This week, Pete’s Pick isn’t his typical tractor or combine, but rather a bale wagon. On April 14 in Torrington, Wyo., the Kerr Auction and Tri Brothers equipment consignment auction sold a 2009 Stinger 6500 bale wagon with 53,000 miles for $140,000. That’s the highest auction price on a pre-2010 model Stinger 6500 in 15 years.
On April 18, Jason Aycock Auctioneering had a farm retirement auction for Joe Godwin in Benson, N.C. These auctions continue to prove that machinery in good condition brings strong sales prices:
- Rooster RP10 sold for $150,000. It is a root-picking machine described as a land-prep with 180 teeth. “This machine eliminates anything to pick up on the new ground,” says Godwin.
- John Deere S670 with 2,150 hours sold for $130,000. This is the second-highest auction price in the last 38 months on this model with more than 2,000 hours.
Meanwhile, on April 17 in Dayton, Ohio, an auction by Wilson National LLC for Bear Creek LLC Farm continues to show how the 8R 340 models are in demand:
- 2022 John Deere 8R 340 with only 292 hours sold for $350,000. The average auction price for this specific model is up 12.5% this year.
- 1998 Case IH 9350 articulating 4WD with 2,379 hours sold for $67,000.
Machinery Pete is also anticipating several auctions this week. DPA Auctions is having an online sale April 21 featuring heavy equipment:
- 1977 John Deere 6030 with only 3,563 hours. The top bid already topped $47,000 as of Monday morning.
- 2024 Fendt 932 dry machine with 568 hours.
- 1998 Case IH 9370 QuadTrac with around 7,300 hours.
Used Equipment Gains Traction While New Tractor Sales Face Decline
While Machinery Pete says sales for some used machinery segments are increasing, such as the John Deere 8R 340, new tractor sales are not experiencing the same success. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, total farm tractor sales are down 8.8% this year versus last year. As of March 2025, tractor sales across all segments totaled 36,941; so far this year that number is 33,708. Meanwhile, 4-wheel-drive farm tractor sales are down by 15% as well.
