BEALLSVILLE, Ohio – On Nov. 3, Polk Auction Company concluded an online-only auction of the Bill Reed tractor collection. The auction included an impressive array of restored and as-is tractors along with assorted pieces of farm machinery and equipment.

A total of 113 lots were offered on Proxibid, including 89 lots comprising the tractor collection. Of those, 24 were running/drivable units, 53 were non-running, four were parts machines, and eight were undesignated as to their operational status. The remaining 24 lots included items ranging from corn shellers to push mowers. Previews were available by appointment two weeks before the sale, and a 10 percent buyer’s premium was applied to all lots.

The auction’s top bid of $25,000 went for a Farmall 1206 turbo diesel in operating condition with 9,200 hours. The wide-front tractor featured a 3-point hitch, dual PTO, dual hydraulics, fenders, and 18.4-38 rear Firestone tires. Second place went to a Farmall 300 Hi-Clear, which sold for $9,750. The running/drivable gas model had been repainted and was equipped with a PTO, hydraulics, fenders, and 13.6-38 rear tires.

Two tractors tied for third place at $8,000. One was a repainted and running John Deere 435 diesel wide-front, with 2,941 hours, outfitted with a 3-point hitch, Top Link, and 13.6-28 Firestone tires. The other was an operating International 1206 turbo diesel with 7,697 hours, equipped with a 3-point hitch, Top Link, dual PTO, dual hydraulics, and 18.4-38 rear tires.

Another 29 tractors saw winning bids in the four-figure range, including $6,000 offered for a vintage German Kaelble Allgaier diesel in running condition with a PTO. Bidding went to $2,400 on a running Ford 900 gas wide-front, with mid/rear cultivators, fenders, and 11.2-38 rear tires. And, an operational gas-powered John Deere AR un-styled, with steel wheels, PTO, and fenders left the lot for $1,500.

Then there were the non-running units, nine of which sold for $1,000 or more. Among them was a gas-fueled Farmall 504 HC equipped with power steering and 12.4-38 rear Firestone tires that sold for $2,100. A bid of $1,400 scored a gas-powered Allis Chalmers D-12 Hi-Crop, with a 3-point hitch, PTO, but no tag. A non-running narrow-front International Harvester 350 diesel with a PTO was grabbed for $1,200.

When winning bids plateaued in the hundreds, the tractors were either non-running or their condition was unspecified. Examples of non-running units in this price range included a narrow-front Massey Ferguson 65 gas tractor with 13.6-38 rear tires, which sold for $325, and a narrow-front Case VAC with a PTO, rear mower, fenders, and 12.4-28 rear Firestone tires that went for $250.

Those in undesignated condition included a wide-front Case DC, in cosmetically good shape with an older repaint, PTO, and fenders, that sold for $500. A gas-powered narrow-front Farmall 400, with a PTO and 14.9-38 rear Goodyear tires hit $375, while a Farmall A, with a one-row planter and Firestone rears, came close at $325.

All the parts machines sold for under $300, which was in line with their condition. The highest bid, $210, was for a stripped-down Farmall 400 missing its rear wheels and engine. A second Farmall 400, reduced to only the frame and wheels, with an unreadable tag, fetched $160. Meanwhile, the remains of a Farmall M – mainly just the frame and axles – brought in only $45.

The few lots of non-tractor farm equipment varied widely. A Farmall 3-point hitch and a Ford 3-point mower each sold for $210. A 1957 New Holland 68 baler went for $150. Later, an antique sheller, with no identifiable make or model, sold for just $55. Three hit-and-miss engines drew more interest: a working Reid 15-hp engine sold for $1,500, while two International Harvester models – one lacking a tag and the other with a functional 3.5-hp motor – went for $130 and $120 respectively.

A single vehicle was offered: a non-running International KB-6 flatbed truck with a gas engine. It had 14,257 miles on the odometer, and the title was available. The final bid was $3,000.

For information on upcoming Polk Auction Company sales, visit:  www.polkauction.com.