# Auction tractors?



## arfowler (Jan 10, 2012)

Anyone big on buying tractors at auctions? I always been kind of gun shy cause you just dont get a chance to really put one through its paces. Always nice to find one on a farm to see how the other equipment is cared for and to be able to work one some. Having said all that is there anything specific people check at an auction, any tips or tricks?


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Ha, my advice is "stay away"...... Search individual owners. Harder for folks to lie when they're looking at a feller face to face.....but beware, there are plenty adept at the lying process and seem unfazed by it.....Hillary Clinton comes to mind, but there are plenty of other good examples....Hth


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

Dad and I have bought almost all of our tractors through auction sales. Always like to talk to the owner, can usually get a good idea just from that conversation. When looking at a tractor its general appearance will tell a lot of how it was used and taken care of. Dents, dings, faded paint, cut and respliced electrical, slopped out hole in the draw bar are things that make me shy away.

Usually can save a lot of money buying a used tractor at an auction sale vs buying from a dealer. I've never had a bad experience buying a tractor at a sale though, but I've heard of a few people that have.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

A conscientious seller will offer a "ride and drive" guarantee. If you are the winning bidder, you get to drive the tractor on the auction lot and if you don't like it you don't own it.


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## Wethay (Jul 17, 2015)

Has it been washed? Most likely it has been. I like to go to the first preview opportunity, and hopefully find it unwashed.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

A good farm auction has held right on the farm how you can kind of get a good feel for what's going on there, and talk to the owner may be a neighbor is an excellent place to buy a tractor. The downside is those tractors off to bring a fortune. I would say buying a tractor at one of the consignment sales in the area would bring a risk half the tractors at a consignment sale would be okay a local farmer and an old 1086 up there cuz he needed money or at the other had a couple too many used ones on a lot I just had a good one down to the Consignment sale but the other half of the tractors at a consignment sale have a very serious problem and the owner did not dare to sell them anywhere else


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

A waxed tractor is not always the sign of a well maintained tractor.I know some guys well spend more time waxing then greasing.And some with the shiney tractors like to screw the pumps open to the max.

On the other hand if it's beat to crap it probably isn't well maintained either.

I've only bought 3used tractors in my life and one was the waxed shiney tractor with the smoke screw cranked.I turned the Pump back down but had transmission issues 3 yrs later.

I bought a rough tractor cheap at auction and spent a couple grand just on all the little things.Got it under load and it ran hot,couldn't keep fan belts on because he had run 1 instead of 2 and pulleys were wore uneven.Leak in the radiator that he had not fixed.I figure he ran it that way a long time and it used oil and the engine was weak.

Traded tractor 2 for tractor 3.So far so good.The tractor was clean and had all the service records with it.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I have purchased two at auction. They are just as good as the one purchased private treaty via CL. I bought a 72 model about 10 years ago. I have put a clutch in it and associated parts while the tractor was split. No other issues. The second was a couple of years ago, it is an '82 model. It had a lot of misc. issues and leaks. We fixed all of the leaks and linkage issues that ended up being the direct result of neglect. I think I maybe put $400 into getting it right. Seals, O-rings etc.

Someone on here said once that when you buy at auction you should buy it cheap enough that the only surprises are good ones. I have found that to be true. I have found some simply amazing deals at auction, and not just on tractors. I look for the deals during the off peak times of year, on poorly advertised sales, hidden in unrelated items etc.

I have yet to get burned but my day is coming I am sure. There will come a time that someone will get me on one. With that being said however, I have found most sellers to be very honest when asked direct questions. They may not offer the information that I want, but they won't lie about it when asked specifically. I think that a little meeting over the tailgate goes a long way in evaluating a prospective purchase. If it doesn't feel right, or if they are not forthcoming with the information just walk away.

