How this magazine came together
Hans Equipment started as a running notebook kept by two mechanics who were tired of seeing the same preventable failures come through the shop door. What began as handwritten checklists for their own customers grew into a publication built around one question: what does a machine actually need to keep working through a hard season?
2016
Two working mechanics in the Free State started keeping a shared binder of hydraulic pressure readings and undercarriage measurements from machines that came through for repair. The goal was simple: build a reference that showed what normal wear looked like versus what needed attention before the next job.
2018
After two years of refining the checklists, the first issue went out to a small group of backhoe and loader owners in the region. It covered fuel filter replacement and a simple method for bleeding diesel lines that had been causing repeated callouts. The response made it clear there was a real need for this kind of grounded material.
2020
The editorial team grew to include shop owners from different provinces who agreed to share their troubleshooting stories. Each issue started carrying a section where a workshop owner described a specific failure they had solved, including the small upgrades that saved them downtime. This became the backbone of the magazine's voice.
2022
Readers kept asking for step-by-step visuals they could follow beside the machine. The team started producing close-up photo sequences for common repairs, from adjusting track tension to replacing hydraulic hoses. These guides now form the core of every issue and are the most shared content among subscribers.
2024
As the readership grew beyond contractors to include farming operations, the content expanded to cover how maintenance habits affect equipment resale value. The magazine now regularly publishes comparisons of service records and what they mean when it comes time to sell or trade in a machine.
How Hans Equipment came to be
The magazine started with a simple frustration: too much advice came from people who had never turned a wrench on a tired loader. Over the years we built a different kind of publication, one shaped by mechanics, shop owners, and the machines they keep alive.
The first issue
In the beginning we printed a single sheet on hydraulic filter changes and left it at two equipment dealers. The response surprised us. Farmers and small contractors wanted the same straight talk, not glossy brochures. That first run of two hundred copies sold out in a week.
A key decision
Early on we realized the best material came from mechanics who worked on the ground. We shifted our interviews to shop floors and service bays. The change gave readers real troubleshooting stories and repair sequences they could actually follow, and it set the tone for every issue since.
Building trust
Readers kept asking for step-by-step visuals, so we started documenting common repairs in detail. Bleeding diesel lines, adjusting track tension, replacing worn fittings. Each guide is reviewed by a working mechanic before it goes to print, which keeps the advice honest and practical.
Growing the team
We brought on contributors who had run backhoes, tractors, and small fleets themselves. Their hands-on background means every article answers the questions that actually come up between jobs, not the ones from a marketing brief. That experience shapes our coverage of undercarriage wear and fuel management.
A noticeable result
Subscribers started telling us they had fixed problems themselves after reading our guides. A worn hydraulic hose, a clogged fuel line, a track tension issue. The magazine became a first stop before booking a service appointment, and that changed how we planned each new issue.
Looking ahead
We keep expanding the sections where workshop owners share their own troubleshooting wins and the small upgrades that saved them downtime. The goal stays the same: field-tested advice delivered before the next breakdown hits, written in plain shop-floor language.
Hans Equipment Review exists for one reason: to give small contracting and farming crews straight answers about keeping heavy machinery running. No glossy corporate talk, no sales pitches disguised as advice. Just field-tested routines and honest troubleshooting from people who turn wrenches for a living.
We are a small editorial team that spends more time in workshops than in meetings. Our contributors include mechanics who have rebuilt final drives in the mud, workshop owners who have seen every brand fail in the same way, and operators who log thousands of hours on backhoes, loaders, and tractors. We do not interview salespeople. We talk to the person who actually diagnosed the problem and fixed it.
Every issue starts with a question from a reader or a pattern we noticed across multiple shops. From there we build step-by-step guides that respect your time and your budget. If a repair is better left to a dealer, we say so plainly. If a small upgrade saves you a full day of downtime, we show you exactly how it is done.
If you run a backhoe, loader, or tractor and want to keep it working without unnecessary dealer visits, this magazine is for you. Our readers are owner-operators, small fleet managers, and farmers who maintain their own equipment. They do not need a lecture on basic safety. They need clear guidance on diagnosing a hydraulic leak, deciding whether to rebuild or replace a component, and planning maintenance around the season rather than around a breakdown.
Site supervisors and owner-operators who need machines ready at 6 a.m. and cannot afford a surprise failure mid-job.
People who maintain tractors and loaders between planting and harvest, often with limited shop time.
Independent mechanics who want to share troubleshooting stories and learn from other shops.
Each issue is planned around real maintenance routines and common failure points. We photograph actual repairs, draw simple diagrams when a photo is not enough, and test procedures on working machines before we publish them. If a tip only works in a perfect shop with every specialty tool, we leave it out. The advice has to hold up in a dusty barn or a muddy yard.
We also track resale value. Equipment that is maintained with regular hydraulic checks and proper track tension holds its value far better than machines that run until something breaks. Our guides keep that bigger picture in mind, so the work you do today protects the investment you made years ago.