MYSTIC, Iowa – On May 23, Iowa’s Merit Auctions sold via online auction the farm equipment from the estate of the late Gary Barrell. The timed, online-only auction was conducted on Proxibid, with a face-to-face inspection held at the southern Iowa location on May 19 from 1-5 p.m.

In full, 234 lots were offered. They included eight tractors and loaders, two pieces of farm and livestock equipment, a Chevy pickup and five assorted trailers, and 11 additional lots of farm support tools like log splitters, chain saws and lawnmowers.

Grabbing the auction’s highest bid – an impressive $120,000 – was a 2008 John Deere 7230 Premium MFWD tractor with only 813 hours. It featured a 16-speed PowrQuad Plus transmission, 3 hydraulic outlets, full coverage rear fenders, front fenders, rear weights, 510/1000 PTO, 480/80R38 rear, and 420/85R26 front tires. It sold complete with a John Deere 741 self-leveling loader with a 96-inch material bucket.

A 2007 John Deere MegaWide Plus baler with only 3,380 bales took the auction’s second-highest bid of $30,000. It featured a monitor, CoverEdge, twine & net wrap, 540 PTO, and 31.5-16.1 tires. Coming in third in overall bidding, at $26,500, was a 1977 John Deere 4430 two-wheel drive tractor with 9,573 hours. It had a QR transmission, two hydraulic outlets, 540/1000 PTO, front & rear weights, and Firestone 18.4-38 rear and 10.00-16 front tires.

Other farm equipment sold solidly, including a John Deere 946 13-foot disc MoCo, which sold for $15,250. It featured a center pivot, rubber press rolls, a 2-point swivel hitch, and 1000 PTO. A John Deere 280 9-foot disc mower with 540 PTO reached $9,750. And, a New Holland 165 manure spreader, with a poly floor, single beater, and 540 PTO, hit $6,250.

While cosmetically rough, the pickup – a 1980 Chevrolet Silverado 20 four-wheel-drive with 79,056 miles – made it to $4,100. It was equipped with a V8 gas engine, manual transmission, a 9-foot hydraulic bale bed, and a gooseneck ball hitch.

Bids for the trailers varied greatly. The top bid in the category, at $8,500, went to a 2006 Kiefer 1000 Series 30-foot flatbed trailer with a 25-foot x 5-foot beavertail, gooseneck hitch, tandem tires, and flip-over ramps. A shop-built, 8-bale hay trailer with a gooseneck hitch and 20-inch tandem tires went for $3,100, while a 1992 Diamond D 24-foot x 7-foot livestock trailer with a gooseneck hitch and single-divide gate came in at a very modest $1,100.

The bidding on much of the livestock equipment was strong. Higher bids included $4,900 going for a Varese/Gold Circle portable corral. It included 15 panels of various sizes, two 6-foot gates, five swinging bow gates of varying sizes, two ally gates, a For-Most Model 40 head gate, a palpation cage, and 10 connecting poles. Bidding went to $3,500 for a For-Most cattle-working chute with a Foremost 30 headgate and palpation cage. Other livestock items included a lot containing five 8-foot concrete feed bunks which garnered $1,700 and two Farm Star creep feeders that sold for $900 and $950.

Not everything in this auction approached four or five-figure bids. Plenty of good farm equipment sold for value-oriented prices like the 10-foot x 24-foot two-compartment grainery – which although requiring disassembly – was taken home for $550. A good-condition Stihl MS170 chain saw with a 16-inch bar landed a conservative $110. A John Deere 1350-1450 5 bottom plow was grabbed for $80 and a John Deere 44 2 bottom pull type plow came in right behind at $70.

Many items left the auction for under $10 – like a Poulan chainsaw 2050 with a 16-inch bar, won for $8. A Campbell Hausfeld 3.5 air compressor, in unknown working condition, was won for just $5. And, a pair of Black and Decker 7 ¼”-inch circular saws were snagged for an incredible $1.

This auction was offered with no reserve and no buyer’s premium. A loader and operator were present the day after the sale to assist with loading.

For information on upcoming Merit sales, visit meritauctions.com or call 833-273-9300.