Cheffins, which conducts the largest monthly sale of second-hand tractors and agricultural machinery in Europe, has reported sales of over £28.5 million across the firm’s monthly machinery sale, on site auctions, vintage sales and timed online auctions.
Recent figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association reported that the number of agricultural tractors being registered in the UK has dropped to their lowest level for 24 years, as farmers look to cut back on costs following the changes to UK agricultural policy and the lack of financial backing from the government. This has had the knock-on effect of an increased demand from UK-based farmers looking for good quality, second-hand machinery. As prices rise for second-hand machinery and demand remains consistent, Cheffins has hosted 34 auctions between January and June 2025, with the monthly machinery sales regularly grossing over £3 million per auction.
Joe Page, Director at Cheffins and who runs the Cheffins monthly machinery sale, comments: “We have seen a consistent flow of sales throughout the first half of the year, both in terms of on-farm on behalf of farmers, timed online sales, and a steady level of consignments into the monthly sale. With this in mind, it is important for sellers to present their machinery in the best light possible to achieve the highest prices. Demand for kit is high, and prices have remained healthy, particularly as the prices of new machinery is now reaching the realms of unaffordable for many.”
Taking this into account, Joe Page has put together a comprehensive guide of how to best prepare agricultural machinery ahead of auction, to help sellers ensure their equipment reaches its full potential.
Here is a list of Joe Page’s top points for how to prepare machinery for auction:
PRESENTATION: You must present the tractor or machinery in decent condition. Give it a washdown, clear the cab of rubbish, remove any old drinks cans, chocolate bar wrappers and so on. Buyers who see a messy cab will assume that it has not been looked after properly.
PAPERWORK: Try and dig out all of the paperwork you have about the tractor’s history or any maintenance which has been carried out. While this might have been relegated to the bottom drawer of your desk, do try and find it and give it to the auctioneer. It helps present a full history of the tractor for a buyer and helps with confidence that they are buying something which has been well maintained. Also, make sure you find the V5 and have that ready.
ADD ONS: If you have a weight block or a GPS system, please add them to the tractor as it can increase its value exponentially. It’s always worth seeing what you can add on which might make your tractor stand out from the others on sale day.
CHECKS AND REPAIRS: Have an honest look at the tractor and see what condition it is in and how best to present it to potential buyers. Sometimes there might be small changes which can make a big difference in terms of its sale value, so make any minor repairs and top up fluids and replace any filters.
PHOTOS/VIDEOS: If you can provide us with high quality pictures and videos of the machinery at work this can really help with the promotion of it in the run up to sale day.
Cheffins has seen a series of high prices paid for second-hand machinery recently, such as £82,500 paid for a 2018 Fendt 936 tractor, £58,500 for a 2017 John Deere 6215R tractor and £58,000 for a 2022 McHale Fusion baler.
Joe Page continues: “Overseas trade has also come back in force. At the monthly machinery sale, we have seen recent sales to Spain, Ireland, Romanic, Portugal, Netherlands, Egypt, Sudan and Ukraine, with approximately 40 per cent of items in every sale being exported out of the country. However, domestic trade is still strong. As many farmers look to cash in on any machinery with finance agreements as they look to reduce their costs in the face of the changes to UK agriculture, we have seen a growth in UK-based buyers heading to auction to try and purchase machinery which will cost them less in the long-term.”
The next monthly machinery sale at Cheffins will take place on Monday 4th August.
For more information, please visit contact Cheffins Machinery Sales on 01353 777767, machinery@cheffins.co.uk