I’ve just returned home from a weekend at the Mecum Gone Farmin’ Tractor Auction in Davenport, Iowa. What a blast! Suzette Thomas and I represented Steiner Tractor Parts at the auction on Saturday. We got to meet many of you and make some new friends, too. The Mecum auction is one of the better rare tractor auctions in the country, filled with jaw-dropping finds from all around. Here are some of my favorites from the sale:
1962 MM G706 LP with front wheel assist. Here’s a picture with the proud new owners, Everett and Diane Hauert. They have a collection of front wheel assist tractors. While their collection is mostly red (IH), they are certainly excited to welcome this prairie-gold beauty to their collection.
This 1974 International 1568 caught my eye as soon as we got on the grounds. How could anyone not notice!? This tractor has a rare V-8 engine and was one of just 862 built. This tractor sold for $36,000 plus the 4% buyer’s premium.
This John Deere 4520 drew plenty of attention, too. Notice that it has an adjustable front end and a standard wide-swing drawbar. It is a fabulous tractor with the power steering, dual front stacked weights, side council and dual hydraulics. This tractor also has a rockshaft delete (no 3 point hitch). On Saturday, this tractor sold for $25,000 plus a 4% buyer’s premium.
Up next on my list is this 1957 Case 400 Super diesel high clearance. This tractor was one of eight built, making it the lowest production tractor at the auction. This tractor sold for $26,000 plus 4% buyer’s premium to a Case collector in Iowa. He, of course, was excited about his purchase.
Arguably one of the most rare (and desirable!) tractors at the auction was this John Deere 4040 tractor with a factory convertible front axle. This tractor sold for $24,500 plus 4% buyer’s premium. I forgot to take my own picture at the sale – thanks, Mecum, for lending me yours!
At the Steiner table we handed out catalogs, our new mini-catalog and Wrenching with Rachel DVDs. We also held a drawing for a free t-shirt every 15 minutes. I enjoyed meeting many of the Steiner customers and people who watch our tractor repair video series and follow this blog.
If you missed us at this show, don’t worry – there’s a full season ahead! Up next on our calendar is the Gone Farmin’ Nashville 2nd Annual Country Classic Tractor Auction, June 5-6. I hope to see you there!
How about you – what tractor events (auctions, shows, etc.) are you looking forward to this season? Let me know in the comments below.