THE action came at the end of the clearing sale at Kojonup last week.
Held by Landmark on behalf of Giovi Ltd, Hyfield, the estimated crowd of 1200 people saw the last six units of the sale gross just under a million dollars.
The sale toppers included two tractors which went at $180,000 and $178,000 respectively, two big seeding rigs ($140,000 and $132,000) and two headers ($140,000 and $97,500).
A total of 437 lots were catalogued with 517 registered buyers, attracted by the detailed advertising of the offering of extensive quality plant and equipment and sheep handling and associated gear.
After just over five hours of continuous selling, Landmark auctioneer Steve Wright – assisted by Terry Norrish Landmark’s – said it was one of the largest clearing sale he had ever auctioned.
“What helped was the quality offering for genuine sale,” he said.
Potential buyers came from throughout the Wheatbelt, with Eastern States interests operating through phone hook-ups, along with one physical buyer from Tasmania.
The first tractor offered was a CLAAS 630 model (2294 hours) with loader bucket, hay forks and pallet forks which went for $62,500 when knocked down to a Cranbrook bidder.
Then a CLAAS 620 (2222hrs), also with loader bucket along with hay and pallet forks, attracted competition before going to a Bremer Bay buyer at $72,500.
The top price of the sale came with the next unit, a CLAAS 930 (2882hrs) with duals, Rear Trimble Auto Steer and Rangepoint subscription, with Steve Wright finally knocking it down to an undisclosed buyer from Williams at $180,000.
This was followed by yet another CLAAS tractor, a 950 model (3843hrs), also on duals and ‘Rear Trimble’ Auto Steer and Rangepoint Subscription.
This finally went to a Tambellup buyer at $178,000.
The last tractor in the line-up was a John Deere 9420 on triples (7031hrs), with JD auto steer SF2.
This sold locally for $90,000.
Two big seeding units attracted plenty of bidding.
The first was a 17,000 litre Simplicity air seeder linked to a 42 tine N series DBS bar, which went to an Ongerup bidder at $132,000.
The other unit, a 48 tine S series DBS, was sold to a Northam buyer for $140,000, while a Norrish 5-in-1 bin went at $26,000.
Seven items of harvesting equipment brought this amazing clearing sale to a close.
First up, two Phillips ‘false fronts’ sold at $8000 and $9000, respectively, then two Tecfarm Smartcart 30s sold at $40,000 (Williams buyer) and $45,000 (Popanyinning).
The first of the two CLAAS headers, a 580R (3845 eng. hrs, 2828 rotor hrs), with 12.2 metre (40 foot) D60 MacDon front, was initially passed-in but later negotiated at $97,500.
A MacDon D60 12.2m front which had been damaged and is to be repaired, was offered and sold at $26,000 and then followed the final item of the sale.
It was a CLAAS 750 TT ‘Terra Trac’ header (2738 engine hours and 1959 rotor hrs).
It was offered without a front and was knocked down at $140,000 to a young couple – Stuart and Emily Slade, who totally crop their farm north of Mt Barker.
Sheep handling and associated gear that sold, included a Hecton sheep handler (sold at $3000); a Hecton loading race ($3400); a near-new Prattley Auto Handler ($17,000); two Aussie Xpress TPW wool presses ($14,000 and $15,000, respectively); two steel roller wool tables ($550 each) and four shearing heads and a grinder ($1600).
With the property until recently the home of the Hyfield Poll Merino stud, a good number of lots being offered related to the stud, including dismantled ram pens on pallets, with values ranging between $1000 and $1600.
When it came to the larger sheep items offered, prior to the larger machinery items, competition was widespread and very strong for the well-maintained and presented items.
Winning bids were achieved on a Harrington VE machine ($8000); an almost new mobile Proway sheep handler ($22,000); an older set of McDougall transportable sheep yards ($6500); a more recent galvanised set ($21,500); a Hi-Way Express hay and grain mobile feeder ($75000; an old yellow mobile type ($2500); a Bird’s tandem axle round feeder in very good condition ($7500) and six Bird’s round silo-type feeders ($2500-$3400).
A total of 14 Advantage lick feeders sold from between $1600 and $1900 while an Advantage lick feeder trailer made $1200.
Stock trailers also attracted interest with a large tandem type making $6500 and another more recent model making $7000.
But the big interest was in the Evertrans 13.6m (45ft) tri-axle tipper with two deck sheep crates, which was knocked down at $52,000 to a well known Woodanilling Merino and Poll Merino stud.
Other types of trailers offered saw two 3.5 tonne fuel trailers in the line-up - an older one with fire-fighting equipment made $10,000 and a Universal model was knocked down at $16,500.
A 15,000 litre Flexi-N tank went at $12,500 with two 10,000L capacity models going at $7500 and $6000 respectively.
Other higher-priced items included a three metre (10ft) Vaderstad Rapid 300C pasture disc seeder ($30,000); a A400 Dresser grader ($27,000); a Riteway RR 900 rock picker ($25,000); a Scannell five bale feeder ($20,000) and a JCB telehandler and attachments ($16,000).
There were some big grain augers lined up, including a Farm King 851 ($7500); a Farm King 846 ($11,500) and a Pederick 50 x 10 ($23,500).
The line-up of farm utes – all but two being Toyota Landcruisers – were offered by age and kilometres on the clock.
The four more recent units sold between $31,000 and $47,000 (a 2014 V8 model, 123,000km).
The previous model offered, a 2013 V8 (103,480km) sold at $46,000 to a buyer who had come from Tasmania to attend the sale.
Field bins included a 45 tonne Sherwell ($8500) and a 45t Pederick ($15,000), while two Grain King 85t capacity chaser bins sold at $51,000 and $60,000 respectively.
A 25t Trufab bin with fire-fighter unit sold at $31,000, an AMAZONE 4000L 3PL hydraulic-drive spreader was knocked down at $19,500 and a Transpread 8t hydraulic-drive spreader went at $23,000.
On the spraying side, a 2009 model John Deere 4830 self-propelled boomsprayer (4815hrs) with 3000 litre tank and 30m (100ft) boom went to an Arthur River concern at $106,000.
Trailers and trucks were snapped up including a tri-axle tipper ($16,000); two dolleys ($6000 and $7000); two semi-trailers ($34,000 and $36,000); a 1996 model Isuzu fire truck (97,392km, $35,000); a 1998 Volvo FH 12 240 prime mover ($31,000); a Volvo 2005 model FM 12 460 eight-wheeler with bin ($74,000) and a 2002 Mercedes 2653 prime mover ($35,000).
About 300 sundry lots were on offer, including workshop equipment, a massive amount of CLAAS and MacDon “spares”, unused fencing materials, gates and strainer posts, a large assortment of chemicals and bags of seed and many other sundry items one would expect in a sale of this magnitude.
Also among the sundries were two quantities of large round rolls of oaten hay with 77 rolls from the Hyfield property selling for $77.50 a roll and 139 rolls from the Crossburn property going at $82.50 a roll.