Shedded when not in use, a 2014 John Deere 4940 self-propelled boomsprayer with 36 metre boom, auto boom height and sectional control, stood out like a sore thumb at a Mukinbudin clearing sale last week.
Offered by outside vendor Woodlands Grazing Co, the immaculately-presented boomsprayer with 4500 litre tank, StarFire 3000 guidance and just over 3500 engine hours and just under 3000 spraying hours, was the only machine in a last line of big equipment for sale that actually gleamed in the sunshine.
While well maintained - with documentation on some to prove it, big tractors and combine harvesters either side of the sprayer obviously had not been shedded and the rigours of life spent exposed to the often harsh eastern Wheatbelt climate showed in faded paint and split seat upholstery.
Other last-row lots included a Case IH Steiger HD600 tractor on triples, two Case IH Axial Flow combine harvesters and multiple fronts, a John Deere 5920 tractor on triples with six new tyres, a John Deere 8430 tractor on duals and a 1983 Volvo F12 tandem drive prime mover.
They were offered by main vendor, GE & JV Jones, and two other outside vendors, but they looked their age, whereas the 4940 boomsprayer effectively hid its age with its polished appearance.
The other big last-row items ended up being passed in - most without attracting a bid, despite the best efforts of Nutrien Ag Solutions auctioneer Terry Norrish to garner some interest from a crowd of 150 people or more, many from the Mukinbudin area who turned out to show support for long-time residents Gordon and Joy Jones.
An opening bid of $180,000 from Nathan Lawrence, Northam, on the 4940 boomsprayer initiated an answering offer of $185,000 from a competing bidder, but Mr Lawrence saw him off and claimed the unit with a successful subsequent bid of $190,000, watched by his father Allen.
"This will become our main boomsprayer and we will use our existing tug-along Hardi (boomsprayer) as a second one when needed," Mr Lawrence said after the sale.
"Dad will probably do most of the spraying in this, it's a bit more comfortable for him and I'll do a bit - we'll both have to learn how to use it, but we'll work it out."
Mr Lawrence said an almost doubling in size of his cropping program had necessitated purchase of a much bigger sprayer and one that could run over maturing canola crops with minimal damage.
"We went from 1600 hectares to 3000ha last year with the lease of a heap of land off my uncle next door for sheep feed and vetch and (this season) canola, wheat, barley, lupins and a bit of oats," he said.
"We've got a bit of summer spraying to do before seeding starts in April so that'll give us a bit of a learning curve with our new machine.
"It's probably a little bit older than I wanted, but it's got low hours for its age, it's been looked after and suits us so it's probably a good starting point.
"The big thing for us is we can spray our canola with it, we've had to use contractors to do that in the past, so we'll be able to do all our own work now."
Mr Lawrence said he and his father had attended two previous clearing sales looking for the "right" self-propelled boomsprayer, but had been put off one at another sale by surface rust on filters indicating they had not been changed for some time, more engine hours and a price $170,000 more than he had just paid.
Sprayer seller Cam White, Woodlands Grazing, said he had bought a new, larger John Deere boomsprayer which was why his old one was put up for sale.
"They cost a lot of money so you have to look after them," Mr White said of his old sprayer's condition.
With the boomsprayer top item of the sale, second top was a Riteway RR800 hydraulic rock picker, also put up by an outside vendor in John Squire & Co, Mukinbudin, which sold for $16,500.
Equal third top items at $15,000 were a Hi-Way Sales tandem trailer sheep feeder and Grain Commander 519 self-propelled grain auger.
A Universal tandem trailer in near-new condition sold for $10,500, after the first of two 1195 bushel DE Engineers field bins sold surprisingly cheaply for $2000, the second sold for $9000 as bidders piled in and a TPW wool press in good condition sold for $7500.
Sheep lick feeders sold for between $700 and $2000, three petrol-engine portable power packs to drive field bin outload augers and other machinery sold for $5000 and $5400 for one with a Honda engine and an old Howard Bagshaw clover harvester sold for $6000.
Private sale of some of the larger items passed in at auction was negotiated by the end of the day.
Nutrien Ag Solutions Mukinbudin agent Ashley Walker said the mixed results of the sale largely reflected a disappointing local grain season last year.
"We had about 110 registered to bid and there was a very good attendance, but overall, the sale results were reflective of the season I think," Mr Walker said.
"While a lot of the machinery was older, it has been well-maintained by Gordon and he has not hesitated in getting anything fixed that needed repairing.
"There was wide interest in some of the items, with phone bidders from South Australia and from all over WA."
Mr Walker said one of the Jones' farm blocks was sold "for really good money" the previous week, the 'Sandhurst' home farm had been leased out and two more blocks were being negotiated for sale.
At 84, Mr Jones and his wife are retiring from farming.
