Last month Cheffins Machinery Sale weathered Storm Ciara and this month it was the concerns around the Coronavirus pandemic which undoubtedly had a negative impact on the sale. Days before the auction, we received many enquiries asking if the auction was still going ahead and attendance was down compared to a “normal” March sale.
However, all was not lost. We had the largest number of buyers ever register for online bidding resulting in plenty of sales. Although it did not feel like it on the day, the total sales were just shy of the result we had in March 2019 – not at all bad when you consider what’s making headline news at the moment.
Drive-through Tractors
For the third month running, Cheffins was just about full to capacity with circa 400 machines on offer and again the tractor section kicked off with some sparkling trade for the older Massey models. We just about sold out to buyers who were predominately from Sudan and the only stock left over were the less-desirable models and ones with very high reserves. We are already receiving export enquiries regarding new stock for next month which is encouraging.
After the 165’s 185’ 188 etc., trade settled down to a less frenzied level. The mix of Fords, Case’s etc. attracted some strong interest, with a Ford 7910 topping £8,000; a direct-from-estate 4000 making £4,500; while £5,000 secured a Case 3220 on turfs and £6,500 was spent on an imported Case 1056XL.
Trade for newer Case models was a highlight and we had a great selection from a mixture of trade and farmer vendors. Top price was for a Case CVX340RT half-track which sold for circa £70,000; a retail-quality 2018 Puma 165 made £50,000; a direct from farm 2010 Magnum 335 took nearly £30,000; and another direct from farm machine, a 2011 Case 225CVX, seemed a good buy for circa £25,000.
With a number of key buyers absent due to flight difficulties, the trade for John Deere tractors was slightly slower this month but, as usual, anything offering good value for money was met with a barrage of bids. We had a 2007 6630 sell online to a Hungarian buyer for £28,000, more online bids bought a high-houred 2012 6170R and a 2014 6210 sold for around £40,000. Other closing bids would be circa £51,000 for a 2015 6215R, a well presented 7530 did well to reach £28,000 and a handy little 6410 with loader is being exported for circa £16,500.
As stated above, older Massey models provided very strong trade but so, too, were newer machines. A trio entered from one vendor all sold well, with a 2015 7618 making £43,000, a year older model selling for £38,000 and a 2106 6615 realising £44,000. Other sales would include a super 2017, 7718 which achieved £55,000, a 5712 of the same age did £39,000 and a 7616 with circa 5000 hours did over £ 37,000.
New Hollands found favour with Irish buyers, the biggest overseas buyers of the day. ‘T’ series this year have done well and we had a good selection to choose from. An older model, a TM130 which had quite a road trip as it had been driven down from Liverpool, made £18,000; a 2009 T5040 c/w loader did well at over £22,000; top NH of the day was a 2015 T7.210 which made in the region of £41,000 and a 2010 T6020 surpassed its reserve to eventually make over £22,000.
Of the other makes and models on offer, JCB Fastracs again sold out, the top machine being a 2016 4220 which made close to £50,000. Claas trade was dominated by two online bidders and the pick of the crop was a brace of 2010 Claas 620 Arions which made close to £27,000. Fendts were in demand with another machine sent direct from a farm, a 2009 Fendt 820 with circa 16,000 hours, making a very respectable £28,000.
The unreserved tractors sold well this month, as they do every month. Vendors of such machines benefit from reduced commission rates and therefore when they are entered, we expect them to be sold and not bought “back in”. Any unreserved lots which are bought by the vendors will be subject to both the seller’s commission and buyer’s premium which would have been chargeable on the sale.
Static Tractor Sale
Masseys and anything with a Perkins engine were met with intense bidding as even the worst of the hedgerow specials sold to African buyers. Skid units comprising of nothing more than an engine, transmission and back axle sold out sometimes making more than a complete tractor!
Plant
All things considered, a very good day was had by most customers in the plant division. Backhoe Loaders got the auction underway and trade was slightly patchy with half of the available machines being moved on during the auction. One of the tidier machines was a slightly older 2CX which attracted frenzied bidding and sold to an online purchaser for £10,000. Telehandler trade was quite buoyant for JCBs this month, with a grand quantity being moved on. 530-70s were the most in demand with 75% of those machines being sold. One of the nicest lots available was a 2016 JCB 540-170 which caused much pre-sale interest and, after several bids on the day, was bought for £31,000 by a happy customer from the Middle East. There was also a rather tidy 520-55, which despite being slightly older, created a lot of pre-sale interest and achieved a superb figure of £11,000. Other telehandlers had a mixed day with Manitou, Merlo, CAT and Matbro all finding success during the sale. One of the best machines available on the day was a 2015 Merlo TF38.7 which had only done 450 hours and achieved £35,000, which was a great result. It will remain in the country.
