Tractor auctions present a unqiue opportunity to get a tractor or parts cheap. There are different styles of tractor auctions from large farm equipment to small engine machinery. Some are specialized events for vintage and antique tractors.While many of these now are held online, there are still live public tractor auctions you can find. Below I’ll discuss how a tractor auction works and common questions. I’ll also share my experience with the tractor auctions near me.
Map of Lawn Mower Auctions Near Me
For “Lawn Mower Auctions Near Me”, see below for locations…
What is a Tractor Auction?
A tractor auction is any event, live or online in which a tractor is being sold via a bidding system. You can find tractors and farm equipment sometimes via Copart auctions, but the best events are the ones that exclusively auction tractors and related farm equipment.
These events present unique opportunities for both buyers and sellers. The seller hopes to get the machinery under market value, while the seller hopes to drive prices up via a bidding war.
People attend these events for different motivations. Some are hoping to score and antique or vintage tractor. While others are hoping to quire usable equipment and/or used tractor parts. Typically the auction will lean one way or the other in terms of the types of tractors it’s auctioning.
What Kind of Tractors and Equipment Can You Find?
These vents can feature more then just tractors. You can often bid on other smaller engine equipment such as lawn mowers, skid steers, home and gardening equipment. Then there may also be larger farm equipment vehicles like Utility Tractors, Row Crop Tractors, Combines, Cotten Strippers, Sugercan Harvesters, Forage Harvesters, Windrowers, Balers, Mowers, Planters and Seeders, Tilage Machines, and Sprayers.
The brands will vary from the most popular to stuff you have never heard of. All the popular brands though you can find at auction like Mahindra & Mahindra, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Kubota, Fendt, and Claas.
The condition and the years of the equipment will vary. You also find old out of date mowers whose manufacturers no longer exist!
How to Find Tractor Auctions Near Me
Certain places of the country will have more tractor auctions then others. for example the south and central US, will have more then lets say the Northeast. Any metroplitian area will have less of these events. They most commonly occur in rural areas where farming and agriculture are key drivers of the local economy. In my experience thats where most live public tractor auctions near me occur.
Many of these events are now held online. Between a dwindling economy and COVID, there are less public tractor auctions near me, then there use to be. For events that are still in person, be aware that the size of the event often dictates the quality of the machinery. Larger events attract higher quality equipment because of the prospect of higher quality bidders.
Live events still often rely on traditional means of marketing. You can still find newspaper ads and local flyers for tractor auctions near me. There are however other means of finding these events…
Here are a some ways I find local tractor auctions near me….
Google and Yelp
Google and Yelp will bring in some results for places that may hold regular tractor and farm equipment auctions. Searching for “tractor auctions near me”, you may however see little results. You can also try looking at related auctions for lawn mowers, farm equipment, and other agricultural vehicles.
How to Find Tractor Auctions Near Me the Smart Way…
Pro Tip: One of my best strategies is using Google “Events” to find tractor auctions locally.
One of the cool things about using Google events is that these tend to be locally advertised and not nationally advertised. So the events will only show up for people within your local area, unless they are doing a broader search. That means less people go and you have less competition to bid against! Try Google Events here: Tractor Auctions This Month
Using Government Auction Listings
You can also bid on tractors and farm equipment via government auctions.Here are two sites I use to find tractors and farm equipment at auction:
Antique and Vintage Tractor Auctions
How Do The Tractor Auctions Near Me Work?
Tractor auctions are run and operated like other forms types autcions. There are essentially two ways these events are run: in person or online.
At in person event, also called a live public auction, you attend the event live. You will be offered the opportunity to inspect the equipment before you bid on it. In some events you can even speak to the owner of the equipment or a proxy who knows the vehicles information and history. At these events there is a live auctioneer who facilitates the bidding. The highest bidder wins.
Then there are online auctions where you can read about the equipment and place bids online. These have become more popular because of the amount of reach an auction can get. The audience moves from local to global. I find the buyer is at a disadvantage online, since they can;t inspect the machinery.
Whenever possible I encourage you to attend these auctions in person. Inspecting the machinery, checking for damage, leaks, and issues is critical before you bid.
A tractor at auction will cost much less then a new tractor. The only exception being a vintage or antique tractor auction.
Know Before you Go…
When you place a bid on a tractor or any machinery here is what you need to know beforehand:
- To bid at an auction you must be registered first.
- To register you must prove your identification and ability to pay for what you bid on.
- Different auctions have different payment methods. Check the details before you show up with cash and they don’t take it.
- Any bid you place in a legally binding agreement that makes you legally responsible for paying if you win.
- Most auctions for farm equipment won’t hold it for you, so if you win you must have means to transport it.
Pro Tip: When bidding on any equipment you should know the value. I like to reference the Tractor Blue Book to help frame my bids before the event.
Where Do The Tractors Come From?
The equipment and machinery can come from differnt places. This includes salvages, farms, local landscapers, government municipalities, businesses, and private owners. The source of the equipment is often directly correlated to the quality. For example a tractor used by a local manicipality may have more wear and tear then one owner by a private small farm. The tradeoff may be that the government owner equipment may also have all the service records.
Where to Find Tractor Auctions Near Me?
the best way to find tractor auctions near me is through Google Events. You will find more listed in the warmer months of the year. Typically these events really heat up in the Spring and fall. Other good options to find farm equipment auctions is via Facebook Groups related to agricultural equipment. This what I have learned from finding tractor auctions near me.