What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete transformers throughout North Carolina. This index covers 30 rating pages, from 15 kVA distribution units to 100 MVA power transformers.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 15 - 20,000 kVA | 34.5 kV | Liquid or dry |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
Reading the rating
A transformer’s kVA rating describes apparent power capacity, not its weight or physical footprint. One MVA equals 1,000 kVA, so a 100 MVA unit is rated at 100,000 kVA.
Record the primary voltage, secondary voltage and phase count alongside that number when identifying equipment for removal.
Read every capacity shown on the nameplate. An ONAN/ONAF transformer can carry separate ratings for natural cooling and fan-assisted cooling without changing tanks.
A photograph showing those ratings, impedance and temperature rise is more useful than a yard description calling the unit simply a 10 MVA transformer.
Local reality
Small distribution
At the small end, 15, 25, 37.5 and 50 kVA units often serve individual loads from overhead lines or ground-level enclosures. Single-phase connections may include a 7,200-volt primary and 120/240-volt secondary.
Pole brackets, bushings and residual oil still matter even when the tank fits on a pallet.
A compact distribution transformer may weigh hundreds of pounds, while larger examples reach into the low thousands. Verify the actual weight before choosing forks or a lifting sling.
A loose pallet is not a lifting fixture, and a bent pole bracket should not become an improvised pickup point.
Around the site
Commercial padmounts
Commercial sites commonly use three-phase padmounts in ratings such as 150, 300, 500, 750 and 1,000 kVA. Voltage pairings may include 12,470 to 480Y/277 volts or 12,470 to 208Y/120 volts.
The locked cabinet contains cable compartments that must be cleared before the tank leaves its concrete pad.
At this scale, shipping weight often moves into several thousand pounds, but construction creates substantial variation. Oil volume, winding material and cabinet dimensions all contribute.
Check elbow connections, bayonet fuse access and pad clearance; a forklift may lift the weight yet lack room to approach without striking bushings.
Where it sits
Industrial substation units
Ratings around 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 and 5,000 kVA commonly appear beside industrial switchgear. A 13,800-volt primary feeding a 480Y/277-volt secondary is one possible arrangement.
Unlike a freestanding padmount, a unit substation transformer may require separation from a bolted throat, bus connection or close-coupled secondary enclosure.
Larger industrial units can weigh tens of thousands of pounds, making crane access and trailer deck height decisive. Dry-type equipment needs protection for exposed windings; liquid-filled equipment needs sound tank closures.
Confirm whether the stated weight includes radiators, oil and attached enclosures before preparing a North Carolina hauling plan.
On the ground
Power transformers
Above distribution and plant-service ratings, power transformers in the 10 to 100 MVA range demand unit-specific transport planning. Connections such as 115 kV to 13.8 kV bring taller bushings, larger clearances and heavier tanks.
Nameplate capacity alone cannot establish whether the assembled transformer can travel on a lowboy.
Radiators, conservators and high-voltage bushings may need removal to meet transport dimensions. Some large units require engineered multi-axle hauling arrangements rather than a conventional trailer.
Use the manufacturer’s outline drawing and transport weight to distinguish the complete operating assembly from the main tank prepared for shipment through North Carolina.
Local reality
What the rating predicts about the move
The practical breakpoints are handling changes, not fixed kVA thresholds: pallet handling gives way to rigged loading, then to permitted heavy hauling. A flatbed may suit a low-profile unit; a step deck or lowboy may solve height problems.
Loaded height includes the trailer deck, blocking and transformer projections.
Start with certified weight when available, overall dimensions and photographs of lifting lugs. Crane selection depends on lift radius as well as load weight, and a spreader bar may protect the tank from sling compression.
North Carolina route review must account for bridge limits, overhead clearance and site access.
Around the site
When the rating is not the story
A failed 500 kVA padmount with a ruptured tank can require more preparation than an intact larger unit. Leaking gaskets, damaged bushings and fire exposure affect containment and lifting.
Oil condition and PCB documentation also matter; neither the kVA number nor the manufacturing date substitutes for records or testing.
Obsolete equipment can retain its nameplate rating while losing a safe removal path. A basement transformer, enclosed hospital service yard or substation behind a narrow gate may dictate dismantling or special rigging.
We review identification, condition and access together, including disconnect confirmation, before arranging a transformer pickup in North Carolina.
Local reality
How a rating is read in practice
kVA is the number sellers quote first and the one that matters least on its own.
A 500 kVA unit at 480 volts is a different object from a 500 kVA unit at 13.8 kV, with a different weight, a different pad and a different trailer.
The rating pages group units by size so a seller can find the handling notes that apply: what a forklift can take, where a crane becomes necessary and what the shipping weight usually comes to.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Can kVA determine a transformer’s shipping weight?
No. Two 1,000 kVA transformers can have different tank sizes, oil quantities, winding materials and enclosure arrangements. Use the nameplate weight or manufacturer’s drawing, then confirm whether it describes the complete unit or a shipping configuration with radiators, bushings or oil removed.
Service area
Which rating applies to a fan-cooled transformer?
Record all nameplate ratings and their cooling designations. A transformer marked ONAN/ONAF has natural-cooling and fan-assisted capacities. For identification, provide both values rather than only the higher MVA figure. Transport planning still depends on physical weight and dimensions, including any cooling equipment left attached.
Payment
Do failed transformers qualify regardless of kVA?
Transformer Buyers NC buys failed transformers as well as used, surplus and obsolete units. The rating identifies capacity, but a ruptured tank, oil leak or damaged lifting lug changes removal planning. Provide nameplate photographs, condition details, oil records and access measurements for the review.
Logistics
Commercial padmounts: what should a seller know?
Commercial sites commonly use three-phase padmounts in ratings such as 150, 300, 500, 750 and 1,000 kVA. Voltage pairings may include 12,470 to 480Y/277 volts or 12,470 to 208Y/120 volts.