Used attachment prices?!

[The Evil Twin]

I've been scanning a local farm equipment auction for a decent box blade. There is an auction about 4 miles from me with two 60" box blades. One is a King Cutter and the other is not named. I placed a random bid of $700 on the KC one and was outbid pretty quickly. With the 10% premium and 5% tax, that puts it really close to a new one. I get that $100-$200 is not chump change but does used stuff really approach the price of new stuff? Or do people not pay attention to the extra 15% they will end up owing at the end? It's the first farm equipment auction I've actually bid on so I really don't know. Just seems silly to risk busted welds or hackmaster general repairs on something you could buy new for a couple hundred more.

 

[Flintknapper]

I've been scanning a local farm equipment auction for a decent box blade. There is an auction about 4 miles from me with two 60" box blades. One is a King Cutter and the other is not named. I placed a random bid of $700 on the KC one and was outbid pretty quickly. With the 10% premium and 5% tax, that puts it really close to a new one. I get that $100-$200 is not chump change but does used stuff really approach the price of new stuff? Or do people not pay attention to the extra 15% they will end up owing at the end? It's the first farm equipment auction I've actually bid on so I really don't know. Just seems silly to risk busted welds or hackmaster general repairs on something you could buy new for a couple hundred more.

Keep an eye on your Facebook Marketplace (in your general area). Have cash ready and be prepared to drive a bit. You'll find a good deal on a good quality box blade if you bide your time.

Yes, used tractor implements can be crazy high....especially at a farm equipment auction. Do your homework, KNOW what you want/need and then buy from a private seller.

 

[animals45]

One of teh problems with auctions for equipmentgbe it tractor or electronic like oscilloscopes is folks would rather pay premium for something to avoid waithing for them to be in stock somewhere .
animals45

 

[jyoutz]

Years ago I bought a used box blade at an equipment rental business. Most people don’t realize that their equipment is also available for sale. And of course even a used box blade has plenty of service life available. At that time the price was a reasonable discount from new .

 

[animals45]

Make friends with someone with your local road dept . I get the old carbide cutting edges off the plow trucks . Their alot beefier that the ones that come on most box blades .
animals45

 

[Jsjac]

When we lived in Kansas ,we would go to the farm auctions.
I was looking for a welder and torch setup. They usually went for higher than new price.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Keep an eye on your Facebook Marketplace (in your general area). Have cash ready and be prepared to drive a bit. You'll find a good deal on a good quality box blade if you bide your time.

Yes, used tractor implements can be crazy high....especially at a farm equipment auction. Do your homework, KNOW what you want/need and then buy from a private seller.

Yeah, I've scanned Marketplace up to 100 miles away. Found a good one a little over 200 miles away but adding the cost of a tank of diesel it made more sense to buy it new.

 

[GeoHorn]

One of the problems with auctions (of ANY type) is…. you may be bidding against unknowlegeable idiots with deep pockets. That does not prove the items are worth the winning bid.
There are too many variables to auctions to support the idea that “used” is as valuable as “new.”

jyoutz makes an excellent observation. Rental companies are often quite happy to sell their used equipment at good prices… then they replace it with new.

While constructing my hangar 20 years ago, I rented 3 sets of contractor-grade scaffolding with walk-boards, cross-braces and casters @ $250 per week. They were in near-new condition and I estimated I needed them for 3 weeks. ($750 worth). Each set retailed for almost $1K,…. $3K total for the 3-sets.

At the end of the 3 week rental period I realized I would need them for an additional 2 weeks and my friend pointed out I might need such equipment in the future to safely service the overhead lighting in my hangar. ( But I thought I could probably accomplish light/lamp changes with an extension ladder I already owned.)

So I called the rental company and asked if I could extend the rental period for 2 addt’l weeks. The rental company told me they were being acquired by another larger rental outfit and that they would be unable to extend the rental-contract…but I could return them and negotiate a new 2-week contract with the New Management…… Or…they would be willing to sell them to me.

They offered the entire set to me for $1500…. and they were willing to apply the $750 I’d already paid in rental toward the purchase.

The favors shown me from the friends who have borrowed those scaffolds over the years has made it one of the most fortuitous purchases ever made, and I’ve used them for everything from fireplace/chimney repairs to wifi antenna installations, etc etc.

