Opinions - Large auctions of tractors.

What do you think when you go to a very very large (to large actually) tractor auction and watch things sell? I'm talking like selling out a life long hoarder of them. Just got acres and acres of tractors. All being sold in one weekend, or perhaps all on the same day. Selling so many in the liquidation that the enthusiast can't buy it all and the iron and salvage guys end up with some good ones just because the volume being liquidated is just to overwhelming.

I'm not really talking about collectors of
the restored here, where basically everything they have is nice. More so, just a hoarder that mainly has non-runners because they have so dang many of them, they can't keep them all going. Maybe a dozen runners. The rest just sitting as the day they were bought and brought home.

Do you get mad or frustrated with how they are being liquidated? Are you impressed by or envious of the seller? Saddened by the neglect of most of the machines. Wonder how one person could amass so much stuff? Or just thankfull that they did, and your having an opportunity to buy.

I have been to two such auctions, and seen another one that was done as an online auction. Alot of thoughts rolled through my head as a witness to them.

I might add more thoughts in a reply to this, but I sure do think to much stuff can be liquidated at one time. Liquidating a life time hoard all in one day? Took somebody a life time to hoard it. Liquidating it all on the same day pretty much spells out to much stuff for even numerous buyers when you do it all in one day.
Online brings about unlimited buyers, yes. But distance comes along with that. Hauling very far keeps distance buyers from buying much of the low end stuff. Stuff like you would see at a such auction. A long distance buyer will drive for rare or nice. Buy they aren't going to go far to haul semi loads of low end stuff home.

Anyways, your thoughts??

Even with lot of items to sell they still seem to bring too much money to be able to afford them knowing they will need a lot put into them to get them going.

A huge auction benefits the seller because so many tractors in one sale makes it worthwhile for everyone from collectors to scrappers to go, even if they need to travel.

I don't think about it to much else to think about.

First be glad someone like that has them as many would probably have been scrap long ago.2nd a situation like that is where I'd be having an on line auction spit up different dates.

I have mixed feelings about that.

Good that someone was interested in saving the old machines, but bad when they are allowed to sit outside and ruin to the point that it ends up as scrap anyway. Really makes me sad when it's something rare!

I guess what really perturbs me is seeing a huge collection like that, sitting out, knowing nothing will ever be done with it in the lifetime of the owner and there are signs 'Nothing For Sale Don't Ask'. Especially when you can see that one rare part and can't have it!

Never been to an auction like that - wish I could though.

Closest was a local guy who had about 25 Allis Chalmers ranging from Gs to 7060s. I'm still kicking myself for not buying or at least running up higher an Allis 6080 that was in good shape. I only started bidding because it was going so cheap - I had looked it over because we had time and a 7000 that I thought I might bid on had a hole in the block that wasn't mentioned on the sale bill. The 6080 had about 7500 hours, a fairly fresh Koyker loader and a cab with an AC that had been overhauled the summer before - tires, tin and paint were all good and shed kept. I stopped at $6500 - had I been more prepared and looked it over closer I would have gone $8000 at least. After the fact I spoke to a neighbor who said it was the diseased owner's more favorite tractor because the AC worked and as far as he knew it was a good tractor. Later I watched a similar 6080 sell on Purple Wave for $12,000. It was a in person only auction in an area dominated by John Deere, IH, and Case IH. Allis was a 4th string player in that part of the country.

Most of the junk auctions where tractors go cheap its because they just are not worth more. When you have a locked up engine and rotted tires on an 806 or a 4010 that have set for years (decades?) what is it really worth? Much less on an older H or M with the same issues. Unless you need a set of specific parts (Tractor is crap but the wide front axel will work on your project) all you are doing is buying scrap metal in the shape of a tractor to sit on your property. Just moving something like that is a huge PIA.

If you want to buy some of them, feel free to do so. IMHO, the best bang for the buck is in field ready tractors and completed restorations.

Non-running fence row tractors have probably already been saved from the scrapper at least once if not several times during their lifetime. Interest in collecting tractors is continuing to wane in the long term. The supply of fence row tractors available far exceeds the number of tractors that people will be willing to spending $5000 or more to fix up that will barely be worth $1500 when finished, so they will not all be saved. Some parts machines have options that someone may want to install on a different tractor, but a parts donor that is too far gone will likely never be restored.

The idea of saving every obsolete tractor is much like trying to save every rusted out minivan or wrecked half ton pickup ever made. A few for projects can be fun, but you can't save them all.

Few months ago we bid on several Farmall As and Bs and a couple Fords, online auction in tupelo MS.. we ended up with one B. The ones we didn't get may have ended up in a scrap yard. Lots of tractors that weren't worth fixing. Lucky we got that B. Used numerous parts off it..... It's sad to see tractors parted out, but it's needed. And unfortunately some are just junk. ... As for selling it all in a day at auction, that's better than just getting dumpsters from the scrap yard and not giving anyone a shot.

