New Holland T8.380 sells for $255,000 at Doodenanning sale

The Bulleids paid $255,000 last Thursday for a 2016 New Holland T8.380 front-wheel-assist tractor in excellent condition with dual rear wheels and 3033 hours on the clock, making it the top-priced item at John and Pauline Smart's on-property clearing sale conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Andrew Bulleid said they were looking for another tractor and he and Charlie had attended the close-to-home Gillett family clearing sale at Williams the previous day and bid on a 2022 New Holland T7.260 tractor with only 62 hours, but less horsepower - 192 kilowatts versus 285kW with the one they bought.

"We went to the Williams sale to look at the tractor but it wasn't really what we wanted, so I only made one bid on it, then we came here today to look at this one," Mr Bulleid said.

Nutrien auctioneer Jarrad Hubbard started the bidding at $200,000 and the price moved rapidly to the Bulleid's winning bid.

The previous lot, a smaller 2018 New Holland T6080 FWA 124kW tractor with 1070 hours, was passed in after one bid of $115,000 was received from among 120 registered bidders.

It was the only lot offered by the Smart family to be passed in, although a 2020 CLAAS 3600 mower, a CLAAS 3300 Quadrant baler and a John Deere 1840 seeder bar and 1330 Flexicoil bin - which was not displayed - offered by an outside vendor, were passed in at $27,000, $57,000 and $10,000 respectively.

A diesel powered 50:10 self-propelled grain auger in as-new condition, manufactured by Hobbs Engineering, Kellerberrin, attracted spirited bidding and, knocked down to AJ & JA Barnes, Wubin, for $45,000, was second top item of the sale.

Vendor Mr Smart said before the sale that of all the items advertised, most phone enquiries he received were about the auger.

A pencil auger with stand and electric motor sold for $90 and a bare pencil auger sold for $30.

Third top item was a shedded 2015 4.8 metre Norrish five-in-one bin in as-new condition, sold to Boyle Farms, York, for $32,000.

A New Holland CR9060 Elevation harvester with 3280 rotor hours and 4086 engine hours, plus 12.2m (40 feet) 94C comb and trailer, was fourth top item at $30,000, with Forrestine Farm, Cunderdin, the successful highest bidder.

With delivery wait times contracting and dealerships starting to advertise they have stock available, combine harvesters at clearing sales so far this this year do not seem to be attracting quite the same level of bidding competition as they did last year.

But given the current restricted availability of new Toyota LandCruiser utes, $22,500 for a neat and tidy one-owner 2000 Toyota LandCruiser Workmate with HZJ79R six-cylinder diesel engine, 390,905 kilometres and 12 months licence, offered by outside vendor Tomalockin Farms, seemed very good value.

SL Hadlow & Co, Quairading, claimed it.

Two tow-behind Hardi Commander boomsprayers also attracted bids, with a 7000 litre, 36m boom model offered by an outside vendor selling for $22,000 to AM & CM Garbin, Bruce Rock, and an older 5000lt, 30m boom model offered by the Smart family selling for $21,000 to Ricetti Bros, Bowelling.

A 1980s Iveco tandem-axle truck with 6m tipping tray and bin sold for $20,000 and a Kubota DSX Geo series tractor-mounted fertiliser spreader offered by an outside vendor sold for $13,000.

A 2004 Simplicity 6000 tow behind air cart sold for $15,000 to Des Gooding, AD & EJ Gooding, Darkan, who also paid $30 for a cement mixer driven by a vintage single-cylinder Moffat-Virtue petrol engine which, to collectors, could be worth six or more times what he paid for it.

Field bins were sought after, with a Brereton 45 tonne bin selling for $9500 and 35 bushel DE Engineering bin selling for $4800, while a 11.5m Morris Concept seeder bar went for $4000.

An older John Deere 310C 4x4 front end loader and backhoe with reconditioned engine sold for $7400, a Ford 5000 front end loader sold for $4200 and a reconditioned Fordson Major tractor sold for $3600.

Phil Dicker, who worked for the Smart family, said the Fordson had been "a garden ornament" in his Doodenanning front yard until a neighbour asked if he could attempt to get it running again.

Once the neighbour succeeded, Mr Dicker said he decided to restore it.

Other items of interest at the sale included a set of heavy duty steel ramps for servicing trucks or big agricultural equipment, which sold for $5500, 200 litres of Paraquat 250 herbicide which sold for $1200, 80L of Boxer Gold herbicide and 90L of Chlorpyrifos 500 insecticide which each sold for $650 and a 30-panel portable sheep yards which sold for $5200.

After the sale Mr Smart said he was very pleased with the result.

"The only thing we have to put back in the shed is the smaller of the two tractors and I'm sure that within a week or two that will be sold too," Mr Smart said.

He said the property was already sold and he and his wife intended to retire from farming, although his daughter and son-in-law, Lauren and Kelly James, on a farm at Hyden, might have other ideas.

"They've already had a shirt made up for me with the job description 'tractor driver' on it," he said.

MORE MACHINERY NEWS:

The Rogers family, which run a mixed farming and cattle feedlot operation at Tammin, has bought the Smart farm and son Alex Rogers, who attended the clearing sale, confirmed he and brother Nick will be farming the Doodenanning property together.