By William Flood

Ohio Correspondent

SULLIVAN, Ind. – On Nov. 5, Jeff Boston Auction Service hosted an online-only auction for Don and Debora Schloot, who were relocating and had sold their farm. The 205-lot no-reserve online auction featured an appealing array ranging from one-owner, low-hour and barn-kept John Deere compact tractors and other equipment to ATVs, shop tools, agricultural memorabilia and farm antiques.

The auction’s top bid of $28,800 went for a one-owner John Deere 3720 compact diesel tractor with just 397 original hours. The barn-kept, 44-hp, 3-cylinder turbo diesel had a triple-range hydrostatic transmission and was outfitted with a John Deere 300CX quick-attach loader with 62-inch bucket, 3-point hitch, fast hitch, 540 PTO, rear hydraulics, differential lock, and a cab with air conditioning, heat and a Jensen stereo. It also featured industrial-tread tires, tilt steering wheel and grill guard. Two intermittent error codes were noted, though they did not appear to affect operation.

Another tractor was a good-running, one-owner 1985 John Deere 850 diesel compact with just 1,619 original hours, which fetched $4,700. The 25-hp, 3-cylinder diesel had an 8-speed forward, 2-speed reverse gear-drive transmission and featured a 72-inch hydraulic-lift mower deck, 3-point hitch, 540 PTO, roll bar and Firestone 11.2-24 agricultural-tread tires.

The implement offerings were led by a like-new one-owner Woods CSS48D 48-inch seeder disc that had planted only 1 acre of sunflower seeds, selling for $4,850. It had a 3-point hitch, notched blades, and an incorporator drum. Bidding hit $3,450 on an excellent-condition, one-owner John Deere MX6 6-foot rotary mower with a 3-point hitch, 540 PTO, and chain package. Meanwhile, a King Kutter TG-G-72-RR 6-foot roto-tiller, used just two hours, with a 3-point hitch and 540 PTO, scored $1,850. And a nearly-new, one-owner Frontier RB2172H 6-foot, 3-point grader blade with hydraulic angle scored $1,350.

As with much of the auction, Deere pieces led the parts and accessories, including a 42-by-30-inch vintage JD No. 80 tilting lawn cart that pulled $180. Bidding reached $175 on both a set of John Deere garden tractor weights and on a one-owner King Kutter one-shank subsoiler for a 3-point hitch. A little-used Ohio Steel 50-inch lawn sweeper bid to $160, as did a pair of 43-inch adjustable-width loader bucket forks. A vintage John Deere check row bar wrapped up the category at $19.

The sale included a single on-road vehicle, a 1994 Chevrolet Silverado half-ton 4x4 pickup with 117,533 miles that sold for $3,500. The regular-cab, long-bed truck was powered by a 305 V-8 with automatic transmission and featured differential lock, A/C, tilt wheel, cruise control, power windows and locks, and stereo. It had a recently installed remanufactured transmission and was reported to run and operate well, though the A/C needed charging.

The auction also included three nice utility vehicles, led by a barn-kept, one-owner 2013 Polaris Ranger 900XP 4x4 side-by-side with just 4,626 miles. Selling for $8,100, it was in excellent condition and well-equipped with a factory winch, front and rear glass, side curtains, manual dump bed, tilt wheel, turn lights, front and rear bumpers, and Kenda Bear Claw AT25x10R12 tires.

The hammer hit at $3,850 on a 2012 Polaris Sportsman 500HO 4x4 ATV with just 1,721 miles. The barn-kept, one-owner machine was in excellent condition and outfitted with a factory winch, receiver hitch, windshield and more. Selling for about half as much at $1,900 was a one-owner 2005 Polaris Sportsman 400 ATV with just 2,104 miles, featuring on-demand all-wheel drive, a 12-volt winch, two bumpers, and windshield. Some issues were noted with the steering bushing.

Dozens of utility and shop tools were offered for a range of tasks, led by a Chore Master 8,000-watt portable gas generator with electric start and 120/240-volt output that changed hands for $400. It had seen little use, had good compression, but needed a new battery. A 3-point hydraulic log splitter designed for horizontal or vertical operation sold for $260, followed by a Craftsman 4-ton hydraulic floor jack at $165. Not far behind at $155 was a Fimco 25-gallon, 12-volt ATV sprayer with a 10-foot folding boom, wand, and large 2.4-GPM pump.

For bidders looking for something more nostalgic than practical, there was plenty to hold their attention. At the forefront was a J.B. Armstrong Mfg. Co. Ltd. two-seat cut-under carriage from Guelph, Canada, which rolled off for $825. It featured reversible seating, fenders, a collapsible top, rear vinyl that opened for ventilation, two lanterns and solid brass hub nuts. It rode on 38-inch front and 46-inch rear rubber tires and included shaves. The carriage was an older restoration and had previously come from the 2016 Benny and Grace Williams Estate Auction. Later, two identical Oliver “70” metal pedal tractors, made by Scale Models USA for the 1999 Farm Progress Show, sold for $370 and $360.

Back in Deere territory, memorabilia included a 2008 Ertl 1/16-scale John Deere 9630 die-cast tractor that brought $185. A large Ertl John Deere S670 battery-operated combine in its original box sold for $54, while a trio of vintage John Deere and Eagle oil cans went out the door for a modest $13, rounding out the sale with a few smaller items from this family farm.