I will gamble on almost any tractor

This batch of old iron is not at auction but they are for sale, apparently there are about 235 of them left, a lot of Massey Harris units plus more. Located in central Alberta north of the 49th. I know 3 guys who have picked up a tractor each from this group, two Massey Harris 55's and a Massey Harris 444. Link below with the ad .... a lifetime of collecting I guess one could easily say.

My thought is, you can't win.

They tear you to pieces for scrapping a tractor. They tear you to pieces for keeping the tractor but not taking care of it as they see fit.

Guess it's not enough just to save everything now we're required to keep them inside and in running condition too...

The reality is you can't save them all, and if it makes you upset then you must be living a good life where you don't have anything more pressing to worry about.

I was presuming the owners kid inherited them and wanted them gone. Just what it seamed like. Some nice masseys there.

You're right Rusty, that Mustang would be a nice little tractor.

I guess I'm blind as I cant see a link to the 235 Massey tractors that are for sale in Alberta...I sure would love to see the list...Thanks.

Sorry 1206, here's the link ....
Untitled URL Link

Thanks.

And many assuming a fellow that has spent the money to buy and haul these tractors has no clue what to do with them while the folks with no money or time invested have all the answers.No wonder when some want to get out of the collecting tractor deal they just call the scrap man.

Grandpa, I really admire the work that you do and how quickly you can complete a project. Too many of my someday projects just stay in the planning stage. You are one in a million.

I'll add a thought or 2 since I said I might do that.

I don't know if anybody understands a hoarder. Why they accumulate stuff? And for what purpose? Investment, having thier own parts yard, collector gone wild, projects that get procrastinated and pile up? It's anybodys guess. But the truth is, a hoarder must care about thier stuff (atleast enough to own it), or they wouldn't be hoarders of it. Even if it's tractors.

Even if they have as little of care as mentioned, I don't think they would like to see about half of thier stuff go to scrap a month or so (whenever the auction is) after thier passing. I don't watch hoarders (the t.v. show) all that much, but what few episodes I have seen, these people have big time trouble throwing thier things away. Stands to reason a tractor hoarder wouldn't want to see thier treasures lost to scrap.

I didn't actually post this subject just to whine and complain about hoarders. Or rip them about neglecting thier mass of stuff. But maybe to offer some advice as a buyer and enthusiast myself.

My advice would be this, based off of the large hoarder auctions I have witnessed. The more stuff liquidated at one time, the higher percentage of it goes to scrap (it don't take long to find out who the iron guys are at an auction and know what thier bidding number is). Anybody that is actually rebuilding stuff, is buying one project at a time. Not 50 at a time. They might make an exception and buy 2 or 3 projects instead of one, but the truth is, these guys are going to have to stop someplace.

And no, alot of tractors aren't going to be resurrected by the fixer-uppers. Not every tractor is going to have new life blown into it. But you run into the same problem with your parts and salvage guys. They likewise are in few numbers and can only take on so much stuff at one time. And if they quit buying for the day, the iron guys are all that's left. They'll bring a crusher to the site, and it's not a problem for them to absorb pretty much any amount. All it means to them, is number of semi trips. They likely get thier money back pretty quickly. Likely get paid on every load after it's delivery. They don't have to sell parts to get thier money back, like the parts guys do. I talked to a parts salvage guy at one of these auctions. He said he'd really like to have more stuff from the auction than he was buying, but he simply just could not spend a solid 6 weeks hauling it back to his own salvage yard. Couldn't be away from his own buiness for that long and that constant. He told me himself, sadly alot of what he'd normally buy is going to the iron guy. Said he'd of took on alot more of the stuff if he'd of had a year or two to get it hauled off.

So, I guess if you really have a big hoard of stuff, and would like to see as much as possible be sold as projects or atleast go for parts, you might have a different plan put together than having a one day sell the day after your funeral. Because in reality, that's what a lawyer and an auctioneer will do when your gone. Unless of course your leaving it to a kid that has the same interest in your treasure trove. But from what I've seen, the larger the same day liquidation is, the larger the percent (not talking about amount, I'm talking percent) goes to scrap.

Probably the saddest thing I see at one of these sells, is seeing a tractor that is not a candidate to be a fixer upper, but it has a good this or that on it (manifold, hood, fenders, rear rims, what ever). And you know the iron guy is not going to even bother about taking it off and selling it separate as parts. It'll just be melted right along with the rest of the tractor.

Anyways, my thoughts on the subject. Thanks to those who replied.