Truth be told, the worst deals that I have ever made were through a dealership. I have developed an allergy to dealing with them on used equipment. I prefer farmer to farmer deals.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

My tractors are generally dusty looking. For the fact that they don't spend anytime outside other then when they are working so they don't get a chance to have the dust washed off by the rain. That is what I would like to see if looking for a used tractor. That and plenty of somewhat fresh grease around any grease points.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Gearclash said:


> A conscientious seller will offer a "ride and drive" guarantee. If you are the winning bidder, you get to drive the tractor on the auction lot and if you don't like it you don't own it.


That should be BEFORE you bid. Once you bid and win it's yours.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I never seen a ride and drive farm auction either.It's pretty common at auto auctions tho

I been to a few auctions that someone sabotaged the tractor so it wouldn't start,so maybe a few auctions are going to the ride and drive???


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Another side benefit of online auctions. It's hard to sabotage a tractor when you don't know where exactly it is.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Talk to the previous owner if you can, and if there has been any work done to it by a dealer maybe talk to the mechanic that worked on it.

I bought a swather off of auctiontime, and a tractor through tractorhouse; Maybe I was just lucky, but they turned out to be in good shape; have not had to do much to them. Now on the other had I bought a 3x4 baler from a dealer and have had nothing but problems, I even looked at it.

So you just never know; just turns out to be a crap shoot.


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

Trillium Farm said:


> That should be BEFORE you bid. Once you bid and win it's yours.


That is pretty common here to have the right to reject after winning the bid if it won't start/drive etc...

Of course, it depends on the seller...especially at consignments. Consignments, here, have a stigma of being a place to get rid of junk. The sellers that have better tractors will still sell there and offer the guarantee as a way of making their word, that the tractor is as they say, have a little bit of value.

A lot of the tractors also have the "Georgia guarantee"...if it breaks into two pieces...you own both of them. 

73, Mark


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

glasswrongsize said:


> That is pretty common here to have the right to reject after winning the bid if it won't start/drive etc...
> 
> Of course, it depends on the seller...especially at consignments. Consignments, here, have a stigma of being a place to get rid of junk. The sellers that have better tractors will still sell there and offer the guarantee as a way of making their word, that the tractor is as they say, have a little bit of value.
> 
> ...


Try to resell a tractor that was rejected by the winning bidder, you'll take a bath for something that could be minor. That's why all machinery should be inspected *before* bidding. Georgia Guarantee is given free of charge!


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Here is how it goes in the great state of Georgia and our explicit guarantee is a limited one.....
The first guarantee is the Texas taillight warranty......once the tail lights is out of the driveway, your warranty is now null and void.
Now if you were to find a real good seller, he may offer the Colorado warranty......in which case, if it falls into a bunch of pieces, you get to call ALL of them.
Georgia has no other warranty or gaurantee, unless you happen to have married your first cousin from Alabama, then things get touchy and special privileges are envoked


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I have had bad experiences buying at auctions.....never bought a tractor at an auction but two different combines which both ended up being junk and a few pieces of hay equipment which also turned out to have problems. Unless it is a retirement sale I don't think I will be buying anything else from an auction. Seems like there is a reason why a lot of stuff is sold at an auction......at least around here.

I have bought two tractors sight unseen from dealer advertisements on tractorhouse and both have turned out to be excellent machines......they had better be though because I paid top dollar.


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## arfowler (Jan 10, 2012)

Seems crazy I see prices at dealer levels on auctions and signs everywhere saying as is no warranty. Guess i was thinking more of consignment auctions; we dont see many estate type anymore. Just hear so many stories of people getting stuck with problems or they buy a tractor that stays in and out of shop for a year then take it back to the sale. At least most dealers here will help out some with repairs at cost or cut rate on labor if problems arise right after purchase.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

arfowler said:


> Seems crazy I see prices at dealer levels on auctions and signs everywhere saying as is no warranty. Guess i was thinking more of consignment auctions; we dont see many estate type anymore. Just hear so many stories of people getting stuck with problems or they buy a tractor that stays in and out of shop for a year then take it back to the sale. At least most dealers here will help out some with repairs at cost or cut rate on labor if problems arise right after purchase.


