LANDMARK auctioneer Neil Brindley had no trouble drawing bids at KW & HJ Bridges' Esperance clearing sale recently.
Adding to local support, several Eastern States buyers and representatives from South Australia were bidding in conjunction with competitive phone bids, as 334 registered bidders cleared the 267 lots on offer.
"It was an extremely successful sale," Mr Brindley said.
"The major items sold for more than the reserve prices."
Topping the sale at $90,000 was a John Deere 6430 FWA tractor (745 hours) with a 2.4 metre bucket, purchased by a Kulin buyer.
Not far behind the top bid was a successful nod at $85,000 which secured a JCB 531 Telehandler (1185hrs) with bucket and forks.
It went to an Esperance buyer.
With an opening bid of $30,000 and after a bit of back and forth between bidders, a 2006 model factory turbo diesel Toyota Landcruiser (102,500 kilometres), with Bunmoor steel canopy, dual fuel tanks and gas injection, finished with a bid of $58,000 with the buyer from Narrikup.
A 1996 ACCO 235 tip truck (495,853km) with C250 engine and 6.1m tray sold for $41,000 to buyers from Toodyay.
Bids for a 2009 model Brampton Retreat 7m dual axle caravan with shower, toilet, washing machine and double bed started at $15,000 before an Esperance buyer snapped it up with a final bid of $36,000.
With bids starting as low as $4000 it came as a surprise when buyers fought it out to push values up to $24,000 for a Volvo BM L50B loader with bucket, with the winning bid going to a Munglinup buyer.
An eyebrow-raiser was the keen competition for a John Shearer 27 row culti-trash with Walker double disc openers.
Competition was keen with bidders pushing prices to a top of $19,500, bid by a Esperance operation.
A 2011 model SS Redline Holden Commodore sedan (100,000km) went for a bid of $16,500 to another local buyer and a John Deere 3120 tractor (235hrs) with FEL sold for $15,000.
Bidding also was brisk on a 2010 Mazda BT50 3L tray back ute (95,000km) which went to an Esperance buyer for $8500, while a Hustler Fastrac 1.3m zero turn mower with a Kawasaki FR691V engine also went for $8500.
A bid of $7000 was enough to secure a Chamberlain 354 tractor, while a six reel Pederick root rake made $6250 and a John Berends 3m three-point linkage PTO slasher sold for $5250.
A Waroona buyer got among the mix to outbid locals on a Honda Fourtrax motor bike (2486km), paying $5000.
A Kalgoorlie buyer also outbid locals to take home a trailer-mounted Atlas Copco air compressor for $5000.
A bid of $4750 was enough to secure a 3PL post hole digger/thumper and a $4500 bid achieved the same result for a Cole seed and super bin with a 270cc engine purchased.
Other gear to sell included a 2008 Hyundai Getz for $3500, a 6m Croplands 3PL PTO-drive boomsprayer with 700L tank ($3500) and two six metre sea containers sold for $2750 each.
There were also outside vendors offering various items and it was a 2013 model Kawasaki 4x4 Brute Force motor bike (1684hrs) that sold to a top of $8500 to an Albany buyer.
In the $5000 price range was a 3m x 2m dual axle trailer and a Krone KR10-16 string and net hay baler which had done 2000 bales and went to a Ravensthorpe operation.
A 810T/ TM Marshall Multispread attracted bids of up to $10,000 but was passed-in.
"Mr Bridges (late Ken Bridges) looked after all his equipment very well and that was reflected in the prices they received, even the smaller items like the drills and tools sold well because they were kept in such good condition," Mr Brindley said.
"Ken was very highly regarded in the industry and people came to show their support."
Prior to moving to Esperance the Bridges' farmed at Scaddan where they ran a mixed enterprise operation of sheep and cropping.
The Bridges then decided to downsize and moved to Esperance where they continued to farm for 11 years, before Ken died in October 2019.
Jason Bridges was thrilled with the end sale result.
"I am very pleased with how it went, the turn-out was huge and the whole sale was just fantastic," he said.