attracts wide interest retirement sale

The retirement of a long-established fruit grower and a change of farming policy for his land resulted in an early winter dispersal sale. David Williams was there

The family fruit farming business was started in 1920. Trading as M A Manning & Son, third generation fruit grower, Ray Manning, specialised in Cox apple production; although in recent years, most of the land was used for arable crops. Only two rows of Cox apple trees remain, along with some additional apple varieties as well as plums and pears. Root vegetables, asparagus, salad and soft fruit are grown – with most sold through the very busy Bushel Box onsite farm shop run by Ray’s daughter, Wendy. As well as selling food grown on the farm, she also sources additional produce locally.

Ray is due to retire this March; the arable land is being contract-farmed, and Wendy will continue to grow produce for her shop and other local businesses on 8ha of the Grade 1 soil.

Attractive mix

Three tractors and fruit machinery including specialist sprayers have been retained for use, but the sale included a wide variety of lots accumulated during many years of farming at the location. There were also lots from Ray’s son, James who is an engineer and tractor enthusiast, and some ‘included’ lots from local dealers and farms. The preview and sale days were both dry and sunny, and most interest from those who attended was in the tractors o ered for sale.

Good attendance

The Brown & Co auctioneers were George Watchorn and Jon Clampin. “The variety of lots meant that there really was something for everyone,” explained George. “The weather was dry although temperatures were barely above freezing, and we registered 200 bidders on site and a further 170 applied to bid through our online platform.

“Buyers had travelled from all four corners of the UK and there were several from Ireland too. Those trying to secure lots included trade buyers, end users from fruit farms, and vintage enthusiasts as well.”

George commented that some lots achieved particularly high prices compared to their pre-sale estimates; including the Massey Ferguson 168 which has stayed local, and a Massey Ferguson 1080 which found a new home in Yorkshire.

Superb auctioneers

Ray Manning said that although he hadn’t used the services of Brown & Co previously, he found the team a real pleasure to deal with. “They were superb,” he con rmed. “The organisation was excellent, and they even provided two sta to supervise the parking.

“It was a genuine sale, and all the machinery was genuine. The amount of interest in our JCB Loadall astounded everyone, but it was a mechanical machine without complex electronics which had worked only 4,000 hours, and it was on almost new tyres. Opportunities to buy something like that are very limited. We were very happy with the whole sale and everything sold well. The only item which I felt could have achieved a little more was our Massey Ferguson 135 Multi-Power. It sold for £7,500 which is actually a good price, but for its genuine condition I had expected £8,000 or more.”

This 1998 JCB Loadall 526S Farm Special attracted considerable interest and lots of enquiries prior to the sale due to its mechanical speci cation and low working hours. It had a mixed set of 15.5/80-24 tyres including three BKT AS504s with 90% tread, and one Good Year SureGrip of the same size with 80% tread. It was registered on an S-pre x plate and had worked only 4,783 hours. The machine was in tidy condition inside and out although the seat was worn and had a few holes. It had a Q- t headstock, pallet tines and a rear pick-up hitch. Competitive bidding pushed the selling price to £26,600. George Watchorn takes bids for the Loadall.

The farm’s Massey Ferguson 174C steel-tracked crawler was in very good condition. Ray explained that it was bought second-hand from a Suffolk fruit farm where its main task was soil loosening in the orchards. The Mannings used it for a range of tasks including tree planting, and its 14in tracks allowed it to travel on grass and tilled ground without causing ruts. It achieved a winning bid of £9,900 from a Rutland-based buyer.

On an R-su x registration, this ‘included’ Massey Ferguson 135 Multi-Power orchard model had a swept back Duncan cab and was on Michelin 11.2R24 rear tyres which had 90% tread but were perished, and Supreme 5.00-15 front tyres with 70% tread. It had worked 4,575 hours and was in tidy, original condition. It sold for £5,000.

Kramer telehandlers have an excellent reputation, and this 2021 KT276 was in almost new condition with no dents or scrapes. The cab was superb and the seat still had its protective wrapping. It was registered on a 71-plate. The Kramer was on Mitas 340/80-18 tyres which showed few signs of wear. It carried its original Farol dealer stickers and had worked only 76 hours. The winning bid was £50,000.

There is strong demand for tractor front weights, and these three lots contained 7, 10 and 14 wafer weights respectively. They sold for £200, £230 and £310.

