YOUNG farmers Ashley and Hannah Jacobs, Bilbarin, had just one objective when they drove four hours to attend a Bremer Bay clearing sale last week.
They were on a mission to buy the Earnshaw SS250 chaser bin advertised by Elders Jerramungup as part of the sale on Paringa, between Gairdner and Bremer Bay, to replace an identical chaser bin they had lost, along with livestock and other equipment, in last month's Wheatbelt bushfires.
"We lost one (Earnshaw chaser bin) about three weeks ago in the fires so we've been on the hunt for a chaser bin to replace it," said Mr Jacobs, who farms with PJ & MJ Tulloch at Bilbarin.
"We came down specifically for this," he said of the second last of 176 lots in the main sale on behalf of Chimney Creek and put under the hammer by Elders auctioneer Clark Skinner.
"We had 2500 to 3000 hectares burned out and one of the sheds we lease, sheep yards and this and that, bits and pieces.
"We lost about 180 ewe lambs, a (grain) truck and trailer, chaser bin, field trailer, bailer and a header front."
There was some urgency to replace the chaser bin, Mr Jacobs explained, because they used it to cart seed when they are putting their crops in and they hope to start doing that some time next month.
They had already been to clearing sales at Merredin and Kulin trying to buy a replacement bin, he said.
After a short bidding war to see off competition, the relieved Jacobs husband and wife bought their chaser bin for $52,000 with the top bid of the sale.
"I bought the last one four years ago for $28,000 and I just paid $52,000 for this one, that shows you how much (the cost) of farm machinery has gone up because you can't just walk in and buy it off the shelf," Mr Jacobs said.
Second top item, a 912T Marshall Multispreader in as-new condition with unmarked paintwork, went to RA Iffla & Partners, Lake King, after just one bid of $45,000.
It seemed to be the buy of the sale at that price.
A contractor bidding over the phone to an agent at the sale, was the major tractor buyer, taking the three top-priced units which were also the lots which produced third, fourth and fifth highest prices of the sale.
Top-priced tractor at $40,000 was a front-wheel-assist Case IH Magnum MX240 fitted with Trimble EZ-Steer 500, while bidding started at $35,000 for the tracked Caterpillar Challenger 85D crawler tractor, which Mr Skinner told the crowd had a new engine and also EZ-Steer 500, before progressing to a $39,000 winning bid.
The third tractor purchase was a front-wheel-assist Massey Ferguson 3545 for $12,000.
Drecall Pty Ltd, Bremer Bay, paid $8000 for a Massey Ferguson 1135 tractor.
A late model long-nose 4289 Chamberlain tractor with front end loader and bucket sold for $7500 to MT & RK Slattery, from Kojaneerup over by the Stirling Ranges, while three earlier model Chamberlain tractors sold to locals for between $4000 and $5500.
On instructions from vendors, Brian and Janet Penna, Mr Skinner had earlier advised prospective purchasers each of the tractors had been greased and had an oil change just before the sale, apart from the Caterpillar crawler which had done 30 hours since a full service.
A Morris 18 metre (60 foot) Concept 2000 airseeder bar and 8370 airseeder tank were snapped up for a total of $8000 by DK Ag Contracting, Ongerup and a 12.9 metre (40ft) Morris Magnum CP731 chisel plough sold for $2400 to GC & TC Bell, Gairdner.
A tri-axle 60 tonne mother bin sold for $11,500 to KT & ET Ridgeway, Narrikup and five 20t field bins sold for between $2000 and $2800 to mainly local farmers.
Ian Campbell & Son, Boxwood Hill, paid a total of $1400 for two smaller field bins produced by GT Silos, Gnowangerup.
M & M Gorman, Wellstead, bid up to $1650 three times in a total spend of just short of $9700 on five packs of 10 galvanised steel cattle panels in excellent condition for portable yards, galvanised steel posts to suit and a galvanised steel cattle race.
Five of the six sheep lick feeders auctioned went to K & JE Reddington, Gairdner, for between $1700 and $1900 each, while RN & M Swarbrock, also from Gairdner, bought the sixth for $1800.
The auction realised a total of $323,375, with only nine of 176 lots passed in.
Three additional lots by two outside vendors were also auctioned, but a Case header comb and trailer and an Isuzu tandem tipper truck failed to attract a bid, while a Volvo NL water tanker truck on seasonal plates sold for $6500.
The clearing sale attracted a crowd of about 130 people - seemingly most of the Bremer Bay, Gairdner and Wellstead farming communities, but with others coming from as far away as Perth.
Of those attending, 101 registered to bid and most did.
Mr Penna said he and his wife were happy with the results of the sale.
"There were a few ups and downs, but nearly all of it is gone and we got rid of a lot of old stuff, which is what we wanted," he said.
"We've leased the property (to another farming family) and we're retiring to Bremer Bay so we were getting rid of an accumulation of 50 years of farming.
"We came down here to the coast four years ago from Needilup where we'd been since 1978 and we bought a lot of the stuff with us when we came - we didn't downsize on the machinery," he said.
Mr Penna said he had originally started farming in South Australia before coming to Western Australia.
When asked what he intended to do in retirement he replied "I've got a fishing rod and three motorbikes - if you include the side-by-side - to wear out".
Want weekly news highlights delivered to your inbox? Sign up to the Farm Weekly newsletter.
