New Holland tractor sells for $240,000 at Williams clearing sale

The 192 kiloWatt tractor with Auto Command transmission, which came with Trimble RTX FM750 guidance until May 2025, still had a new tractor smell inside the cab and attracted plenty of attention.

Much of the interest was because there had been a tractor price rise since it was purchased.

Jonty Petchell, Williams, successfully claimed it for his family's Koompartoo Farms operation, with a bid of $240,000.

"It might seem like a lot of money, but at that price it is $10,000 more than they (vendor family) paid for it and quite a lot less than the quote we got for a new one since the price rise," Mr Petchell said.

He said the tractor would pull an airseeder.

"While it mightn't be a big horsepower tractor on some farms, it's big for us," he said.

Gillett family patriarch Ted Gillett, 87, explained the tractor had been ordered in 2020, but because of COVID and disruption of global supply chains, he and his sons Colin, 57, and Michael, 53, had a long wait for it to be delivered.

"It took two years before we got it," Mr Gillett said.

"In the meantime the boys decided they'd had enough of farming."

Mr Gillett said his sons had run the farm for the past 20 years or so and he accepted their decision to give up.

The property had been sold, he confirmed.

"I have mixed emotions about going to my own clearing sale, but at the moment I think it's a wise decision (to stop farming)," Mr Gillett said.

"Farming is becoming more and more difficult with interference from bureaucrats and people who have no idea where their food comes from."

Mr Gillett said his family has farmed around Williams for 120 years.

"My father and older brother Ron bought this property - the original 1450 acres (586 hectares) - and I came here (as a 21-year-old) in 1956.

"Over the years myself and my wife Pam and our sons have expanded it."

Mr Gillett watched the first few items sold but then decided it was making him "too emotional" so he left and went to his home in the Williams township.

An older New Holland tractor, a 2013 T8.275 model with Powershift transmission, 2014 hours showing and also with Trimble RTX guidance until May 2025, was equal second top item at the sale.

It sold to Wahroonga Trust, Katanning, for $165,000.

Also sold for $165,000 was a 70 tonne rated 2008 Mercedes Benz Actross 3244 8x4 tipping tray truck with removable bin and 20-wheel tipper trailer combination.

It went to Dwyer Bros, Northam.

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A single bid of $127,000 was enough to secure a 2020 Merlo TF42.7 telehandler with 220 hours showing, for DL & KL Robinson, Arthur River, as third top item.

Nodwood Farms, Boddington, successfully bid $110,000 for a 2009 New Holland CR9060 94C combine harvester, with 10.9 metre front with cross auger and comb trailer, showing 2441 engine hours and 1857 rotor hours.

The vendor's family retained a Hardi Navigator 5000 sprayer with an $80,000 bid by Gillett Bros, Williams, a 2022 6m Norrish Ezy-Bin in as new condition sold to Charella Farms, Geraldton for $65,000 and a 2017 11.5m Morris Concept bar with Harrington seeding gear coupled to a 2009 Morris 7180 TBH bin sold to DP & MC Reid, Boyup Brook, for $46,000.

There was strong competition for grain augers, with a 2018 Farm King 1051 belt drive auger and 26kW Vanguard motor selling for $36,000 and a Cole Turbo Flow 43/8 auger with Honda motor making $10,500.

Two 45t field bins, one Pederick and one Moylan, sold for $17,500 and $21,500 and a 35 bushel DE Engineering field bin sold for $11,000, each to a different buyer.

A Wongan Steel 15t chaser bin sold for $10,000 and a 980T Marshall Mutispread sold for $11,000.

While Mr Gillett said his sons had not run sheep and concentrated on cropping the past couple of seasons, the sheep equipment offered for sale attracted interest.

An as-new condition 2021 Electrodip sheep jetter sold for $21,000, a 2018 Combi Clamp sheep handler sold for $7000, a 1997 TPW wool press sold for $13,000 and a 2006 Boomerang round bale feeder sold for $9000.

Twelve pairs of Advantage lick feeders sold for between $3700 and $4200 to seven different buyers, four single lick feeders sold for $1600-$1750 and two Bird Silos trail feeders sold for $4500 and $5600.

A farm-licensed 1974 Dodge 400 D5N tray truck with Perkins diesel engine sold for $11,000 to Reynolds Family Trust, Narrogin, while two Toyota 4x4 utes, one a 1990 HJZ75 dual-cab LandCruiser with extended chassis and the other a 2001 single-cab Hilux, both sold to different buyers for $6000 each.

Two Honda TRX420 quad bikes sold for $12,000 for the 2020 model with 3100 kilometres showing and $7000 for the 2016 model with 9800km showing.

With a total of 197 lots to auction - 185 for the main vendor - and a warm day for the sale, selling agents Nutrien Ag Solutions used three auctioneers, Michael Lynch, Chris Waddingham and Austin Gerhardy.

The clearing sale attracted a large crowd including many locals who turned out to support the Gillett family and 230 people registered to bid.

After the sale Michael Gillett said the family was very happy with the results achieved.

"Everything that we put up sold, so that was the main thing," Mr Gillett said.