( And I’ve used them for hangar lighting lamp-changes ever since the extension-ladder idea was found foolhardy….. it’s pretty scary to be alone…on top of a flexing 25’ extension ladder above airplanes, tractors and concrete at age 70+. )

Just last month I lost, for the second time, a family friend who fell off his roof. He was 65.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Yes, auction are 'interesting'. Local one here( 5 minutes away driving the BX23S..) everything sold for absurd prices. First there's 18% buyers premium and 13% on top, so $100 win ,cost you $130 out the door , $300 win, is $400. 40 year old Edwards Ironworker, no tooling, went for $5000 'out the door' ! Brand new they're 20K,so $5K doesn't sound too bad,except it's 4 decade old...used and abused. Everything else, like forklifts, new steel, tools, even SCRAP steel sold for crazy prices.
I don't know what a new box blade costs, but USED, I'd expect to pay 1/4 to 1/3rd of new, 'out the door' price . Heck I've bought running tractors WITH implements for 5c on the dollar, but long before the economy went upside down due to the amerchin virus.
With every auction you NEED to read the 'fine print',do the math and SEE what 'out the door' really is.
Look out for 'rigging fees' !!! A new one ! Seller forces you to use THEIR crew to move your item into your truck/trailer, That ironworker had a $250 rigging fee on it PLUS another 13% for the guvs !!!

 

[mikester]

I've been scanning a local farm equipment auction for a decent box blade. There is an auction about 4 miles from me with two 60" box blades. One is a King Cutter and the other is not named. I placed a random bid of $700 on the KC one and was outbid pretty quickly. With the 10% premium and 5% tax, that puts it really close to a new one. I get that $100-$200 is not chump change but does used stuff really approach the price of new stuff? Or do people not pay attention to the extra 15% they will end up owing at the end? It's the first farm equipment auction I've actually bid on so I really don't know. Just seems silly to risk busted welds or hackmaster general repairs on something you could buy new for a couple hundred more.

I stopped going to auctions when they started adding the buyers premiums. Mind as well buy new at that point and get warranty.

 

[fried1765]

I've been scanning a local farm equipment auction for a decent box blade. There is an auction about 4 miles from me with two 60" box blades. One is a King Cutter and the other is not named. I placed a random bid of $700 on the KC one and was outbid pretty quickly. With the 10% premium and 5% tax, that puts it really close to a new one. I get that $100-$200 is not chump change but does used stuff really approach the price of new stuff? Or do people not pay attention to the extra 15% they will end up owing at the end? It's the first farm equipment auction I've actually bid on so I really don't know. Just seems silly to risk busted welds or hackmaster general repairs on something you could buy new for a couple hundred more.

A frequent factor in IMHO, is what I call "aucton fever".
Buyers get caught up in the heat of the bidding moment.

 

[The Evil Twin]

One of the problems with auctions (of ANY type) is…. you may be bidding against unknowlegeable idiots with deep pockets. That does not prove the items are worth the winning bid.
There are too many variables to auctions to support the idea that “used” is as valuable as “new.”

jyoutz makes an excellent observation. Rental companies are often quite happy to sell their used equipment at good prices… then they replace it with new.

While constructing my hangar 20 years ago, I rented 3 sets of contractor-grade scaffolding with walk-boards, cross-braces and casters @ $250 per week. They were in near-new condition and I estimated I needed them for 3 weeks. ($750 worth). Each set retailed for almost $1K,…. $3K total for the 3-sets.

At the end of the 3 week rental period I realized I would need them for an additional 2 weeks and my friend pointed out I might need such equipment in the future to safely service the overhead lighting in my hangar. ( But I thought I could probably accomplish light/lamp changes with an extension ladder I already owned.)

So I called the rental company and asked if I could extend the rental period for 2 addt’l weeks. The rental company told me they were being acquired by another larger rental outfit and that they would be unable to extend the rental-contract…but I could return them and negotiate a new 2-week contract with the New Management…… Or…they would be willing to sell them to me.

They offered the entire set to me for $1500…. and they were willing to apply the $750 I’d already paid in rental toward the purchase.

The favors shown me from the friends who have borrowed those scaffolds over the years has made it one of the most fortuitous purchases ever made, and I’ve used them for everything from fireplace/chimney repairs to wifi antenna installations, etc etc.

( And I’ve used them for hangar lighting lamp-changes ever since the extension-ladder idea was found foolhardy….. it’s pretty scary to be alone…on top of a flexing 25’ extension ladder above airplanes, tractors and concrete at age 70+. )

Just last month I lost, for the second time, a family friend who fell off his roof. He was 65.

