NEARLY 250 registered buyers last week took a trip down memory lane at the Katanning clearing of Geoffrey Beeck & Co.
While the top price of $110,000 was secured for a “modern” 2008 model Case IH WD 2303 SP swather with a 10.9 metre (36 foot) Honeybee front, more attention was paid to vintage items among the 324 lots offered, keeping selling Westcoast Wool and Livestock auctioneers Chris Hartley and Brad Preston on their toes.
The swather was sold to Brendan Van Beek, Moora.
Later negotiations saw a prime mover sell for $85,000 along with a triple-axle lead end tipper ($30,000), both going to RL & CM Weise, Narrogin.
A six-axle ‘dog’ and trailer went to a Hyden buyer at $42,500.
Other items offered which did not sell at auction were a 2006 New Holland TJ 450 4WD tractor; a 2012 New Holland CR8090 header and front and a 2016 Hardi Saritor boomsprayer with a 42m (140ft) boom.
Although these three larger items have not yet been negotiated, Geoff Beeck said he was pleased with the result in general and was appreciative of the interest shown in the sale and the manner in which it was conducted by Westcoast Wool and Livestock staff.
The “vintage items” kicked off with the sale of an old complete binder ($900), sold to a Broomehill collector who said he will get it up and running again.
An old horse-drawn 10 disc plough went at $500 and another old Shearer seeder made $800.
Also keenly sort were two cross-cut saws along with a double handle scythe which went at $200, while the next lot of one saw and one scythe made $340 and an old tin trunk full of old newspapers and copies of Elders Weekly would have been good reading at $120.
There were numerous items of sheep handling and associated equipment and among the more keenly sought were a roller wool table which went at $400.
Other higher-priced items in good condition saw a Prattley three-way draft with Tru Test SR 3000 scales sell at $4200 and a TPW wool press went at $10,500.
Two older type trailing sheep feeders made $160 and $550 respectively.
What might have been good buying but needed a large truck to move it was a 16,000 litre steel water carting tank which went at just $700.
Items that drew competitive bidding included a Trenchmaster 150 digger ($1100); a 75 litre (20 gallons) Sandblaster in very good condition ($280) and an Acufire Firelighter in good condition ($1250).
A mobile workshop unit with 48 CFM air compressor with fuel pump and tool box area sold at $3000 and a 2800 litre ‘nurse’ trailer with Honda Davey pump was very good buying at just $1000.
A John Shearer 28T scarifier and hydraulic rotary harrows went at $2200 and three field bins offered saw two 26 tonne Sherwells go at $3600 and $2600 respectively, while a 33 tonne DE went at $5000. A Farm King 841 auger also was sold at $5800.
Of smaller older tractors a Case 2670 appeared good buying at just $1400 while a 1979 model John Deere 4430 is staying locally at $6000.
An unusual clearing sale item, a Toyota Fork lift, drew spirited bidding before a Broomehill buyer held on at $3000.
One of the many larger items was a 1985 Custom Carrier CAT V8 6WD tipper with a 7000 litre Flexi-N tank and firefighting pump and sides.
It was knocked down at $23,000 to a Woodanilling buyer.
A 12.7m (42ft) Flexi-Coil 820 bar and Morris 8370 triple tank air seeder failed to reach the reserve price but a Norrish 5m (16.5ft) seed bin and 4.3m (14ft) fertiliser bin along with a 5000 litre liquid fertiliser tank on tri-axle flat top trailer was secured by a Jerramungup buyer for $48,000.
And a Kulin buyer picked up a 30 tonne Trufab Grain King chaser bin for $37,000.
A bid of $33,000 secured a 2003 Ford F250 XLT4 7.3L litre four-door ute (219,000km) while a 2008 Volvo FH500 prime mover (350,000km) and Evertrans triple-axle lead end tipper and Evertrans six-axle ‘dog’ and trailer, were initially put up as one unit, then individually, but were passed-in.
The clearing sale just north of Katanning, was the finishing flourish to a 126-year history of the farming property known as Summerfield.
Principal Geoffrey Beeck said his grandfather and seven sons came by ship from Adelaide to Albany and then by train to Katanning, taking up seven farms in 1892.
Somewhat expanded since then, the family’s holdings have been sold, hence the clearing sale last week and among the lots offered were some items which would date back to the very early days of the farm’s establishment.
