County 1474 sells for £210,112 with record year seeing surge in demand for second-hand kit

There were record-breaking prices recorded for both modern and vintage second-hand machinery, with vintage sales up 42 per cent in the last year.

On site sales were also up, by over 35 per cent.

During 2021, Cheffins, which conducts the largest monthly sale of tractors and agricultural machinery in the world, sold £52,600,369 of second-hand agricultural machinery - £4,600,000 more than the previous year.

Over 33,000 lots were offered across 53 auctions throughout 2021, to over 35 countries worldwide, with a number of new nationalities taking part in the sales including buyers from the Caribbean, South Africa and Guyana amongst others.

At the Cambridge Machinery Sales hosted in Sutton, near Ely, over £36.5 million-worth of items were sold throughout the year, which is over £1.5 million more than the total for 2020.

Highlights of the Cambridge Machinery Sales in 2021 include a Fendt 936 Vario tractor which sold for £60,000, and a JCB 457 loading shovel which sold for £64,500, alongside a series of other agricultural and plant items.

Cheffins has hosted 38 on site sales this year, representing an uplift in sales of over 35 per cent in comparison to the 28 which were hosted in 2020.

These have taken place across the UK and have seen over 6,700 lots offered on behalf of farmers and contractors nationwide.

The RC Baker sale, which grossed over £3.1million in total, was a major highlight (you can read more about that here).

It was during that sale, the highest amount ever paid for any second-hand piece of agricultural machinery was achieved, when a Claas Xerion 5000 slurry tankers sold for £525,000.

The Cheffins vintage sales, hosted at the Cheffins saleground and on site, have grossed over £5 million this year, representing an uplift of 42 per cent over last year’s gross total of £3.5 million.

A number of records were set for vintage and classic tractors throughout 2021, with key sales including the Shrubbs Farm Sale which saw £210,112 paid for a 1983 County 1474 Short Nose, and the sale grossing over £1 million in total.

Other records set were £156,250 for a 1946 Scammell Showtrac and £74,500 for a 1966 5004/6 Northrop tractor.

Oliver Godfrey, head of machinery sales at Cheffins, commented: “2021 saw a surge in demand for second-hand kit as farmers continue to be affected by rising costs and delayed delivery times for new machinery.

“The combination of both Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic has led to a boom in sales of machinery, with a marked increase in, not only the on site sales which we offer, but also the number of buyers taking part in our auctions from both the UK and overseas.

“Dealers have definitely come back to auctions in their droves this year as the lack of new tractor registrations and a drop in trade-ins has continued to affect supply levels.

“The coronavirus lockdown also had a very real impact on the sales of vintage and classic items which saw an uptick in values achieved as people were able to spend more time at home and indulge in pastimes.”

The next sale will be held on 17 January at Cheffins Machinery Sale Ground, Sutton, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2QT.

To view the calendar for the monthly, on site and vintage sales, please visit https://www.cheffins.co.uk/machinery-vintage-auctions.htm