RANKS of utes parked along the boundary of a Toowoomba auction site earlier this week denoted the keen level of interest in the sale of harvest-orientated machinery following administrators being called in on behalf of contract harvest business, Harvest Force Pty Ltd.

As the dust swirled around the Hillman Street venue, interested buyers hung on every word being rattled out by Australian online retail and auction company, GraysOnLine’s Matthew Plunkett.

As he worked his way through a lengthy-looking catalogue, encompassing everything from portable toilets to a mighty John Deere header, visitors like Grant Mason, and his son Corey, were at the site with a view to snapping up a bargain.

He told me he was particularly interested in a second-hand mobile air compressor, believing he had a good chance of obtaining one for far less than a shiny new unit sitting in a showroom.

As to his chances, he said: “Same as everyone else, mate – perhaps 50:50 but you just don’t know.”

And with that the auction was under way, concluding a couple of hours later, leaving successful buyers with the headache of how to get some of the bulkier items back to their new homes.

SV Partners & Financiers confirmed Harvest Force went into liquidation on 5 January 2010, engaging GraysOnline to auction the company’s plant and equipment.

The auction is said to have “exceeded expectations” with 100 percent clearance of all items amongst 203 registered bidders.