Chariton Farm Machinery Auction

Yesterday was Labor Day. That means a day for America's workers to take some time off from the daily grind and enjoy one last blast of summer. But, it also means that the annual Chariton Farm Machinery Auction is happening. That is where I spent part of my day along with my dad yesterday. Just imagine two auctioneer trucks across from each other, hundreds of people, and thousands of pieces of used and new machinery. That is what yesterday was like ... oh, and it was about 90º! It was a pretty good day, but I could have done without the heat.

I would say that it was a pretty successful day for me at the auction. In fact I don't think I will need to go to many more auctions really looking for equipment ... now I can just go for recreational purposes and to pick up the deals. I'll give you a short run down of what I came home with...

• One thing I wanted to get today was a 3-point brush cutter. Luckily they had about 20 plus to choose from. I was there at about 6:45 (15 minutes before the start time) and picked out the few that I was interested in. I ended up buying the second one that they sold (about five minutes in). It is just a small Howse mower similar to the one pictured above. I'm happy to have it and I'm happy with the price.
• The next thing I bought wasn't actually for me. My dad wasn't able to make it bright and early because he had further to drive so he had me on the lookout for a heavy-duty post hole auger for the John Deere 4020. These were a bit more pricey, but then there was one that hadn't been repainted that I bid on and won. Hopefully it works...
• After that I bid on a few disks (one thing on my list I didn't get) until I bought a $50 post hole auger for me. It is a pretty light duty piece of equipment, but if it works it should go well with the Farmall 450 (and save my back).
• Finally, as they were getting to the end of the line (about 90 minutes into the sale) for the three-point equipment I bought the last two-bottom three-point plow there. It wasn't the bargin that I was hoping for, but it was one that I had picked out as my top two. This will come in handy with the garden from time to time and will be nice to have around if it is needed.
• But, that is not all! After watching for about another 90 minutes and watching my dad buy a flarebox wagon I purchased something that I didn't intend on buying. There was a little single axle hog/sheep trailer sitting in the line. It appeared to have a decent axle and a stout oak slat floor so I thought I might bid on it. This piece of equipment would come in handy soon when I needed to take a few pigs to the processor. Luckily not to many people are looking for a glorifed hog panel/flatbed trailer to haul 5 or 6 hogs/sheep. It went for a nice price and now I can hold off on buying a stock trailer for a little while. In the mean time I can borrow my dad's trailer when I need to move cattle!

It is always a good idea to have a list of things you want/need instead of going to the auction and getting swept up in the moment. But, in the case of a LARGE machinery consignment auction like this it is always a little different. Usually when you go to a sale you know that there are a couple of particular things that you want, but at a big consignment sale like this one you may not know about all of the things until the day of the sale. Now, if I just can fix the flat tire I got on the truck on the way home I'm good to go!