We had slightly more loading shovels than normal and there was some strong bidding on several of these machines. A Daewoo Mega 250V which looked quite sharp given its age and after several bids achieved a figure of around £8000. Excavators this month were slightly quieter which was to be expected but the bidding was competitive on Hitachi, New Holland, Komatsu and JCB machines. The best result was for a slightly older Komatsu PC120 which created quite the stir in the field. With several export buyers desperately vying to purchase the machine, it flew past its reserve reaching a figure in excess of £11,500 and will be off to a new home in Egypt.
Mini digger trade continues to be exceptional with over 90% of the newly entered machines being sold. Kubota, Yanmar, JCB, and Hitachi machines all continue to be in demand. One of the tidier examples was Kubota U25 on a 2012 which achieved over £10,000 after much online bidding and will be off to a new residence in Ireland. Masted forklift trade was better than last month which was pleasing with several machines being sold including a quantity of JCBs, Hyster, Toyota and Manitou models. Dumper trade was better than last month also, with the cheaper machines being the most keenly contested and everything between one and nine ton caused bidding.
The stars of the show this month, without shadow of a doubt were generators, compressors and engines with an incredibly strong African trade competing with several Egyptian, Lebanese, Irish and English customers. A tidy 500kva FG Wilson open set generator swept past its reserve and achieved an incredible £9,000, while a 100kva enclosed generator also did extremely well achieving over £5,000.
Machinery
A full entry of some 600 lots were offered on Monday and, despite a slightly lower footfall than previous sales, online bidding pushed things along and we ended up with a result better than pre-sale expectations.
As normal the section kicked off with buckets, forks etc., and as always these were met with sound bidding. Fert’ spreaders followed and, given the time of year, most sold to purchasers from Ireland. Vicon Vari spreaders, despite having a bit of age about them, are the default spreader for many and the top price was £500 for a PS753. At the opposite end of the fert’ spreader range was a direct from farm 2011 Kongskilde 24m Jet spreader which flew past its reserve to make nearly £8500.
Trade for cultivators, ploughs etc. was a little weaker this month but, unsurprisingly, hay making machinery did better than last month. Rakes and tedders just about sold out, the highlight being another direct from farm Lely Hibiscus 815D for £5200.
Every month plant trailers prove popular and this month was no exception. The selection of Ifor Williams plant and livestock trailers all sold, a lovely HB506 two horse trailer in fetching red topped £3000. Agri’ trailer trade was a little weaker this month, not entirely sure why but hopefully this will bounce back next sale.
Horticultural
What a difference a month makes – the sale was full to the brim with mowers of all descriptions from the humble pedestrian mowers to the top of the range Ride Ons. Some of the highlights of this sale were a Hayter KLT424 gang mower selling for £1,700, a Toro out front mower made £3,250, a Ransomes Parkway 225, road registered sold well at £3,500, a Toro 3100D mower reserved at £425 eventually sold after frantic bidding for £1,800 and a Kubota F3680 out front mower at £3,550. In the John Deere range, which is always popular, a 997 Z Trac achieved £3,750, a 1545 out front mower sold at £4,300 and a 1445 commercial mower nearly tripled its reserve and made £1,400.
Other equipment for the compact tractors are always in demand: a Kuhn compact rotavator sold at £540, a Quicke compact tractor loader sold well for £1,200, a Wessex Compact mower made £500, a clean and tidy compact tipping trailer sold at £380 and a Major destoner clean and complete sold well at £1800.
Spares
Good quality tractor parts are needed by many customers and this month was no exception, Massey Ferguson in particular, from tractor cabs (up to £500), to good quality spares e.g. linkage and axle parts at £400 per pallet.
Wheels and Tyres
Another part of the sale which proves popular each month is wheels and tyres. £500 would buy you a pair of 9.5-36 Bateman Sprayer rowcrops, £1,400 would get you a set of 20.8-42 Dual wheels, £700 a set of 11.2-48 & 11.2-32 dual wheels and around £600 for a set of John Deere 6900 rowcrop wheels. Wheels and tyres must be in pair or complete sets with plenty of tread to achieve the best prices. Tyres with zero tread or very little will be turned away.