Sprayer makes $350,000 at end of the sale

But an as-new condition John Deere 9570RT tractor should have been the top.

With just 1650 hours on its 425 kiloWatt engine and its rubber tracks showing no chipping or wear, the second last of 230 lots offered attracted an opening bid of $400,000 and the bidding moved quickly in $10,000 increments to $500,000.

But then bidding stalled, obviously within cooee of the reserve threshold, despite the best efforts of Westcoast Wool & Livestock auctioneer Chris Hartley to keep momentum going and it was announced negotiations for private sale would begin.

It is understood the tractor was sold a short time after the sale for an undisclosed price.

Father and son, Les and Brent Tyson, LJ & CJ Tyson, Kulin, who run a 4000 hectare mixed sheep and cropping enterprise, Koolberin Farms, came to the clearing sale looking to upgrade and update some of their older machinery.

They bought two of the last three lots, including the Hardi Rubicon 6500 self-propelled 48.5 metre boomsprayer with 3200 hours showing.

"We're going up in size a bit - bigger and wider - we've got its little brother, a Hardi Saritor, at home," said Les Tyson of the last-lot Rubicon sprayer.

The Tysons also negotiated a $260,000 sale price for a 2010 Ausplow Multistream 1800 litre air cart and matching 18 metre Auseeder D300 DBS seeding bar.

The seeding unit was initially passed in after the Tysons were the only bidder at $200,000.

"We've got an identical setup at home, but its 10 years older than this," Mr Tyson said of the seeding unit.

"We're just upgrading our equipment with bigger and newer."

Mr Tyson said their existing machines would be sold to help recover some of the cost of the upgrade.

A near-new condition John Deere S670 combine harvester with 640D front showing only 1680 rotor hours and complete with comb trailer, was second top item, selling for $310,000 to RS & CL Duff, Williams.

An older S680 John Deere harvester, also with 640D front and comb trailer but with 3600 rotor hours, failed to attract a bid.

A CLAAS Axion 930 tractor with 261kW engine on 6700 hours went to a new home not far away at Bullaring Farms, Bullaring, bought for $130,000, while a 1990s 142kW Ford 8770 tractor sold for $29,000 and essentially the same tractor, but bearing New Holland 8870 badges and with 14kW more power but 1800 more engine hours, sold for $1000 less.

An old Chamberlain Super 70 tractor with dual rear wheels sold for $6000 and two old International 766 tractors went for $3200 and $2000.

Yealering operation, Stretton Farms 1977 Pty Ltd, claimed a near-new-appearance 37 tonne Nyrex GrainKing chaser bin for $89,000 and while bidding for a JCB 3185 Fastrac with Berry spreader on the back started slowly, a duel developed between a phone bidder and a representative of Noondel Grazing Co, Dandaragan, with a winning bid of $61,000 ultimately claiming it for the in-person bidder.

An older Manitou MLT731 Telehandler with forks, bucket and a hydraulic leak, sold for $35,000.

Third top item of the sale, two tri-axle Allroads tipping grain trailers and tandem dolly, attracted a number of competing bids, including phone bids, before Tarwell Farming, Wickepin, claimed them with a bid of $200,000.

However, the 2010 Western Star 4800 Constellation prime mover that had pulled the trailers was sold as a separate lot and bought by JA & KJ Bell, Corrigin, for $90,000.

An older Ford Louisville L9000 prime mover sold for $39,000, a tandem-drive International T2670 tipping grain truck and pig trailer sold for $28,000, a Tautliner semitrailer set up as a chemicals handling trailer sold for $25,000 and two Cole bins on a semitrailer made $10,000.

A 1970s Dodge 575 tray truck with bin brought in $10,000, a VW Amarok ute with steel tray $9500 and a 1960s one-tonne Dodge tray truck with minimal rust and 'slant six' motor - becoming popular as a collector's item - changed hands for $900.

Two sets of double DE Engineers 1500/15 field bins sold for $41,000 and $35,000.

Hyden-based Westcoast Wool & Livestock representative Lincon Gangell, who ran the sale, said brothers Shane and Dean Hill were recognised in the local area as good farmers, so the sale attracted strong interest.

While the bigger items had attracted interstate enquiry initially when the sale was advertised, on the day it was Western Australian buyers - with local buyers prominent - who took the machinery home, Mr Gangell said.

"I ran a book during the sale of whether each lot is sold above or below what we expected and this sale was very definitely a positive result," he said.

Out of 189 people who registered at the sale, 144 cast a bid.

The Hill brothers have retired and their 'home' property where their family has farmed since 1909 and where the sale was held, has been leased out and some other local properties the brothers farmed have been sold.

The brothers agreed the sale was a "bitter sweet day" for them at the end of a five-year retirement plan.

"Overall we're happy with the way things went today," said Dean Hill.

"We were very surprised at some things and disappointed with a few others, but overall it's a good result," Mr Hill said.

"We're happy it all cleared - I think we've only got one header left and it's the wrong time of year for them.

"We'd like to thank the local community for its support.

"We've had lots of offers of help to set up and on the day - and also Westcoast Wool & Livestock - we appreciate their assistance."