With over 600 lots up for grabs on the day, machinery enthusiasts in pursuit of a bargain gathered from all over Ireland with further added interest from England, the Netherlands, France, Germany and eastern Europe.

The fact that the auction was completely unreserved helped to draw some of the 2,500 to 3,000 people who were in attendance from near and far. The auction consisted of machines and spare parts which all came from FTMTA members including dealers, manufacturers and distributors.

In total, there were over 600 registered bidding numbers distributed. Just over 100 of these were given to online bidders, 80% of which were from overseas.

Overall demand could be described as variable, with bigger machinery such as combines, forage harvesters and the bigger horsepower tractors a weaker trade and better value. Smaller attachments and machinery commanded the larger prices. In a nut shell, the more expensive the machine, the better value it was on the day.

The sale

There was two sales rings in operation on the day. A total of 61 lots including tractors, combines and self-propelled lots were sold in ring one in a drive-through manner which worked very well. The remaining 213 lots of implements, attachments and spares were up for grabs in ring two. A picture of each lot was displayed on a large screen above the auctioneer.

Each sale price on the day was subject to a buyer’s premium, with the variable being the sale price of each lot:

  • Assets sold up to €2,000: 10% commission.
  • Assets sold from €2,001 to €10,000: 7.5% commission,
  • Assets sold from €10,001 to €50,000: 5% commission.
  • Assets sold over €50,001: 2.5% commission.
  • All prices are subject to VAT at the standard rate of 23%, unless otherwise stated.

    Tractors and self-propelled machines

    With 28 tractors knocked down under the hammer, they ranged from restoration projects such as a Ford 4000 that sold for €1,550 right up to fresh tractors ideal for modern-day contractor use including a 2012 T7.200 which sold for €37,500.

    Combines and self-propelled forage harvesters were the value items on the day. Combines ranged in price from €3,200 up to €8,000. There were three Claas self-propelled forage harvesters placed under the hammer, which sold for €8,500, €11,200 and €33,000.

    Trailers and slurry tankers

    There was a limited number of slurry tankers on display. A 2002 Abbey 2250R was knocked down to the highest bidder at €4,200, while a Major 3500 gallon challenger tanker was sold at €7,500.

    Silage trailers were also at a premium with a Delaney twin-axle silage trailer selling for €1,200, while a 2015 unused 18ft Redrock silage trailer was sold at €12,200.

    Rakes, tedders and mowers

    There was no shortage of supply in this area, especially with the influence of fresh PÖttinger machines. Sample prices from the PÖttinger rakes was a 2015 unused TOP 762C twin-rotor machine with a working width of 6.9m to 7.6m and sold for €11,500. A 2012 JF Stoll four-rotor tedder in good working order was sold for €2,900.

    There were a lot of mowers on display many which had considerable work done. Front mowers sold for as low as €1,300 and up to €6,800.

    Forage wagons, balers and wrappers

    There were three forage wagons up for grabs on the day. This included two PÖttinger wagons and a Strautmann Super Vitesse II. They sold from €12,000 up to €42,200.

    There was a broad selection of balers and wrappers some of which could have been snapped up at good value, including a Deutz-Fahr FM235 round baler in decent condition which sold for just €3,000. A 2004 McHale 911BJS round-bale wrapper in good working order sold for €3,200.

    Ploughs, power harrows and drills

    The main attraction in this bracket was the two unused 2014 Claydon Hybrid 4m direct seed drills sold for €21,000 each – a huge saving on a new drill. Ploughs could be picked up at good value with price depending on condition. A 1996 Vogel & Noot four-furrow plough selling for €650, while a seven-furrow reversible Gregoire Besson plough fell under the hammer at €3,000.

    After the auction, FTMTA chief executive Gary Ryan said the day showed that there is a strong demand for machinery.

    “We were very happy with how the auction went. It was a learning curve which proved successful. We had two goals going into the auction. Firstly, we wanted to turn quick cash for our dealers who had stock lying around their yards and, secondly, we felt this auction would provide people with realistic values of machines on today’s market.

    So far, all of the feedback has been positive. Since the auction, a number of dealers who didn’t have stock at the auction have approached me expressing their interest in a similar event in the future.

    “Although we would have to talk about it at an upcoming [FTMTA] meeting, I think that the demand shown last Saturday means there is definitely a market out there. Early indications show we would be very interested in running a similar auction between now and next summer.”