Your excavator is parked in a shared yard in Adelaide over the weekend. Someone breaks the cabin window, sprays paint inside and cuts exposed hydraulic lines. On Monday the machine will not start and fluids have leaked out, so you take photos and arrange repairs to get back on site.

Malicious damage and vandalism are often covered under construction equipment insurance. It can help pay to repair insured plant damaged on site or in storage, subject to conditions and excess.

During a job near Perth, your loader develops an oil leak and the engine bay catches fire. You use an extinguisher quickly, but the wiring, belts and hoses are badly damaged. The machine is off the road and needs transport to a repairer before it can return to site.

Fire damage is commonly covered as part of machinery insurance cover. It may help pay to repair insured machinery damaged by fire and smoke, up to the sum insured, subject to terms.

On a sloped driveway in regional NSW, your skid steer hits a hidden rut and tips onto its side. The boom twists, the cabin door bends and hydraulic hoses split. The machine is not safe to operate, so you organise a tow and urgent repairs to keep work moving.

Accidental damage like collision or rollover is often covered by plant and equipment insurance. It can help pay for repairs or replacement parts, subject to your limit and excess.

Your excavator is left on a fenced job site in Sydney with the bucket locked. Overnight, thieves force the gate and remove the machine and a set of attachments. You discover it at 6am, contact police and the job is delayed while you source replacement gear.

Theft and attempted theft are commonly covered under mobile plant insurance. It can help pay to replace the stolen plant and repair damage caused during the theft, up to your sum insured.

After a service, a non genuine hose is fitted and bursts the next day, damaging nearby wiring. You claim for the hose and the cost to redo the service work. The damage is traced to faulty workmanship or defective parts supplied during maintenance.

Faulty workmanship or defective parts are normally excluded. Cover may apply only for resulting damage, not the faulty work itself.

Your loader overheats on a hot day because the coolant was low and the radiator was clogged. The engine seizes and needs major work. You claim for the engine rebuild, but records show missed servicing and no pre-start checks before the job.

Loss caused by lack of maintenance, neglect or poor servicing is usually excluded. Insurers expect reasonable care and regular servicing.

A hydraulic pump in your skid steer fails mid job and the machine stops. There is no collision, fire or outside impact, just internal failure. You claim for a new pump and labour, but the cause is an internal mechanical or electrical breakdown.

Mechanical or electrical breakdown is commonly excluded unless caused by an insured event like impact or fire. It is an internal failure.

Your excavator has been running with a loose track roller for weeks. One morning the track slips off and damages the guards. You lodge a claim for repairs, but the assessor finds the failure came from worn parts and gradual deterioration, not a sudden accident.

Policies usually exclude wear and tear, rust, corrosion and gradual deterioration over time. It is maintenance, not an insured event.