THERE was a time when clearing sales featured a few old pieces rescued from the farm’s rubbish area and presented as ‘vintage’.
But at the Devon Farms Nukarni sale held last Saturday, it could be said that the tail was wagging the dog.
Although the big dollars came from the traditional farm machinery, the vintage offering seemed to take more than half the space at the sale, and definitely more than half of the bidders.
But enough interest remained to see a 2003 New Holland TM 175 FWA tractor (5018 hours) with TPL and Farmscan Autosteer top the sale with a bid of $56,000.
Two Landmark auctioneers were in action, Jarrad Hubbard, Bruce Rock, and the wider ranging Michael Altus, who could well have been termed the “Dynamic Duo”, for in a five hour session they sold about 700 lots, large and small, old and new(ish).
A Volvo FL10 tandem axle truck (646,350km) 22.5t with dual axle pig trailer, sold for $42,000, while a 1974 Isuzu SBR450 (227,000km) sold for $2250 and a 2007 Toyota Hilux 4wd diesel (240,000km) with Xtra cab made $12,500.
A Ford industrial articulated loader with a 1.3m (4ft) bucket and forks went for $12,500, a Countryman 354 FEL with forks and an engine re-build two years ago sold for $6500.
A 1948 Cat D4 6U with ripper and blade made $4750; a Chamberlain 9G industrial tractor with FEL and mid-mounted grader blade sold for $3750; a Countryman 6 with new rear tyres made $4750 and a Belarus 920 FWA with new rear tyres sold for $4000.
A 16m (53ft) Flexi-Coil 820 bar with Philips rotary harrows sold for $15,000, but the Flexi-Coil 2320 triple box failed to make the reserve price.
And maybe earmarked for this harvest, a 1999 NH TR89 header with major overhaul two years ago with 9m (30ft) tin front sold for $20,000.