This Fendt 260V 2wd vineyard tractor was new in 1990. The Mannings bought it second-hand with another similar tractor in 2002. It was on Pirelli 340/85R24 rear tyres and Fulda 7.50-16SL fronts – all with approximately 80% remaining tread. The cab was very tidy and equipped with a pneumatic seat. The tractor had mid and rear hydraulic spools and an adjustable width, rear three-point linkage. The tractor carried Richard Burton, Norfolk, dealer stickers and sold for £6,400.

The sale was due to the retirement of fruit farmer, Ray Manning. His daughter, Wendy, owns and runs the Bushel Box – an onsite farm shop. She will be the fourth generation of the Manning family to run the business at Willingham when she takes over from Ray this March, and she will continue to grow produce for her shop.

One of the older tractors on offer, and very unusual, this Massey Harris Pony 2wd was a 1958 model and its 2-cyl diesel engine was supercharged. It had Michelin 8-24 rear, and 4-15 front tyres – one Continental and one Trelleborg. It had a badge saying supplied by Ballard & Son, Berkshire, and was a non-runner – having been bought for restoration but never completed. The winning bid was £880. The Massey Harris Pony is pictured with the supercharger inset.

Tractor-mounted drain jetters are an increasingly common sight on farms, especially in the fens, and when they are available at farm sales they usually sell well. This Homburg Delta M135 model had a hydraulic arm and dynamic drive. New in 2019, it remained in very good conditions, and achieved a well-deserved winning bid of £11,000.

This Ford Ranger 4wd pick-up was a Limited speci cation, and it carried a 2018 registration plate. Powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, it had a sixspeed automatic transmission, leather upholstery, air conditioning, a towbar and a rear load cover. The recorded mileage was 76,771, and a current MOT was valid until July 2023. The winning bid was £10,700.

Offered with its canvas cab covers stored safely on a pallet, this Massey Ferguson 168 Multi-Power 2wd was on front Mitas 6.00-16 tyres with 90% tread and rear Good Year 12.4/11-36 tyres which were perished with 50% tread. In good original condition, the tractor carried its FA Standen – Ely dealer stickers, and was registered with a 1975 P-su x. The hour meter displayed only 1,420 hours. A winning bid of £11,700 was achieved.

In almost as-new condition, this John Deere 4066R had been used, but very little. It carried Farol and Ben Burgess dealer markings and was on Titan 44-18-20 rear, and 27-10.5-15 front tyres – all with 90% tread. A very desirable tractor, it sold for £27,900.

This Massey Ferguson 1080 with 80hp at the PTO was regarded as a very capable tractor when it was new in 1970. It was shod on Richstar 7.5-18 front tyres with 80% tread, and Kleber 16.9R38 rear tyres which were perished and had only 20% tread. The hour meter displayed 4,305 hours and it sold for £8,000.

An ideal

With its original Ben Burgess supplying dealer stickers, this John Deere Gator XUV865M was in superb order. Powered by a diesel engine, it was on Maxxis 27x9.00R14 front, and 27x11.00R14 rear tyres, and had Datatag anti-theft markings. The Gator was registered on a 21-plate and had worked only 12.6 hours and recorded 75.3km. A manufacturer warranty provided cover until May 2023, or until it had worked 1,000 hours. The winning bid was £22,600, and the Gator has a new home in Northern Ireland.

Orchard and vineyard grass and wild ower seeders are in high demand, and this Pro Seed linkage mounted Overseeder had a 1.5m working width and was hydraulically operated. The winning bid was £1,100.

A second Ford commercial vehicle was available for bids. This Transit Courier was a 2016 model, registered on a 66-plate, and it had recorded 83,359 miles. It had a 1.6-litre diesel engine and was sold with an MOT which expired in November – a month before the sale. It was generally tidy but had a few dents in the rear doors and the winning bidder paid £3,500.

135 Multi-Power had a Duncan cab and was in lovely original condition inside and out. The Mitas front 6.00-16 front tyres had 30% tread, and the Semperit 12.4/11-28 rears had 60% tread. The tractor carried an N-su x registration and had only 835 hours displayed. It was an attractive lot and sold for £7,500.

1975

8-tonne drop deck trailer with a 2.5x5.0m load bed was new in 2021, and came with galvanised ramps, and was shod on 385/65R22.5 wheels and tyres. It carried Agri-Link stickers and was in excellent condition. It sold for £6,400.

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