A FIRST clearing sale in 126 years held at an East Beverley property with only two family owners in that time, attracted about 300 people last week with a number of vintage items being lures.
According to visitor Michael Reynalds, Tambellup, his great grandfather Frank Lodge first took the property up in 1897 after it was hived off from a larger property to the west and he built the brick and stone original homestead which is still standing but now is in need of significant restoration.
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The Lodge family owned the property until the early 1960s when it passed to the Overington family which farmed nearby.
David Overington from vendors EB Overington & Co, initially share farmed the property with his father until he was joined 16 years ago by his brother Ross after a career in the State agriculture department.
Mr Overington, 64, said he and his brother who is six years younger had decided to retire from farming after selling the 800 hectare mixed farm privately last October.
"It's only a small farm and a lot of the smaller ones (farmers) are getting out now," Mr Overington said.
While a selection of horse-drawn vintage farm implements attracted collectors' attention at the clearing sale run by Elders Beverley, the top item was a much more contemporary 1990s 16 tonne Case 821B wheel loader which, like most of the equipment offered, was in good condition for its age.
Elders auctioneer Steele Hathway, one of three auctioneers used on the day to get through the 272 lots in hot conditions ahead of possible thunderstorms, opened bidding on the loader at $35,000 and it progressed quickly in $5000 increments and then $2000 increments to a top price of $74,000.
The buyer was McMurry Pty Ltd, Crawley.
The second top item at $54,000 was a 2006 New Holland TVT 155 front-wheel-assist tractor with 5454 hours showing, which went to JD & TC Alexander, Beverley, after a two-person bidding dual.
Third top item, a Agri Fab 16t Grain King chaser, seed or fertiliser bin sold to Girando Farming Trust, Boyup Brook, for $49,000, but the fourth top item and last lot sold, a 1996 New Holland Versatile 9282 four-wheel-drive articulated tractor with 6761 hours, new inner tyres on its dual wheels and auto steer, stayed closer to home.
It was bought by Brett and Marylou Hutchinson, LB & M Hutchinson, West Beverley, for $40,000 and seemed cheap horsepower at the price.
Grain augers were in demand with strong bidding for a Commander Ag-Quip self-propelled 469 auger with 17 kiloWatt Kohler motor in as-new condition sold for $27,500 to Pease & Co, Wyalkatchem, while an older Grain Commander 737 auger with 9kW Honda motor sold to The Barracks Pastoral Co, Beverley, for $4200.
An 860T Marshall Multispread sold to DJ & BM Gors & Co, Beverley, for $21,000, a complete air seeder rig with Morris 9000 9.1 metre bar, points and presswheels and Morris 7180 air cart sold to Hickman Contracting, Brookton, for $7500 and a Hardi 3420 boomsprayer with 3400 litre tank and 20m boom sold to Prenton Park Pastoral, Capel, for $7100.
An early 1970s Chamberlain C670 tractor and front end loader sold to Codji Nominees, Pingelly, for $16,800, while an early 1980s Chamberlain 4080B sold to DB & ST Sims & Co, Beverley, for $10,000.
A Case 2166 combine harvester with 9.1m Batt reel sold to Kobrin & Co, Burlong, for $9500.
A Ford 700 truck with 5.4 metre tipping tray, V8 petrol engine and note on the window saying the clutch slips under full load, sold for $4200, an earlier 1969 six-cylinder petrol Ford 600 truck cab chassis went for $1100.
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A 2002 Holden Rodeo steel tray ute with 80,000 kilometres on the clock and 2.8lt Isuzu diesel engine sold for $7000, a Suzuki DR200 farm bike sold for $2200 and a Honda 250 TRX quadbike made $2000.
Farm chemicals attracted competitive bids, with 14, 15 kilogram bags of Atrazine 900 WG herbicide selling for $1900, seven 15kg bags of Propyzamide 500 WG herbicide selling for $2100, 550lts of Trifluralin herbicide selling for $3600 and a Scud mixing tank sold for $1200.
'Cup and saucer' poly tanks and round stock troughs sold for $2000 and $2100 and 43-bag round Moylan feeder bins sold for between $2400 and $3300.
A TRW woolpress with new scales sold to a phone bidder for $12,200 and Jefferies Brothers, Woodanilling, bought three little-used Heiniger shearing heads and down tubes, complete with storage bags, for $1850 each.
Of the vintage items for sale, a pre-1925 portable twin-stand shearing plant powered by a horizontal, single-cylinder Cooper 'hit and miss' petrol engine was the prize and sold to Louis Geier, Westonia, for $1300.
A horse-drawn HV McKay & Sunshine McKay 'Sun' seed drill with the timber seed box still intact sold for $50, while a relatively rare horse-drawn poison cart from early last century, with all of the timber missing, sold for $920 after a spirited bidding contest between two of the 161 people who registered to bid.
Afterwards Mr Overington said he and his brother were pleased with the sale and near 100 per cent clearance rate.
"We were disappointed some things didn't make as much as we expected, but other things sold for more than we thought they would, so overall, we're happy," Mr Overington said.
Sale organiser Noel Morton, Elders Beverley, described it as a "good, well attended sale" and thanked buyers and the auctioneers on a job well done.
