A 35 millimetre downpour of heavy rain didn't deter bidders at last week's Kimbinya clearing sale, Beaumont, 120km north east of Esperance.
Hosted by Brindley & Gale Landmark Esperance, a total of 147 registered bidders attended the sale held on behalf of Peter and Wendy Harkness, trading as Kimbinya Enterprises.
The sale saw buyers from as far north as Wubin and as far west as Williams, as well as a strong contingent from the local Esperance shire.
A total of 168 lots were presented and included a good range of grain handling equipment, machinery and sundry items which achieved a gross of $513,735.
Sale top price went to a well maintained Case IH STX 375 4WD tractor (3255 hours), chipped to 336kW (450hp).
It attracted a lot of attention before the sale, reflected by the competitive bidding, which saw it finally knocked down to AD George & Co, Corrigin, for $140,000.
In front of a sea of umbrellas and oilskin coats, Landmark Esperance auctioneer Neil Brindley began the sale, starting with a selection of sundry items.
There was some keen interest in the three piston air compressor with a Honda motor which reached $400 and the 37 millimetre (1.5in) Aussie pump with a Honda motor, which sold for $500.
A 1000 litre fire-fighting unit on a tandem axle trailer with a Davey pump and Honda motor sold for $2750.
Various air seeder parts were offered at the sale including stubble guards which sold for $550; 25cm (10in) Harrington sweeps to suit a 12 metre (40ft) bar ($200); Harrington knife points ($400) and some Morris air seeder plumbing (to $120).
The weather showed some promise of being a little kinder and eased off as attention turned to a selection of sheep handling equipment.
Three Lister shearing heads sold for between $50 and $75 while a Sunbeam Super-Pro shearing head made $450.
A TPW 480V wool press was knocked down for $2700, a set of ARC Engineering sheep yard panels and trailer sold for $1200 and Ruddweigh sheep scales with draft sold for $600.
A total of 13 field bins were offered in the sale and attracted attention from mostly local bidders.
Starting with three 20T Stearnes open top mobile field bins, the top-selling bin reached $200, followed by a 30T Parker open top mobile field bin which made $1100.
A 30T Parker mobile field bin with a lift-off lid was knocked down for $2500.
The butterfly lid field bins attracted the highest prices with a 36T Parker field bin selling for $8500 and a 40T Parker field bin for $10,500.
The top-priced bin was a 60T ECF field bin with a butterfly lid that was purchased new in 2016, and sold for $15,500.
Two farm trucks proved popular lots with a farm-licensed Atkins 4870 six wheeler with a Detroit Silver motor (311,648km) selling to Shamrock Heights, Condingup for $6000. Bidding then moved onto the farm-licensed Ford 8000 Louisville six wheel tipper with a 328 Cat Motor (15,195hrs) which was purchased by another local buyer, DG Styles, Condingup.
The Louisville was sold for $12,500 and included a hydraulic drive side delivery tail gate, a standard tail gate, hungry boards and roll tarp.
One of the highlights of the machinery lots and the second highest-priced item, was a well maintained Case IH 2588 Axial Flow header (2584 engine hours and 2238 rotor hours), with a 12m (36ft) Macdon front.
It attracted a lot of attention before selling to a York bidder for $115,000.
A Norrish 6.6m (22ft) seed and fertiliser bin, only worked for three seasons, was the subject of active bidding before it was sold for $41,000 to Shamrock Heights, Condingup.
Some of the other machinery lots that attracted competitive bidding were the 1041 Burando Hill swing-away auger with a 20kW (27hp) Vanguard motor which sold for $14,000 to DW & TM Inkster, Beaumont.
A Grain Commander 4110 hydraulic-drive auger with a 20kW motor was knocked down for $17,000 to NE & MM Wiech & Son, Beaumont, while a Burando Hill 1060 Farm King hydraulic drive auger realised $12,000.
A Western ripper sold for $10,000 while a 13.6m (45ft) hydraulic fold-out pea roller was knocked down for $8500 to Paningunya Farming Co, Esperance.
As the sale was finishing a large crowd of interested buyers remained focused on the remaining items.
Representatives from Falom Pty Ltd outbid other keen bidders to purchase lot 162, the Morris Concept 2000 12m (40ft) bar on 25cm (10in) row spacings, which was offered as a unit together with a Morris triple air seeder bin with a rear-loading grain auger.
This sold for $25,000.
Outside vendors, JW & JI McDonald & Sons offered a FH12 Volvo 1997 model 313kW (420hp) prime mover which sold for $10,000 while a 12m tri-axle flat top trailer sold for $6000 and a 12m Skel trailer sold for $3000.
Brindley & Gale's Peter Gale, was pleased with the number of buyers at the sale and the response to the high standard, well maintained and presented machinery.
"Peter and Wendy looked after their gear well and the maintenance and care that they took was reflected in the interest for the sale and number of buyers bidding on major items," he said.
"There were lots of people bidding on the big stuff."
For Peter and Wendy, it was a pleasing result with great support from fellow farmers.
"I couldn't control the weather while farming and right up to the last minute Mother Nature had the final say with the large amount of rain," he joked.
Farming in the area since 1982, Mr Harkness and his brother were among the first farmers in the area when they acquired a conditional purchase block.
"We're looking forward to a more relaxing pace of life without the seasonal ties of seeding and harvesting," he said.
