175,000 with 1,300 hours, and the 2023 239D3 asks $75,000 with 1,150 hours. Check the hours and the attachments in the price. Some listings include a hi-flow auxiliary or a 4-in-1 bucket and some do not.

Dozers and wheel loaders

Larger Caterpillar machines are priced in a different range. These four listings, all ex GST, show how far hours and age move a dozer or loader.

The 2018 950GC wheel loader at $89,000 has 18,320 hours, and the new 2026 950GC with 5 hours asks $325,000, so the used price is 27 per cent of the new one (our arithmetic). The D6 dozers ask between $229,900 and $350,000 and the order follows hours and age, with the 2016 D6T, sold by a Caterpillar supplier, the dearest at $350,000. Mid-size dozers and wheel loaders are priced per machine, so the useful numbers are the hours and the undercarriage condition, which a listing rarely states.

A used Cat against a Komatsu

Komatsu is the closest rival in the 20 tonne class. The table shows 20 to 22 tonne excavators from both brands, all ex GST, from Machines4U on 1 November 2026.

The answer depends on who is selling. The 2018 Komatsu PC200 with 5,270 hours asks $100,000, which is $69,000 or 41 per cent less than the 2018 Cat 320 with 6,399 hours (our arithmetic). But the Cat is a dealer machine with GPS grade control, a tilt hitch and a mud bucket, and the Komatsu is a Gold member with two listings. The Komatsu Australia machines tell another story: a 2017 PC210LCi-10 with 2,764 hours asks $180,000, and a 2023 PC210LC-11 with 1,778 hours asks $240,000, 28 per cent above the $188,000 for a 2023 Cat 320GC with 1,628 hours (our arithmetic). At the cheap end a 2012 PC200-8 with 13,320 hours asks $55,000. So a used Cat is not dearer by default. The brand has little to do with it. Hours, the seller's margin, what is fitted and whether a dealer stands behind it explain most of the gap. Komatsu SMR is a service meter reading and may not match engine hours.

Financing a Caterpillar purchase

Caterpillar earthmoving plant is mainstream security for lenders. Machines4U showed 168 Caterpillar excavator results and 96 skid steer results on 1 November 2026, so a lender can see what a machine resells for. The usual structure is a chattel mortgage: you own the machine from settlement, the lender registers its interest on the PPSR, and a GST-registered buyer claims the GST back on the next BAS. Attachments can go on the same facility. Ask your accountant about the tax treatment. Ventas is a finance broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here. They change with the lender, the security and the file.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A realistic purchase of a used 2023 Cat 320GC at the $188,000 ex GST asking price:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

Debt here is 80 per cent of the machine price, which is common for late-model plant from a dealer. Some lenders go higher on a newer machine with a good file, and some go lower on an older one. A property-backed loan can fund the deposit if cash is tight, at the cost of putting your property at risk.

Where lenders are cautious. Lenders get careful with machines near an age limit at the end of the term, high-hour machines such as the 10,000 hour 323 or the 18,320 hour wheel loader, private and auction purchases that need an inspection, listings where hours, location or GST basis do not match the paperwork (several here), buyers on a new ABN with no work lined up, and sellers who add a buyer charge on top of the price.

What makes a Cat deal fundable:

• A clean machine record. Serial number, service history and an inspection report that match the invoice.
• A dealer or licensed seller. Easier than a private sale for most lenders.
• Work lined up. A contract, a hire arrangement or past jobs that show the machine will earn.
• A track record. Lodged BAS and bank statements, and an ABN of some age.
• A deposit. Cash or property that covers the gap between the price and the loan.

To get a number from Ventas, send the listing or dealer quote, the serial number and hours, the work the machine is going to do, your ABN and BAS history, and the deposit you can put in. Start at earthmoving finance, see excavator finance, or read how to finance a used excavator. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.