There’s No Shortage of Cool Machinery On the Auction Trail 

In recent weeks, these items have caught my eye:

Rusty But Full of Memories: International Harvester 856 Diesel Tractor
While the occasional record auction price rolls in across the country, it’s not nearly as frequent as it was the past few years.

However, one standout sale was an International Harvester 856 diesel tractor with an hour meter that stopped working at 7,709. It was in OK condition with a rusty loader but still sold for $17,000 in Roxboro, N.C. this past March. This sale saw a lot of discussion on Machinery Pete social media. My favorite comment was: “Was there $10,000 in the toolbox?” There wasn’t, but I bet there was $10,000 worth of memories for the buyer.

A Pete Price Blows Pete Away: Peterbilt 389 Glider Kit Day Cab Semi
A semi that generated huge buzz in mid-December became one of the top 5 most amazing auction prices for me after more than 34 years of tracking them. The one-owner 2017 Peterbilt 389 Glider kit day cab semi, with only 34,493 miles, sold at a farm retirement auction in Chillicothe, Mo., for $350,000. If you’re wondering how nice it was, the owner’s granddaughter, Gracie, drove it to the prom.

Wow — 10 John Deere 55 Series Tractors and 25 Black Chevrolets
On March 28, in Kingsley, Iowa, Rob Plendl sold his collection of 10 John Deere 55 series tractors. One 4055, one 4255 and matching 2WD/MFWD sets of 4455s, 4555s, 4755s and 4955s.

I drove out there to film a preview for the Machinery Pete YouTube channel, and Rob said, “You might be interested in the 25 black Chevrolets I’m selling in Houston on April 5.”

Ah, yes, Rob. I am interested.

So we proceeded to the shed on the Plendl farm where the cars were, and sorry to sound like a kid here but OMG! What else can you say when you see that?

Among the cars was a 1987 Chevy El Camino with 84 miles, a 2000 Corvette with 500 miles, a 1972 Chevy Nova, a 1970 Monte Carlo and a Chevy Apache pickup that was like new. If you haven’t fainted yet, getting up close to the Chevy Blazers would probably knock you flat. Thanks for the tour Rob.

On April 29, there's another John Deere 55 series auction in Berlin, Wis. It’s a retirement auction for R&M Motors that will include a 1992 John Deere 4055 MFWD with 22 actual hours. Also in the sale is a 2002 John Deere 7510 with just 13 actual hours.

It looks like there’s no shortage of cool things on the auction trail.