Oxfordshire on-site dispersal sale breaks UK records

{farm sale}

A dispersal sale of agricultural machinery operated by well-known Oxfordshire-based contractor RC Baker Ltd in mid-December grossed more than £3.1m – making it the largest on-site, single-vendor sale to date. David Williams reports.

The auction was arranged by Che ns on behalf of the Baker family following founder Charles Baker’s decision to retire, and included an array of top-speci cation, modern machinery – much of it from premium brands.

Che ns auctioneer Oliver Godfrey commented that RC Baker Ltd was one of the most admired agricultural contracting companies in the industry, and he stressed that the Che ns team was proud to have been chosen to sell the extensive eet on the Baker family’s behalf.

Advertised extensively in advance in Farmers Guide and elsewhere, the Che ns sale page attracted more than 73,000 views, and over 460 potential buyers registered to bid online while the lots on o er drew hundreds to the venue on the viewing and sale days.

Black-grass control has increased Avadex use in recent years, and this Techneat Avadex GR400 trailed applicator on a low ground pressure chassis came with 16m folding booms and a Honda engine, and sold for £7,500.

Worldwide interest

“Although we had considerable interest from potential buyers as far away as New Zealand, and from many in mainland Europe, most of the lots ended up with buyers from throughout the UK,” Oliver explained. “The specialist slurry handling and application machinery saw strong demand from other large contracting businesses, as well as farms with large livestock units or AD plants.

“The machinery was generally in excellent condition and a real credit to Charles Baker. Despite some of the tractors having recorded above average working hours for their ages, they were a good speci cation, had been well looked after, and sold very well as a result.” FG

One of the lower-priced tractors, this Massey Ferguson 2435ST 4wd was an 06-registered, 2006 model. The hour meter displayed 1,355 hours. With a pick-up hitch and on 16.9-24 rear, and 12.5/80-18.5 front turf wheels and tyres, it made an impressive £12,500. One of the highest priced items of farm machinery sold second-hand at an on-site auction – this 2020 Claas Xerion 5000 was equipped with a Kaweco 28,000-litre Gooseneck slurry tanker, and tted with a 12m3/min pump, a Kaweco Front Unit ST with front loading arm, a macerator, stone trap and turbo ll, a 36m Vogelsang SwingMaxx 4 dribble bar – also capable of applying at 24, 30 and 32m – and with section control through Claas GPS. The tanker, boom and front arm all had automatic lubrication. Tyres were 900/60R42s; Michelin on the Xerion, and Trelleborg on the tanker, with pressure adjustment through a central tyre in ation system. On the farm from new, the Xerion carried a 20-plate and had worked 1,417 hours. It achieved a winning bid of £525,000 from a UK-based end-user.

Ten tractors were on o er in total, including seven John Deeres of which ve were 6215R models. With a John Deere 663R front loader with pallet forks, this 2018, 18-plate machine was equipped with 50kph AutoPowr IVT transmission, front axle and cab suspension, air brakes, front linkage, and was GreenStar GPS-ready. It was on BKT 710/70R42 rear, and 600/70R28 front tyres which were almost new. It had been serviced by main dealer Farol from new and displayed 6,418 hours. The winning bid was £70,500.

This Vredo VT7028 self-propelled slurry applicator created a lot of interest. It had 6wd through Mitas 900/60R42 wheels and tyres, central tyre in ation, a recently tted reconditioned 689hp engine, a reconditioned 50kph stepless transmission, a 32m3 tank, Vogelsang SwingMaxx 4 36m hydraulic folding dribble-bar booms – also capable of operating at 24, 30 and 32m working widths – and it had John Deere GPS guidance and was HarvestLab nutrient sensing-ready. With 6,198 hours recorded, it sold for £425,000.

Vaderstad Rapid drills are always in demand. This A600 6m version with System Disc front cultivation, bout, and tramline markers was new in 2008 and achieved £15,000.

Mercedes Benz Unimogs are well known for their high resale values, and this U400 model on 395/85R20 wheels and tyres achieved an impressive winning bid of £37,500, even though it was 18 years old with 122,794km displayed. It had an aluminium dropside body and a pick-up hitch, and like most of the other machinery o ered it was presented very well.

New in 2021, this John Deere 375 Plus 10-row, hydraulic folding maize header made £71,000. This Parmiter rear linkage-mounted post knocker sold well at £800. knocker sold well at £800.

