Strolling into a field littered with nigh on 120 tractors, 70 telehandlers and enough paraphernalia to fit out a county’s worth of farms is some sight to behold.

And with Euro Auctions promising to sell Hawk Group’s entire inventory without reserve, that field was also jam-packed with eager buyers seeking to pick up a bargain. Not to mention the considerable crowd of onlookers keen to witness the spectacle.

The sale of agricultural and light construction kit took place last Thursday (14 March) and featured everything from tractors, telehandlers and trailers, to pallets of spare parts and assorted workshop equipment.

This was followed by a sale at the firm’s nearby Sandford depot, which featured heavier-duty construction kit such as bulldozers and wheeled loaders. In all, it added up to more than 2,000 lots.

Bidding on the first day kicked off with 70-odd dump trucks, before a trio of JCB Fastracs kicked off the main event. Attentions then turned to the 112 John Deere tractors ranging from 130hp to 370hp, all of which were registered in 2016 or 2017.

Those expecting the volume of kit to deliver bargain-basement prices might have been a little disappointed though. A group of keen on-site bidders kept up the pace, with added interjections from internet buyers who were able to bid live.

In less than four hours all the tractors had been sold, with the total value totting up to more than £7m.

Below we take a look at how much the different makes and models went for.

See also: Lessons learned from large Lincolnshire family farm sale

JCB Fastrac

Starting the tractor bidding frenzy was a trio of JCB 4220 Fastracs that were offered as a bundle and sold to the same bidder for £80,500 each.

All were clean-looking 2017 models and the hours worked ranged from 2,586 to 3,284. Each was fitted with a front linkage and came with the usual 4000-series kit such as front and rear suspension, a Fendt Vario transmission and a Sisu six-cylinder engine developing 217hp.

Two of the models came with four spool valves, but the highest-houred machine had five on offer.

The only other JCB tractor in the line-up was a 2015 Fastrac 3230-65 with 4,509 hours on the clock. It looked a little more careworn than its neighbours and went for £59,000.

John Deere 8370R

Topping both the power and price leagues were a brace of 370hp 8370Rs that sold for £109,000 apiece.

Both of the 2016 models were in tidy condition, with 2,377 hours and 2,268 hours on the clock respectively, and they came in a near-identical spec.

This included an Autopowr infinitely variable transmission, front linkage, TLS front-axle suspension, air brakes and four spool valves.

Next in the power stakes was a lone 2016 7310R, also featuring an Autopowr transmission and coming with a fairly loaded spec. It went for £104,000.

John Deere 7290R and 7250R

The last of the heavier-set Waterloo-built Deeres came in the form of three 7290Rs and two 7250Rs, boasting 290hp and 250hp respectively.

All were 2016 models and, like the rest of the big Deeres, came with Autopowr transmissions across the board. In general they were presented in good condition with front linkages all round and a couple having the added bonus of a  front pto.

Prices for the 7290s ranged from £87,500 to £97,000 with 1,000 fewer hours and a much better set of tyres being the obvious difference between high and low. As for the 7250Rs, the first went for £84,000 and the second, slightly higher-houred one made £82,000.

John Deere 6215R

A row of 15 6215Rs was the first of the 100-odd Mannheim-built tractors to go under the hammer.

Interestingly, these 215hp tractors all came on a 2016 plate, but there was a whopping £20,000 price gulf between the lowest price of £73,000 and the highest of £93,000.

Both the cheapest and most expensive tractors came with Autopowr transmissions, but there was a difference of 1,626 hours worth of work between them (1,697 v 3,323).

Just over half the models sold were fitted with the continuously variable box, with the rest featuring the Direct Drive double-clutch transmission. Prices seemed to be governed more by hours and condition than their cog arrangement.

John Deere 6195R and 6175R

Dropping down the horsepower a little also saw a drop in price, with the nine-strong selection of 195hp 6195Rs going for an average of £75,000.

These were a mix of 2016 and 2017 models, but the top seller was in fact a 2016 machine with Autopowr transmission that made £82,000. With just 1,690 hours on the clock, it had done the fewest hours of the group and was in good order with a generous spec.

The bulk of the 6195Rs were fitted with the semi-powersift Autoquad transmission, but like with the 6215Rs, transmission type didn’t seem to be the biggest influencer on price.

At the other end of the spectrum was a slightly tired-looking model with near bald tyres on the front and 3,067 hours on the clock – it sold for £66,000.

