I manage procurement for a mid-sized aggregates company. I’ve controlled the equipment budget for six years, tracked every invoice, and negotiated with more vendors than I can count. When we needed a mobile screening plant, the Kleemann MS953i was on the shortlist. This is the checklist I used—and still use—when I’m comparing capital equipment.

If you’re a smaller operator, this applies double. Most equipment advice assumes you have a plant manager, a maintenance chief, and an in-house engineering team. Most of us don’t.

Before the Checklist: Make Sure You’re Talking to the Right Kleemann

Here’s something nobody warns you about: Kleemann is also the name of a Spanish elevator company. Search for “kleemann ascensores” and you’ll get lifts, not crushers. I once sent an RFQ to the wrong Kleemann address because I trusted a Google result. It cost me a week and a lot of embarrassment. Maybe two weeks.

Check the domain, check the legal entity, and if you’re dealing with a dealer, get the manufacturer’s confirmation in writing. It’s a dumb error, and it’s preventable.

The Kleemann MS953i Checklist: Five Checks Before You Sign

1. Define the job before the machine

The fastest way to overspend is to start with a model number. The MS953i is a high-capacity mobile screen. It wants the right feed, the right conveyors, and enough room to work. Write down your actual conditions: feed size, moisture, throughput, required products, site layout, power availability.

What I mean is, the difference between a smooth setup and a “we’ll figure it out later” setup is usually a conversation that should happen before the purchase order. Be specific. If your material is sticky or frozen, say so. If your loader bucket is small, say that. The dealer can’t fix what you didn’t mention.

2. Check the machine’s history—and its house

Hours are only a starting point. I’ve seen a 2,000-hour screen look rough because it spent its life outdoors in the weather. A higher-hour unit with a serious in-house maintenance program can be a better buy. Ask for service records. Ask who operated it, who serviced it, and where it lived. If the current owner won’t give you a mechanic’s number, treat that as a red flag.

Look at the screen media, conveyor belts, and hydraulic hoses. Those are the first things to fail. If the machine had a maintenance contract, ask for the report summaries. That gives you more than the hour meter.

3. Build a TCO spreadsheet, not a purchase order

This is where I sound like a cost-control nerd. Good.

The sticker price is one line. Add freight, customs, commissioning, spare parts, screen media, consumables, downtime risk, and resale value. Usually the “cheap” machine wins on paper until you add those lines.

We once saved about $12,000 on a lower quote for a screening plant—I want to say $12,000, but don’t quote me on the exact figure. Then we paid $14,500 for conveyor fit-up before it ran. The cheap option gained $2,500 in cost and lost a month.

The surprise wasn’t the price difference. The surprise was the support after the invoice. The vendor that sold the cheaper unit didn’t carry spare parts for our setup. We waited six weeks for a belt. Simple. The total cost math was ugly.

4. Verify parts, support, and the legal entity

This is the step most people skip, and it’s the one that matters. Ask for a local parts list. Ask what’s in stock. Ask the dealer to introduce you to a mechanic who has worked on the MS953i. Ask how long it takes to get a screen panel or a belt.

And before you commit, verify the exact manufacturer identity. There is Kleemann the mobile crushing and screening equipment brand—and then there’s Kleemann Ascensores. Search “kleemann ascensores” and you’ll see an elevator company. If your email says “Kleemann MS953i parts request” and it lands in an elevator company’s inbox, you won’t get a useful reply. I learned this the hard way.

If you’re a small buyer, this is also your chance to test how the vendor treats you. I started with a $200 parts order from a dealer who answered my questions honestly. They still get our bigger orders today. Small doesn’t mean unimportant—it means potential.

5. Inspect hydraulics and safety systems

This is the non-glamorous part. Oh, and bring a torch. Check for hydraulic leaks, cracked fittings, loose screen tension, worn conveyor belt scrapers, damaged emergency stops, guards, and access platforms. If the machine is running, listen for unusual vibrations. If it’s idle, ask for a load test.

We didn’t have a formal inspection checklist for years. The third time we nearly bought a machine with a hidden hydraulic problem, I finally created one. Now it’s part of every purchase contract. It took one afternoon to write and it has saved me more than I want to admit.

Three Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To

  • The freight shortcut. Saved $80 by skipping the dealer’s recommended transport. Then paid $400 for a rush reorder when we missed the demo deadline. One week of delay for $80. Not smart.
  • The verbal promise. A sales manager agreed to include extra screen media “if everything works out.” It didn’t. Get everything in writing. If it’s not in the quote, it is not part of the deal.
  • Searching without checking the domain. “Kleemann ascensores” is a real thing. So is the wrong kind of Kleemann. Two minutes of checking can save you a week.

The Bottom Line for Smaller Buyers

Look, I’m not going to tell you that the MS953i is the right machine for everyone. It’s not. But if it fits your tonnage, your material, and your support budget, it’s a serious asset.

As of January 2025, the price environment for used mobile screens is still full of uncertainty. Get a recent cost check from a dealer, not from a blog. Ask for current prices, lead times, and availability. Then run the TCO spreadsheet. If the numbers work, the machine works.

By the way, if you found this page while looking for “kleemann ascensores”, “house”, “second congress”, or “is eddie going out of business?”—I’m not going to pretend to answer those. The elevator company is real, but it’s not this Kleemann. “House” could mean an in-house maintenance program, and I covered that above. The “second congress” is not something I can help with. And Eddie? No idea. Check your URLs.