This 2012 Claydon Hybrid mounted 6m drill came tted with a micro-granule applicator, 7in A shares and was tted with splitter boots on two-inch seed tine coulters and came with following harrows. It made £22,000. Pictured beside it, the 2012 Claydon 7.5m Straw Harrow achieved £8,800. One of the auction stars, this John Deere 6250R Ultimate Edition with AutoPowr 50kph transmission was equipped with front linkage and PTO, cab and front axle suspension, rear wheel weights, electric mirrors, air brakes and was Greenstar-ready. It was on Michelin 710/70R42 rear, and 600/70R30 front tyres and registered on a 20-plate, having been bought new in March 2020. In excellent condition, it had recorded only 2,358 hours and the winning bid was £117,500.

There were two Volvo loading shovels. Nearest the camera, this L70H 4wd was a 2015 machine and had been on the farm from new. It came with pallet tines, a reversing camera, boom suspension and auto-lube, and was on 750/65R26 wheels and tyres. It had recorded 5,126 working hours and made £81,000.

The 2004 L50E loader beside it had been tted with a reconditioned transmission in 2020, and the boom suspension had been recently re-pinned and re-bushed. It had autolube and had been serviced from new by Volvo and was on Trelleborg 620/75R26 wheels and tyres. A new hour meter meant precise working hours weren’t available, but the total was estimated at 10,000. The winning bidder paid £43,000.

There were also three KTwo Evo 1600, 16t rear-discharge manure spreaders to bid on. They had a similar speci cation including slurry doors, removable hoods, sprung drawbars and folding lights and were on 580/70R38 wheels and tyres. A 2011 version sold for £12,500, and two 2009 machines made £12,500 and £13,000.

This KTwo Roadeo 2000 HP 20t trailer with hydraulic load compaction and ejection came with rear-axle steering, a hydraulic tailgate, a sprung drawbar, and with ABS and load-sensing pneumatic brakes.

On 560/60R22.5 wheels and tyres and new in 2016, it sold well at £32,500.

In tidy condition, this JCB Fastrac 4220 had a 60kph transmission and was on BKT 600/70R30 wheels and tyres. It had a front linkage and had been on the farm since it was new in March 2019. 4,892 hours were recorded, and it was presented well. The winning bid was a very impressive £83,000.

Tramspread slurry handling and application equipment has an excellent reputation, and this Tramspread Doda HD35 portable pump on a tandem-axle chassis and powered by a 6-cyl FPT engine had recorded 582 hours and sold for an impressive £43,500.

Forage merging is growing in popularity for its high work rates and reduced crop contamination. This 2019 Kuhn Merge Maxx 950 9m belt merger achieved £39,000.

One of several vehicles sold; this Ford Transit Connect 75 T200 panel van with a ve-speed manual transmission had covered 166,011 miles and was registered on a 10-plate. With an MOT valid to this month, it sold for £1,400.

This John Deere 6215R with AutoPowr 50kph transmission was 2017-registered and carried a 17-plate. It had cab and front axle suspension, a Degenhart front linkage and was in excellent condition. It was shod on Michelin 710/70R42 rear, and 600/70R28 front tyres, and had worked 6,885 hours. It sold for £54,500. McHale forage machinery always attracts competitive bidding at auctions, and this Fusion 2 single-axle baler/wrapper dating from 2012, with 560/60R22.5 wheels and tyres and which had recorded 21,792 bales sold well out of season for £21,000.

This set of triple mower conditioners included a pair of 2011 Claas Disco 9300C Duo rears and a 2011 Claas Disco 3100FC Pro front unit, giving a maximum 9.3m working width. The set sold for £17,500.

Attention to eld drain maintenance is increasing, so when they are available at auction, second-hand tractor-mounted drain jetters sell well. This 2014 Homburg Delta M135 with 500m of new hose tted in 2020 achieved an impressive £11,000.

A 2012 Sumo GLS low-disturbance subsoiler with leading discs, subsoiler tines, and a mounted six-outlet seeder made £9,800.

A classic Ford 8210 series 2, 4wd with a Super Q cab and a set of front wafer weights was tted with Alliance 460/85R38 rear tyres and 380/85R28 fronts. It had recorded 6,618 hours and was registered on a 1988 F-plate. It made £12,500.

This Gregoire Besson DXRVL HD Discordon 4.5m folding disc and 9-leg tine cultivator also came with a rear press.

It was new in 2012, remained very tidy and sold for £11,900.

Three similar Abbey 4500T tankers were sold. They were all 2018 models with 4,500-gallon, 20m3 tanks, 13,500 litres/min vacuum pumps, sprung drawbars, load-sensing air brakes, rear loading funnels and passive steering axles, and were on 650/55R26.5 wheels and tyres. Winning bids were £32,000, £33,500 and £30,000.

Two Tramspread random wrap, hose carriers included a 2015 model with 200m of 5-inch hose and a 2012 version with an unknown length of 5-in hose. They sold for £8,400 and £9,800 respectively.