SPECTATORS go to clearing sales for many reasons but they all like to watch the buyers at the end, who metaphorically slog it out to get the big ticket items.
For a while it seemed they would be disappointed as machine after machine was passed-in last week, at Ron and Erica Russell's clearing sale at Jerramungup.
But then the bids were called for on a big yellow Croplands RoGator self-propelled boomsprayer.
Just two bidders fired into action but they gave the crowd the performance they were seeking as Elders auctioneer Don Morgan steadily accepted $5000 increments all the way from an opening $300,000 call to Ken and Darren Hunt's $400,000 winning bid.
There were handshakes and congratulations for the two Woogenellup men in recognition, that despite plenty of six figure sums spent at clearing sales, $400,000 was still a significant amount of money to spend in an afternoon's outing.
The men were ecstatic saying they had clinched a bargain and had fully expected to pay another $50,000 for the RG1300B Croplands model that had done just 718 hours work.
According to Ken, if bought new it would have cost them about $485,000.
Last week's clearing sale marked a change of direction and a slow-down for the owners who have sold their three properties to an overseas investor.
They will continue to run the homestead farm after leasing it back but will move to another farm at Porongurup to run a new stud cattle enterprise.
The sale attracted 129 registered bidders but there was no inclination for most of the bidders to engage for the major plant and equipment items.
With no pressure to meet the day's market, Mr Russell had set reserve prices on many of the bigger and newer items.
Consequently, a Massey Ferguson 9560 harvester (1081 engine hours) with a 12.2m (40ft) Flexi front, a John Deere 9630 4WD tractor (1810hrs), a John Deere 1910 air cart and bar, a Bandit 1700 liquid fertiliser cart and a Massey Ferguson WR9760 swather (373hrs) with a 10.9m (36ft) front were still unsold at the end of the day with Mr Russell considering the option of sending them to South Australia.
Other items that failed to sell and were still up for negotiation included a John Deere 6520 front wheel-assist tractor (3905hrs) fitted with a self-levelling 741 front-end loader and a second John Deere 7800 FWA tractor.
While farmers were curiously reluctant in their bidding, a local earthmoving contractor had no problems digging into his pockets to pay $14,500 for a Moffett 7740 tractor that came with two front-end loader buckets, stick rake and forks.
In the middle price bracket a 25-tonne Grain King chaser bin fetched $26,000 as did a Massey Ferguson 1345 mower conditioner; a John Deere 467 silage baler made $25,000 and a Marshall 880 MultiSpread raced to $19,000 to round out this price bracket.
A Ruston Engineers silo bag loader attracted $15,000 and $8500 was paid for a 45t Pederick field bin.
It was the top price paid for a substantial line-up of various field bins that ranged upwards from $4000.
A near-new towable power pack for hydraulically operating the Pederick went for $5600 and was the only other major price for crop-related equipment.
Piquing interest was a 1949 David Brown tractor that sold for $4250. Earlier in the day, potential buyers started the tractor up to hear the smooth-running engine.
It was not possible to start the old Caterpillar 12-21F grader but it still sold for $4250 to a local buyer.
Sheep handling equipment represented the whole gamut from paddock to plate and, with sheep such a major part of the Russell's farming operation, it demonstrated a range of easy handling equipment right from the Prattley portable sheep yards for $7000 and vet marking cradle at $2100, through to the wooden butcher's block and stainless steel electric meat saw for $500.
In between, the Commander Ag-Quip portable yards sold for $3600; a combined Prattley power draft and weighing crate was passed-in at $4000; a Peak Hill Sheep Immobiliser fetched $3200; a Draffen sheep handler made $2500 and a TPW Slimline MKII wool press made $9500.
A line-up of 15 self-feeders, looking much like a long table luncheon for sheep, ranged in price from $100 to $375 each.