Arfowler, would you update your profile so as to let us know approx where you hail from.....most of our dealers abide by that "as is no warranty" claim.....if your close I might give your guys a try


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

I've seen first hand some excellent deals at consignment sales. The uncle picked up a TW20 Ford and a John Deere 4755 at different consignment sales. Got good deals on each and they have been reliable tractors. You just gotta keep in mind you may have to do some repairs, so don't go overboard on the price when bidding.


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

Widairy said:


> I've seen first hand some excellent deals at consignment sales. The uncle picked up a TW20 Ford and a John Deere 4755 at different consignment sales. Got good deals on each and they have been reliable tractors. You just gotta keep in mind you may have to do some repairs, so don't go overboard on the price when bidding.


That last sentence says it all.

Auction sales vary a lot in the sunny west oz. We see a lot of clearing sales when farms change hands, with handover of sold farms occurring usually after the cereal harvest and before the next cropping cycle i.e. 1 January to 30 April.

Some auctions come up from October (for various reasons) onward. these early auctions through until most farmers finish their cereal harvest generally deliver the best prices for me buying. Competition is down so far as numbers and the farmers are not yet cashed up with harvest proceeds and being naturally cautious do not slash the cash.

The other sales I do not get excited about are those on a Saturday because every little hobby farmer is out there and cashed up with off-farm income (after all there is little farm income) and no realistic idea of values. They get caught up in the competitive nature of the auction and just keep on bidding, at times paying better than new price.

The only warranty here is "good title", i.e. you own it outright so if someone has a chattel mortgage over it too bad for them.

The other thing to watch is the "buyer's premium" if you have such a thing there. Auctions used to be the seller paid the auctioneer's commission but now the buyer pays the commission as an added premium of up to 11% (10% premium to the auctioneer sand 1% tax to the Government).

Yes 11% gets added to the price you bid.

My advice is to set your maximum bid price and do not go above it.

Watch the mood of the auction, every one is different in character and can change through the auction. Some auctions the starting price will fall to a ridiculously low level and once bidding starts it seems the lure of that low price sets people off and their competitive spirit will not lie down and the item goes overpriced. At that auction it could be well to bid on your i.e. start the bidding at a more realistic figure before the fever of an apparent absolute bargain sets in and frenzied bidding follows. Often at that sort of auction the reasonable start price is the end of bidding, then you have a bargain.

Oh by the way do you know the definition of a "BARGAIN". Well no surprise I will tell you.

It is something you do not need at a price you cannot resist!

Back to the auction.

I like to stand where I can see who (meaning everyone) else is bidding and watch the auctioneer. Do not end up bidding against yourself, it can happen if the auctioneer is less than honest.

Follow the pattern of the bidding and work out when you have to bid to get the flow of bidding to fall such that you bid on your pre-set maximum bid. If you do not or the pattern is such you cannot then you will be tempted to bid one more time over your max.

Manipulate the bidding by jumping up if the price is ridiculously low and bids are coming fast.

For instance your reasonable preset price for a tractor5 is $6000. Bidding starts at $2500 and is going up by $100 per time and it has got to $3200. Put in a bid for $4000. I would just call out $4,000! . It breaks the flow and will shock some out of the bidding because their concentration is broken. They then have to re-organise their thoughts and calculations and you may get it knocked down. if not and a couple of bids come in jump it to $4800 or even better a psychological barrier $5000.

The competition then has to think you are serious and they are gonna lose so drop out or else their limit was $5000. After all $4999 is a lot less psychologically than $5000 ask any dealer.

The other reason to jump is to get your bidding aligned with your max. Assuming only one other is bidding and your last bid was at $4500 and bidding is quick between you and another. At $4500 your final bid will be $5900 with only one other bidding, that is below your limit. By jumping to $5000 your last bid assuming the competitor keeps going will be $6000 not only hitting your max but hitting another psychological barrier. You win or you drop out at your max, otherwise they win at $6000 or you have to break your max and bid $6100 and mentally then be in danger of continuing and paying too much.

