The National Plant and Equipment Register recovered six pieces of equipment worth £100,000 last month.
The recoveries included helping Surrey police identify a JCB that had been stolen only 24 hours before.
The register also identified a Komatsu recovered in West Yorkshire as one stolen in Halifax two weeks earlier.
The register's Tim Purbrick said one insurer, impressed with the register's success, was now considering making registration a mandatory insurance condition.
