TractorHouse auctions

[CloverKnollFarms]

I’m intrigued by these auctions. It started with a local tractor that just went up on auction, and so I started browsing what they have available. Obviously some garbage, but also some decent low hour tractors.

What I do is a hobby. I need to till about 8 acres, and play around…. I’m not a high hour user, so an older low time reliable unit would be suitable.

Do you have any experience with these auctions? Have you seen what sort of values these units reach? Market? Deals? Very intrigued!

 

[5030]

Sold a few units on TH/Auction Time with great results. Never purchased anything however.

 

[newbury]

'Another source is Public Surplus, linky
I bought my M4700 from one in Virginia. I've been following them closely since 2012.
The sales are greatly dependent on the area. In my neck of the woods in Northern Virginia there are many local school systems, counties and other government agencies selling equipment. Many sell equipment based on age, others sell based on condition. So for example there is a local water authority that sells less than two tractors a year, but every one looks pristine and has gone for far below comparables at other sites.
There's also some selling stuff that is only fit for recycle.

 

[super55]

I follow their auctions quite a bit and most are ran through either auctiontime or equipmentfacts. I've bid on equipmentfacts but never won. I always bid low because everything I bid on was sight unseen other then a few vids of the item. If you do win usually you have like 7 days to pay fully for the item and pick-up or ship. If you have a trailer to pick the item up and the liquidity to not have to finance there can be some savings found but one still has to consider the auction fee which is usually around 3-5% buyers fee that gets added to the cost for the auction to get it's cut.

On the other side of the coin, I have bought 2 tractors and two implements directly from dealers on tractorhouse and it has been pretty painless. Financing was easy through my farm credit union because I just posted the link of what I was looking to finance. I've used their linked shipper, U-ship and the dealer's recommended vendor on items. Freight costs can be all over the place but if you put a wide pickup timeline and delivery date sometimes hotshots will give a really good deal if they have a partial load and heading in that direction anyway.

 

[sea2summit]

I would never buy a piece of equipment like that sight unseen but I do think tractorhouse is a reputable auction site.

 

[MossRoad]

I’m intrigued by these auctions. It started with a local tractor that just went up on auction, and so I started browsing what they have available. Obviously some garbage, but also some decent low hour tractors.

What I do is a hobby. I need to till about 8 acres, and play around…. I’m not a high hour user, so an older low time reliable unit would be suitable.

Do you have any experience with these auctions? Have you seen what sort of values these units reach? Market? Deals? Very intrigued!

Just be prepared to be shocked by how fast and far up the bids go in the last 5 minutes. It's an eye opener.

 

[5030]

I would never buy a piece of equipment like that sight unseen but I do think tractorhouse is a reputable auction site.

Both times I sold on there the prospective buyer came and inspected the items I was selling and if I was the buyer, I'd do the same. I never buy a 'pig in a poke'.

Keep in mind that with TH and Auction time, the insertion fees are paid for up front, not when or if the item sells and the fee is based on your asking price, not what you get for the item.

Every seller on there has pre paid the insertion fee, how it works.

In my case Sandhills ( the owner of TH and Auction Time) looked over what I was listing and suggested what I should be asking (which was actually more than what I was going to list the items for) and I got what they had me list them for so all was good and it well covered the insertion fees and then some.

Far as transportation is concerned, in my case, the buyer arranged for transportation ahead of time so I wasn't involved with that aspect at all, other than loading the items on the hauler's trailer.

 

[5030]

Just be prepared to be shocked by how fast and far up the bids go in the last 5 minutes. It's an eye opener.

Yep, I bid on a Kuhn Masterdrive rotary rake a couple years back being sold by someone fairly local (so I could handle the pickup and delivery myself and not have to deal with 3rd party transportation) and I pre set the maximum of what I was willing to pay and in the last 10 minutes the bid went crazy and actually exceeded what I could buy one for new.

Needless to say I bought a new Masterdrive from a somewhat local dealer and they delivered it to the farm as part of the deal.

