RC Baker sale grosses more than £3.1m in record breaking auction

MORE than £3.1 million was spent on second hand agricultural machinery at a major auction on behalf of RC Baker Ltd, hosted by Cheffins.

The sale, which took place on Thursday, December 16, broke records, with £525,000 paid for a Claas Xerion 5000 slurry tanker, the highest amount handed over for any second-hand piece of agricultural machinery at auction. The RC Baker sale is the highest grossing on-site sale to have been hosted by Cheffins and had over 70,000 page views on the Cheffins website and over 600 bidders in total take part, online, on the telephone or at the sale itself.

Hosted at the RC Baker Ltd premises in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and also streamed live online, the auction included over 150 lots, including a fleet of John Deere tractors and various other machinery items and implements.

Highlights from the sale include: £425,000 for a 2017 Vredo 7028/3 self-propelled spreader; £183,000 for a 2020 John Deere 7R330; £126,000 for a 2013 Claas combine; £117,500 for a 2020 John Deere 6215R and £117,500 for a 2020 John Deere 6250R. These were offered alongside a collection of implements, with a range of drills, cultivators, trailers, trailed tanks and muck spreaders as well as various slurry equipment.

Managing Director of RC Baker Ltd, Charles Baker, said: “We couldn’t be happier with the result of the sale. It all came together so well and the team at Cheffins were hugely efficient and professional from start to finish. I have taken the decision to retire and spend some more time with the family, so this was a fantastic way to finish off what has been an amazing journey, growing and developing the business for nearly half a century.”

Charles Baker, who started contracting in 1974, has an inspiring track record in the industry. Starting out with his Ford 4000, he grew the business significantly over the years to having an extensive fleet of modern machines.