Some 19 years ago in middle age I was on the verge of bankruptcy and no job either. I had the opportunity of leasing some extra land and haying seriously. No machinery for that scale and not able to pay a contractor I had to buy old but sound gear to get underway. Many repairs. buying well and selling at a profit to upgrade, sort of leapfrogging in capacity and quality while building up a contracting hay business too plus buying and selling others hay I ended up with new high capacity gear with very little total outlay. I usually bought at the back of the hay season upgraded gear, most often at auction. Farmers rarely think a full year ahead so equipment prices at the back of the season are usually low. That meant holding my older equipment for around 9 months and selling it at the start o0f the next season when the farmers were up against time constraints to get field-ready equipment and that comes at a premium........for me. Rarely did I sell equipment for less than my purchase price and usually for substantially more sometimes over 100% more after a few years of service.

Know your equipment what you need and want and price condition age ratios.

For example I bought a 5 year old FWA open station tractor, (was $29,000 new in 2000) for $10,000 with only 192 hours on it. Now 11 years later I could get $8,000 to $10,000 for it and had a lot of use as my utility tractor and main baling tractor. The only repairs were new seals and a new bearing on the front drive shaft and new seals in the power steering ram ($27 and $55 respectively, oh and 2 new front tyres at $300 each). The front tyres chopped out on bitumen roads driving between baling assignments.

In summary

Know your equipment and what to look for, do not be fooled by a paint can restoration,

Set your price and stick to it

Know how auctions ebb and flow

Know your bidding strategy

Always but always stay in control of yourself and the situation

If you do auctions can be fun though serious and rewarding.

Happy bidding.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

somedevildawg said:


> Georgia has no other warranty or gaurantee, unless you happen to have married your first cousin from Alabama, then things get touchy and special privileges are envoked


Dawg, Now I know where the statement "if she is not good enough for the family, she ain't good enough for you" may have came from. :lol:

Larry


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Great auction advice there, Coondle...

I've seen some guys get into peeing matches at auctions and it usually ain't pretty...

One time I bought some used stuff and was loading up and this guy had his pickup backed up next to mine and asked for a hand loading up a cone spinner-spreader (like a Herd seeder). I saw that thing sell and he got in a peeing match and ended up paying more for this VERY used spinner than a similar one would have cost NEW at Tractor Supply... and this one wasn't even a real "name brand" one either-- it was one of those "off-brand" type cheapies you'd get at Tractor Supply!

Problem was, his wife knew it too... and she wasn't keeping her feelings on the matter bottled up, either. She was giving him what-for and wouldn't even get out of the truck to help him load it up. He was taking such a drubbing from his old lady I felt sorry for the guy and helped him load up his "purchase" so at least that much was easier for him...

Sure wouldn't have wanted to be in their truck for THAT ride home, though!!!

Later! OL J R


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Never understood the taking of ones wife/fiancé to a tractor auction.......just seems like no upside


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> Never understood the taking of ones wife/fiancé to a tractor auction.......just seems like no upside


When we were still dating, I took the Boss to an auction. Mid-July, about 95 and no breeze. That was enough to cure her of ever wanting to go to another.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> Never understood the taking of ones wife/fiancé to a tractor auction.......just seems like no upside


I find it best to let her have input regarding the equipment that she may end up driving in a pinch.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Ya, I must admit that I did the same......once was a cure-all for her. About an hour in she was already whining.....so we left


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## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

I have an International 674, with a 2250 loader, on it, that I bought at a Consignment Sale, last year. I had taken a few things, I wasn't using any more, to the sale, a couple days prior, to the sale.
The tractor, and loader, were sitting there, I asked the guys, in charge of the sale, if I could hear it run, and I asked, if I could take it, down the road, to see how everything handled, and ran. They gave me the keys, to the tractor, everything sounded good, transmission, sounded good, and everything, loader worked perfect, so I took a chance, on it. 
Only thing I found wrong with it, was the Differential Lock, was seized, a good penatrating oil, and I pulled the levers apart, and I gave everything a good cleaning up, works like a charm. And a minor oil leak, on the side of the engine, a good sealant, took care, of that. The tractor, was well taken care of, as well.


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