New is always better than used, even if the used looks new. Used is still used and used won't come with any warranty either, not that a Kuhn Masterdrive is failure prone in the first place.

 

[5030]

I would never buy a piece of equipment like that sight unseen but I do think tractorhouse is a reputable auction site.

In essence, all they are is a listing entity and make no claims of merchantability, that is entirely up to the seller. They are reputable or they wouldn't be as big as they are. You do realize they list a lot more than just ag related equipment? They do everything from commercial aircraft, to boats to heavy equipment and tractor trailers..... I'm always checking out the listings for RV's and UTV's. I believe they also list all the Ritchie Brothers auction equipment too.

 

[rScotty]

'Another source is Public Surplus, linky
I bought my M4700 from one in Virginia. I've been following them closely since 2012.
The sales are greatly dependent on the area. In my neck of the woods in Northern Virginia there are many local school systems, counties and other government agencies selling equipment. Many sell equipment based on age, others sell based on condition. So for example there is a local water authority that sells less than two tractors a year, but every one looks pristine and has gone for far below comparables at other sites.
There's also some selling stuff that is only fit for recycle.

The way that local school systems, county maintenance shops, utility companies, and government agencies sell their equipment varies a lot from place to place - but it is worth figuring it out for your area.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

This far, todays auction in PA, tractors are selling for what I’d consider market value. But, they have a long way to go

 

[MossRoad]

This far, todays auction in PA, tractors are selling for what I’d consider market value. But, they have a long way to go

A friend of mine and I keep our eyes open for man lifts or bucket trucks. He has a farm that it would be handy on, and I have a 50' Christmas tree in my front yard that I light every year, and that isn't getting any shorter. When they come up for auction, they are all well below our maximum price. In the last few minutes, people swoop in and double or triple the bids well past our maximum. It's not a high priority, and someday we'll find one, but not today.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Freight costs can be all over the place but if you put a wide pickup timeline and delivery date sometimes hotshots will give a really good deal if they have a partial load and heading in that direction anyway.

In my opinion, I still think it's a bad time to be buying used. Freight costs are high, auction prices are still high and financing costs are high and going higher.

 

[newbury]

In my opinion, I still think it's a bad time to be buying used. Freight costs are high, auction prices are still high and financing costs are high and going higher.

Freight is important, but in my case I limit my auction buying to local auctions.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Case IH Farmall 50A with loader. 2021, 113 hours, sold for $26k

We don’t borrow money, so finance charges aren’t something I ever consider.

Ill pay the freight.

 

[5030]

A friend of mine and I keep our eyes open for man lifts or bucket trucks. He has a farm that it would be handy on, and I have a 50' Christmas tree in my front yard that I light every year, and that isn't getting any shorter. When they come up for auction, they are all well below our maximum price. In the last few minutes, people swoop in and double or triple the bids well past our maximum. It's not a high priority, and someday we'll find one, but not today.

Too bad you don't live closer, I'd let you borrow my JLG 75 foot manlift. They are very handy and sure beat an aluminum ladder.

 

[MossRoad]

Too bad you don't live closer, I'd let you borrow my JLG 75 foot manlift. They are very handy and sure beat an aluminum ladder.

We rented one last fall for the weekend. He got his gutter and tree work done, and he removed about 20 years of broken Christmas lights from our tree. It was nice!

 

[Bentrim]

Public sales or auctions
When you go to a live auction you get to see the sellers equipment as how he used it and took care of it. You can form a opinion of any piece of equipment as the majority of the equipment looks. Sometimes they sell out after purchasing a new tractor or combine, that usually draws buyers out and will usually sell for new price or above.
On line auction can be a good or bad buy. Most are now run by well known auctioneers or companies. Do a little research on the auction companies as most want to please the buyer so you will buy again. Call them and talk to them about the piece you are interested in. Check out any pictures, they tell the story of the piece and can make or break you decision and what you may be willing to pay.

Here is one site but there are more.

Auctions | Aumann Auctions, Inc.

www.aumannauctions.com