As for the slightly lower-powered 6175Rs, all bar one of these were fitted with the Autoquad transmission. Interestingly, it was the single Autopower tractor that made the highest price of £77,000.

This had done 2,039 hours, came with a front linkage and weight block and had four spools – one more than the average on these tractors.

The lowest-priced model had done 3,415 hours and went for £59,000.

John Deere 6155R

Not all tractors were presented in showroom condition, like this slightly sad-looking 6155R sitting on a flat row-crop at the rear.

However, this was just one of a whopping 35 of these mid-horsepower tractors that ranged significantly in condition and the number of hours worked.

Two examples were fitted with Quicke loaders, including the highest-houred tractor in the sale that had racked up 7,824 hours since it was registered in 2016.

It still sold for a healthy £57,000, making £1,000 more than the lowest-priced machine that had done less than half the work.

The top price of £78,000 went to one of the few Autopowr tractors, which had done 1,563 hours and came fully loaded with front linkage and pto.

Unsurprisingly, tractors fitted with a front weight rather than a linkage also seemed to trade at a lower price.

John Deere 6145R

Moving down to the 145hp 6145Rs saw another slight drop in premium add-ons, with few front linkages on offer and no Autopowr transmissions.

Several of these models also came with the simpler Powerquad box, which is only capable of a 40kph top speed.

Prices ranged from £52,500 for an Autoquad tractor with 2,502 hours on the clock to £67,000 for a barely used machine that had clocked just 180 hours.

All of the 6145Rs were 2016 models, with most sporting air brakes and being Greenstar-guidance ready.

John Deere 6155M and 6130M

Buyers looking for one of Deere’s more basic M-spec tractors had the choice of six 6155Ms and six four-cylinder 6130Ms.

All of the 155hp 6155s came with Autoquad transmissions capable of a 40kph top speed and three spool valves. Many had a front weight included, too.

Unsurprisingly, the roughest-looking tractor commanded the lowest price of £45,000 and also had the highest hour count of 3,879.

At the other end of the spectrum was a very tidy model with just 806 hours of work behind it that made £54,000.

Meanwhile, the smaller 6130Ms traded at an average of £45,667, with another sub-1,000-hour tractor taking the top price of £47,000. Again, the lowest-priced tractor had one of the higher hour counts at 2,662 and made £42,500.

All the 6130Ms came with a 40kph Powerquad transmission, three spools and TLS front-axle suspension.

New Holland T7.315 and T6050

Helping to break up the sea of green and yellow paintwork were a pair of New Hollands.

At the swankier end of the spectrum was a 2017 T7.315 offering about 270hp and sitting on 1,158 hours. This clean and high-spec tractor came with an Autocommand continuously variable transmission, front linkage, air brakes and five spool valves.

It sold for £87,500, putting it somewhere between the average prices made by Deere’s 250hp 7250Rs and 290hp 7290Rs.

Taking the crown of the oldest tractor to go under the gavel was a 2011 T6050 with 5,430 hours on the clock. It required a little touch-up in places, but made a neat £30,000.

Case-IH Puma 215

The only red tractor to feature at the sale was a 2014 Case-IH puma 215 with 5,074 hours on the clock.

It appeared to be in reasonable fettle for its age and hours worked and came with a powershift transmission, front linkage, air brakes and four spool valves.

A short bidding spree saw it secured for £38,000.

Tractor sales prices
Make and model	Number sold	High price	Low price	Average price	Average hours
JCB
Fastrac 4220	3	80,500	80,500	80,500	2,673
Fastrac 3230-65	1	59,000			4,509
New Holland
T7.315	1	87,500			1,158
T6050	1	30,000			5,430
Case-IH
Puma 215	1	38,000			5,074
John Deere
8370R	2	109,000	109,000	109,000	2,323
7310R	1	104,000			1,856
7290R	3	97,000	87,500	93,833	1,838
7250R	2	84,000	82,000	83,000	1,925
6215R	15	93,000	73,000	82,267	2,465
6195R	9	82,000	66,000	75,000	2,182
6175R	13	77,000	59,000	68,462	2,277
6155R	35	78,000	56,000	64,371	2,396
6155M	6	54,000	45,000	48,500	2,661
6145R	20	67,000	52,500	58,675	1,425
6130M	6	47,500	42,500	45,667	1,716
Total tractors sold	119
Total value	£7.25m