The recent retirement of two Midlands-based agricultural businesses saw a bevy of used John Deere, New Holland and Massey Ferguson tractors go under the hammer. James Andrews finds out what they made.

See also: Legal tips for buying and selling second-hand machinery

Sale 1

Bromell Contractors, Muswell Leys Farm, Willey, Rugby, Warwickshire – 3 April

After 50 years in the agricultural contracting business, twins Jay and John Bromell decided it was time to wind down.

Their resulting dispersal sale, run by Cambridgeshire auctioneer Cheffins, gave buyers the opportunity to bid on nine John Deere tractors and two Massey Fergusons, plus four Deere combines and a forage harvester.

There was also a raft of cultivation equipment, drills, grassland kit, spares and tools up for grabs.

Many of the tractors and combines were on high hours, but there was plenty of interest from on-site bidders, as well as more than 300 who registered to buy online.

All of the prices below were subject to a 3.5% buyer’s premium.

2020 John Deere 6215R Premium

The top-priced green tractor was this four-year-old John Deere 6215R Premium with 50kph AutoPowr gearbox. It was fitted with a front linkage and was running on 710/70 R42 rear and 600/70 R28 front tyres.

The clock was showing 5,955 hours and it sold for £66,000.

A pair of John Deere 6215Rs

Two 6215Rs were up for grabs, with the pictured 2019 AutoPowr model on 6,612 hours achieving the highest price of £63,000.

It came complete with a front linkage and pto and was shod with 710/70 R42 rear and 600/70 R28 tyres.

It was joined by a 2017 model with a 50kph Direct Drive transmission that had worked 9,057 hours and made £42,000.

John Deere 6190R and 6210R

Rounding off the R-series offerings were a 2014 6190R with 50kph DirectDrive transmission and a 2013 6210R with 40kph AutoQuad box. Both were running 710/70 R42 rear and 600/70 R28 front tyres.

They were on 11,708 and 14,897 hours and made £32,000 and 32,500 respectively.

Two 2010 7530s

Deere’s 30 series are the flavour of the moment, so this brace of 7530s sold well, despite being on high hours.

Registered in 2010, they both came with 40kph AutoQuad transmissions, front linkages and 650mm rear and 600mm front tyres.

One was on 15,750 hours and sold for £29,500, with the lesser worked 8,546-hour example making £29,500.

2010 John Deere 6930

Complete with a Trima loader, the brothers’ 2010 6930 made £32,000. This tractor had worked 8,546 hours and came with the basic semi-powershift PowerQuad gearbox which tops out at 40kph.

Two-wheel-drive classics

It wasn’t all about the frontline tractors, with a brace of 1980s two-wheel-drive Deeres – a 2650 and 2140 – making £5,000 apiece.

Massey Ferguson 8S and 7720S

Despite the proliferation of green paint on show, this 2022 Massey Ferguson 8S225 was the newest and most expensive tractor in the sale.

It came with a front linkage and pto, and 710/70 R42 rear and 600/70 R30 front tyres. It sold for £82,000 with 1,616 hours on the clock.

Another red interloper was a 2019 7720S Dyna-6 50kph on 3,898 hours that made £57,000.

Sale 2

JB Sheppard & Son, Colemere House Farm, Ellesmere, Shropshire – 6 April

Six New Holland and Ford tractors – including a restored TW15 and TW25 – were a few of the headline pieces of equipment sold at a recent auction in Ellesmere, Shropshire.

Held by local auctioneer Halls on behalf of retiring farmer Angus Sheppard, there were more than 300 lots up for grabs, most of which had been on the farm since new.

Other standout items were a 2020 New Holland TH7.42 telehandler, a tidy Mecmar mobile grain dryer, and a host of Kverneland cultivation and drilling equipment.

Most of the tractors were tidy and on low hours for their age, having been religiously washed off after used and stored in the dry.

All prices below were subject to a 2.5% buyer’s premium, up to a maximum of £450 per lot.

2023 New Holland T7.270 Blue Power

Ostensibly a new tractor, this 2023 New Holland T7.270 with Auto Command CVT transmission had just 126 hours on the clock.

It came with a front linkage and weights, Vredestein tyres and was finished in the firm’s special-edition Blue Power paint. It sold for £114,000.

2019 New Holland T7.190

Another tidy workhorse was a five-year-old T7.190 that had 2,630 hours on the clock. It was running on Mitas tyres, came with a set of front weights and made £51,500.

1988 Ford TW-15 II

Demand was high for the farm’s 1988 TW15 which had been restored by Shropshire Ford specialist John Tomkinson.

Registering 7,422 hours one the clock, the 143hp classic sold for £43,000, including a matching set of front weights.

1988 Ford TW-25 II

Also restored by John Tomkinson was a 1988 Ford TW25 II with 6,524 hours on the clock. It came with a set of wheel weights and sold for £31,000.

1992 Ford 8240 Powerstar SLE

Despite its temperamental transmission, this 1992 Ford 8240 with 12,000 hours on the clock sold for £9,500.

1997 New Holland 6640 Powerstar SL Dual Power

The only two-wheel drive tractor in the offing was a 1997 6640. It had worked 10,000 hours and made £14,200.