The ‘New Year’ used construction and agricultural machinery sale at the Euro Auctions flag ship site in Leeds, on the 24th to the 27th of January proved that quality machinery will always attract the crowds. With 6,500 lots for sale and a hammer total of £55.6 million, of which £21.7 million sold to bidders who attended on the day, showing the crowds like the live sale.

At this January, Leeds sale, the sheer volume of the visitors was instantly noticeable with this being one of the biggest crowds on record, with a significant uplift in live bidding and buying on the floor, on the day, proving the value of attending the live sale in person.

Vendor numbers continue to increase at each sale with 600 vendors sending equipment and machinery to Leeds from 26 countries worldwide. The previous January sale in 2023 returned a hammer total of £44.24 million. This sale saw a healthy 25% increase over that sale, with a hammer of £55.6 million starting the year with a real bang.

Registered customer accounts were up 25% this January, over January 2023 as 5,900 bidders registered for this sale, of which 1,000 were new buyers registering for the first time with Euro Auctions. Such is the interest in the Euro Auctions brand, that registrations to bid and buy were received from every single country in Europe, as well as the USA, South America Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Top bidding countries were United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Romania and Spain, with the top buying countries exactly those countries in order.

Buyers from Europe represented 51% of the total sale and 45% of buyers were from the UK, with other successful buyers coming from in order North America Africa South America Middle East Asia and the Caribbean. With such an eclectic mix of countries bidding at this sale registrations were received from 87 countries of which 59 countries were successful in buying.

Chris Osborne, Territory Sales Manager for Euro Auctions reports on this sale:

“As 2024 gets underway, Leeds, January, sets the bar higher, again. This was an extraordinary sale, and the first observation was the number of attendees. All ‘sale rings’ were packed out and I don't think we've seen such a big crowd on the floor, ever. Wednesday which invariably is a viewing day was absolutely rammed out and the mood of the crowd communicated ‘we are here to bid seriously’, and they did.”

“There was a very positive and vibrant feel to this sale, with bidding on all lots starting well and maintaining momentum over the three days of the auction. Auctioneers were opening bidding high, and bidders were jumping in, with an obvious competitive streak and bidding was fierce.”

“Many end users, contractors, and construction companies were buying, clearly for projects that were upcoming, and they were buying in multiples of machines, straight off the ramp, as opposed to single machines. This alone is a very good indicator that the market is strong, and buyers were competing for the best machines. In 2023 we were seeing a lot of machinery going out of the UK, mainly to Europe. Now our intelligence is telling us that demand in the UK is on rise.”

“In 2023 there was one clear trend. Owners were cashing in and disposing of inventory. In this sale there was a definite feel of calculated bidding, with buyers shopping for specific items to fulfil plant lists for a project or to replenish an existing fleet. These buyers were targeting ‘two-to-three-year-old’ machines and clearly buying with own use in mind. This indicates the gap between new and used plant values has widened, making the used option more attractive and buyers now see value in good fresh used equipment. The interesting conundrum is that with buyers having such an appetite for, late, low hours machines, this gives sellers the confidence that Euro Auctions can attract the right audience. With good buyers in abundance, you'll find good vendors and that's where good equipment comes from. With 6,000+ machines at each Leeds sale filling that yard, with serious buyers registering at each sale, this gives vendors great confidence in Euro Auctions to gain market value.”

“With rates dropping, cheaper finance is more available. This will stimulate the market across all areas and buyers still have an appetite to buy, if the cost of borrowing is more affordable.”

“So, what was plentiful? What was the market looking for? And what was Euro Auctions able to deliver? Articulated dump trucks were in demand. Dozers were evident, with a lot of CAT machines on offer across all models. Heavy excavators in the 30 tonne plus bracket were in demand and making good money.”

As a summation as how 2024 looks following this first sale of the year, these are the high points:

• The market was out in force with a very good keen crowd

• Bidding was fierce and competitive

• There were quality, fresh machines, on offer and plenty of them

• Euro Auctions is working with all Main Dealers who have trust in us to realise best market value when clearing out stock

• Main Dealers are sending more and more trade-in machines to Euro Auctions

• Our sales teams are continually in the market, talking to vendors and buyers, sharing knowledge, kicking tyres and making it known that we are the premier company with the best platform on which to sell their used machinery

“This interaction in the marketplace provides our customers with confidence, in addition to enhancing our reputation and our brand, which in turn is the route to all our sales.”

