August machinery sales better than ever

A typical telephone call towards the end of July: Ring, ring… “Cambridge Machinery Sales, good morning”

“When’s your next sale?

“10th August, sir.”

“But you don’t have one in August.”

“Err, yes we do. Sir, and it’s on the 10th of August”

“Since when?”

“Oh, since 1997, about 12 years ago, sir, and we have an excellent range of tract…”

Click…!

It’s quite amazing in this age of information technology that word still hasn’t got universally around about our August auction, even after so long!

Anyway, a sale was held on the 10th and despite a few pre-auction forecasts of doom and despondency, it exceeded all expectations, in fact, to use that oft’ quoted phrase from last year: “and it was the best August sale...ever!”

With a varied entry of 414 tractors, the biggest tractor entry for an August auction, in addition to a number of the other sales being full, there certainly was kit aplenty on offer and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of buyers world wide who’d made the journey.

Fresh to the sale included one buyer from the palm-fringed, white sanded beaches of the British Virgin Islands, as well as a new buyer from Albania which, funnily enough, conjures up somewhat less paradisiacal images!!

Of the tractors on offer in Tractor Sale 1, once again sub £15,000 examples met with the most demand. John Deere trade was healthily boosted by bullish Spanish and Portuguese bidding. It was also pleasing to note that with the slightly more favourable exchange rate for our Polish buyers, they certainly were more active although not to the same extent as the halcyon days of 16 months or so ago.

Of the top end tractors sold, it was interesting that many fell to home buyers who obviously considered such tractors represented value for money. Such examples would include a 2008 JD 6930 Premium with the all important Triple Link Suspension, topping out at nearly £43,000 and a 6430 Premium with matching loader and in show room condition sold close to £36,000, a wise purchase indeed when you consider the new price of this combination. A selection of prices for other makes would include £7800 for a plain MF 3690, an unusually sharp Fiat 80-90DT with 4150 hours and direct from farm met with enthusiastic bidding to top £8700; £20,000 purchased a 2007 Same 110; a much admired MF 4355 with Quickie loader and 2150 hours was pushed over reserve to £16,300; a brace of low houred New Hollands, a 6010 and a 6020, found new homes at £21,200 and £27,000 respectively and we made one German buyers’ boyhood dream come true when he bought the impressive Ford FW30 artic for a more than reasonable £6,800.

Trade was patchier in the older tractor section. With the absence of our normal East African and Middle Eastern buyers due to their own harvests and holidays, it was mainly left to two well known exporters to share the honours particularly amongst the 500 series Masseys. Spirited and determined bidding pushed prices over reserves and over 70% of these neo-classics sold all of which, no doubt, will be heading for sunnier climes in due course. An average selection of Zetors met with average bidding although anything with sparkle made the money; a polished 6211, low in the hours (2300) was contested up to £5900 and a 2003 4341 with similar hours made top Zetor price of £8100.

Many of you in the Contractors Plant world will be aware of the recent Health and Safety guidance on semi automatic quick hitches fitted to excavators and wheeled digger loaders. We have been ‘asked’ not to sell any machines with this type of hitch. Consequently, we can no longer accept any digging machine which is fitted with a semi automatic quick hitch. Fully automatic and manual hitches are fine but the latter must have all the necessary securing pins.

August saw a better then expected entry in all sections of Contractors Plant with the exception of mini diggers which were in short supply. Of the 25 JCB 3CX’s entered, just 50% found new owners, with most going to UK buyers, some to the Middle East and one or two later models going to Poland. Prices have fallen back a little more since last month, probably due to the time of year. Telescopics were in good supply but very limited demand although some better Manitous and smaller JCB’s did sell quite well. There was little trade for larger excavators. Older telescopics sold well again mainly to Eastern Europe. All the mini diggers on offer were sold with most exceeding their reserve prices. Dumpers proved almost impossible to shift. Some of the compressors which sold to the Middle Eastern market did extremely well with most selling over reserve. Buckets, mixers and breakers all sold well to Middle East, Poland and the UK.

The Machinery section saw a good demand for high out-put calibrator fertiliser spreaders, with a KRM selling for £3900, Amazone ZAM Makis at £2000, and a Vicon RS EDW weighing spreader at £1000. There was an exceptional trade for Bomford and McConnell hedgecutters with 90% of them finding new homes mainly in Northern Ireland and Eire, including a Bomford PA 550 topping out at £6600. Due to poor seasonal weather conditions grass mowers and tedders were disappointing and trade may not return until early 2010. Ploughs and cultivation equipment realised good prices for good clean items many of them going to the EU, including a KV LB85 at £3550 which went to Cornwall, a Naud 59 6 furrow to Germany, and a KV 3 furrow at £1050 even going to Jamaica.

Our next Cambridge Machinery Sale is Monday 7th September 2009 for which traditionally is a busy late summer auction

BRISTOL SALE

Our next Bristol Machinery Sale at Washingpool Farm is on Wednesday 23rd September 2009, with catalogue entries closing on Wednesday 4th September 2009. All entries of tractors, construction equipment, horticultural machinery and agricultural equipment are welcome.