I think it's the UI Syndrome (unknowledgeable idiot). The thing is now at $750 + fees. Rural king has them for a hair over $1000 delivered to the store in 3 weeks.
Sorry to hear about your friend. I'm not near that age, but when I do go on the roof or up a tree I think about that sort of thing. I don't want to be the headline (40 year old man falls from roof hanging Christmas lights)

 

[The Evil Twin]

Yes, auction are 'interesting'. Local one here( 5 minutes away driving the BX23S..) everything sold for absurd prices. First there's 18% buyers premium and 13% on top, so $100 win ,cost you $130 out the door , $300 win, is $400. 40 year old Edwards Ironworker, no tooling, went for $5000 'out the door' ! Brand new they're 20K,so $5K doesn't sound too bad,except it's 4 decade old...used and abused. Everything else, like forklifts, new steel, tools, even SCRAP steel sold for crazy prices.
I don't know what a new box blade costs, but USED, I'd expect to pay 1/4 to 1/3rd of new, 'out the door' price . Heck I've bought running tractors WITH implements for 5c on the dollar, but long before the economy went upside down due to the amerchin virus.
With every auction you NEED to read the 'fine print',do the math and SEE what 'out the door' really is.
Look out for 'rigging fees' !!! A new one ! Seller forces you to use THEIR crew to move your item into your truck/trailer, That ironworker had a $250 rigging fee on it PLUS another 13% for the guvs !!!

It's got to be the failure to read the fine print. I do, and that's why I knew the TOTAL cost is +15% of the bid price. I can't see myself buying a used, rusty BB for $50 less than new.
I've done quite a few motorcycle auctions and fortunately am aware of the process. They aren't quite as crazy though. In demand models will sell for good money but never near new. The exception is models out of production that are popular. That's because of parts though.
However, as they say: one in the hand is worth two in the bush. If ya need it now, ya need it now. The Chi Coms really hosed over the whole world's supply chain with their plague. I mean, I know we became so used to an in demand society and it was nice. But now it's a feeding frenzy for anything used. Anything.

 

[The Evil Twin]

A frequent factor in IMHO, is what I call "aucton fever".
Buyers get caught up in the heat of the bidding moment.

Yep! Like Ebay was back in the early aught years.

 

[D2Cat]

In my experience finding a used box blade at a reasonable price is near impossible, even from an individual sale.

Auctions, for some folks, are like going to a casino. They just raise their hand and hope they win!!

A couple of months ago I was going to buy a hdy. saw to mount on my tractor for trimming limbs. I had talked to the guy who invented and manufactured one and saw that model selling at a Purple Wave auction. I called the guy selling it so I know all about it, how long he had it, how he used it, why he's selling it, even how much he paid for it.

Knowing the cost of a new one delivered to my door, the selling fee for the auction co., my fuel cost and time to drive 175 miles x2, I knew what to bid. It sold for $3200 (plus the 10% fee). I could get a new one, extra chain, delivered, 1yr full warranty .....$2300.

 

[ctfjr]

Evil I have had pretty good luck buying used - including my current tractor. It had about 250 hours on it and was really lightly used.

In the past I have gotten attachments off of Craigslist mainly. A post hole digger, 2 different rear snow blowers and just yesterday a landscape rake (Facebook Marketplace). I feel I paid fair prices.

You are probably knowledgeable to look for 'what to look for' on a used piece of equipment. It just takes patience, something I'm not known for.

In our business I always use the statement, "you are only as good as your stupidest competitor". That goes in spades at auctions.

I am not the shrewdest buyer but I only paid the asking price once - when I bought my 1st blower from a widow. When buying my current snowblower I was at the sellers house and just stood there looking at it without saying 1 word. He finally looked at me and dropped the price over 1/3 what he was asking. Sold.

 

[Flintknapper]

it’s pretty scary to be alone…on top of a flexing 25’ extension ladder above airplanes, tractors and concrete at age 70+. )

Just last month I lost, for the second time, a family friend who fell off his roof. He was 65.

Yes, we older folk need to take precautions. It wouldn't but a 'short' fall to completely 'Humpty Dumpty' us. Let alone one from real heights.

They never would get us 'back together again' and even IF they could....you'd wish they had just let you die.

Be careful.

 

[bbxlr8]

I would have been very happy to buy a BB used.

Gave up and went tarter/countyline @TSC - Does the job. We will see over time...

 

[The Evil Twin]

I would have been very happy to buy a BB used.

Gave up and went tarter/countyline @TSC - Does the job. We will see over time...

It'll probably last a very long time. The one I'm borrowing is of unknown origin- no markings, rusty, ugly and probably 20+ years old. Looks exactly like the CL/ Tarter/ KK units.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Well, buying used direct from someone definitely worked out better for all involved! Thanks to the good people on OTT!