Prices on the day

Mini Excavators

• 2022 Kubota U50-5 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 35,000

• 2021 Kubota U50-5 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 30,500

• 2020 Hitachi ZX55U-6 CLR Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 28,000

• 2022 Volvo ECR58F Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 35,500

• 2021 Volvo ECR58F Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 33,500

• 2022 Kobelco SK58SRX-7 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 31,000

• 2021 Kobelco SK55SRX-6E Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 25,000

• 2020 Kobelco SK55SRX-6 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 20,000

• 2017 Kobelco SK55SRX-6 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 19,500

• 2017 Takeuchi TB250 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 22,500

• 2014 CAT 305E 400mm Pads, Blade, Offset - 16,500

• 2019 JCB 57C-1 T3 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 23,000

6 tonne Excavators

• 2023 Kubota KX080-4A2 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 61,000

• 2021 CAT 308CR 450mm Rubber Block Pads, Blade, Offset - 47,000

• 2018 CAT 308E2 CR 450mm Rubber Block Pads, Blade, Offset - 28,500

• 2021 Hitachi ZX85USB-6 450mm Rubber Block Pads, Blade - 44,500

• 2021 Komatsu PC80MR-5E0 Rubber Tracks, Blade - 35,500

• 2021 Volvo ECR88D Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 45,000

• 2021 Sany SY80 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 31,000

• 2019 Bobcat E85 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 37,000

• 2019 Volvo ECR88D Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 35,000

• 2010 Kubota KX080-3 Rubber Tracks, Blade, Offset - 27,000

10 tonne excavators

• 2021 Hitachi ZX130LCN-6 700mm Pads - 51,500

• 2020 Hitachi ZX130LCN-6 700mm Pads - 46,000

• 2019 Hitachi ZX135US-6 700mm Pads - 40,000

• 2018 Hitachi ZX135US-6 700mm Pads, Blade - 45,000

• 2021 Komatsu PC138US-11 600mm Pads, Blade - 65,000

• 2021 Komatsu PC138US-11 700mm Pads - 53,500

• 2022 JCB 140XL 700mm Pads - 57,000

• 2021 JCB 140XL 700mm Pads - 49,000

• 2020 JCB 140X LC 700mm Pads - 32,000

• 2020 Kobelco SK140SRLC-7 700mm Pads - 49,500

• 2020 Doosan DX140LC-5 700mm Pads - 31,500

• 2019 Doosan DX140LC-5 700mm Pads, Blade - 33,000

20 tonne Excavators

• 2016 Liebherr R956 HD 600mm Pads - 50,000

• 2018 Hitachi ZX490LCH-6 750mm Pads - 135,000

• 2019 Hyundai HX430L 600mm Pads - 60,000

• 2015 Liebherr R946LC 600mm Pads - 52,000

• 2018 CAT 336 700mm Pads - 105,000

• 2018 Volvo EC380EL 600mm Pads - 99,000

• 2015 Hyundai Robex R380LC-9A 700mm Pads - 41,000

• 2015 Liebherr R936LC 750mm Pads - 50,000

• 2018 Volvo EC300EL 700mm Pads - 65,000

Dozers

• 2019 CAT D6T LGP Straight Blade & Tilt, Reverse Camera, GPS Ready - 109,000

• 2018 CAT D6T LGP 6 Way Pat Blade, Reverse Camera, A/C - 140,000

• 2016 CAT D6T LGP Straight Blade & Tilt, Reverse Camera, A/C - 102,000

• 2013 Komatsu D65PX-17 Straight Blade & Tilt, Topcon GX-60 GPS - 55,500

• 2014 Komatsu D39PXI-23 6 Way Pat Blade, Reverse Camera, A/C - 31,500

• 2018 Komatsu D37PX-24 6 Way Pat Blade, Reverse Camera, A/C - 62,000

Backhoe Loaders

• 2022 JCB 3CX P21 ECO Turbo Powershift Sitemaster Backhoe Loader - 60,000

• 2020 JCB 3CX P21 ECO Turbo Powershift Contractor Backhoe Loader - 52,000

• 2018 JCB 3CX P21 ECO Turbo Powershift Contractor Backhoe Loader - 39,000

• 2017 JCB 3CX Compact Backhoe Loader, QH, Piped, SRS (Reg. Docs. Available) - 29,000

• 2021 Hidromek HMK62SS Compact Backhoe Loader, Piped, A/C, Bucket & Forks - 34,500

• 2019 CAT 432F2 Turbo Backhoe Loader, QH, Piped, A/C, Bucket & Forks - 59,000

• 2022 Hidromek HMK62T Tracked Backhoe Loader, 4in1 Bucket, Forks - 41,000

• 2014 JCB 2CX Turbo Streetmaster Backhoe Loader, QH, Piped, SRS - 22,500

Telehandlers

• 2011 Merlo 38.14 ROTO Turbo Roto Telehandler, Stabilisers, Joystick Controls - 36,000

• 2019 JCB 540-200 Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Joystick Controls, Sway - 53,000

• 2018 JCB 540-180 Hi Viz Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Sway, Fork Positioner - 42,000

• 2013 Manitou MT1840 Turbo Telehandler, Joystick Controls, Sway - 31,000

• 2023 JCB 540-170 Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Joystick Controls, Sway - 76,000

• 2021 JCB 540-170 Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Joystick Controls, Sway - 53,000

• 2014 JCB 540-170 Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Joystick Controls, Sway - 36,500

• 2019 JCB 540-140 Hi Viz Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Sway, WLI - 8,500

• 2016 JCB 535-125 Hi Viz Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Reverse Camera - 22,000

• 2015 Manitou MLT845-120 Turbo Telehandler, Joystick Controls, QH, WLI, Forks - 20,500

• 2012 Merlo P55.9CS Telehandler, Joystick Controls, PUH, WLI, A/C, Bucket - 21,500

• 2019 JCB 542-70 Turbo Powershift Telehandler, Joystick Controls - 39,500