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News Article  
Variety of equipment is sold at Schwartz auction
By Karin Milliman

SCOTTS, Mich. — “You can tell this works because you don’t see any snow around here anywhere,” joked auctioneer Fred Schwartz while selling a Huskee snow blower. With 10 horsepower, a 28-inch clearing width and a two-stage electric start, this piece brought a price of $300 at an August sale in Scotts, Mich.

The previous owners were in the process of moving to Utah for health reasons and had ran an alpaca farm for years in the countryside of Scotts, located between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Schwartz was hired to help dispose of some of the items the family didn’t want to take with them during this change in their lives.

A DE Walt 300 PSI Max with 2.8 GPM power washer had a Honda engine and was sold for $400. A gas-powered post hole digger looked like it might cause the new owner to have to work was sold for $75, but the crowd agreed this was a better option than hand-digging the holes.

A total of 103 steel fence posts were sold for $2 each. And new rolls of wire about 4 feet high were sold for $180 to complete the collection.

A Mortar Mixer with electric start went for $60 and a Craftsman air compressor with a 20-gallon tank was sold for $140. An 11-gallon Campbell Hausfield air compressor sold for $45. A Powder Back Generator with 10 horsepower, model No. 120240 with 5,250 watts brought a final bid of $265 while a 35 horsepower generator was sold for $75.

A clear drive roto-tiller which started right away for the crowd had a front drive and sold for $190. An approximately 4 foot tall round fan with two speeds and sitting on wheels for easy moving from spot to spot was sold for $225.

The fact that a Simplicity 14 horsepower riding mower didn’t run, didn’t seem to bother bidders. This piece sold for $210 to the highest bidder. A Lawn Boy push mower was sold for $30. A John Deere riding lawn mower with a bagger was offered for sale also. It had a 38-inch deck and 17 horsepower motor. It brought a final bid of $380.

A John Deere 70 tractor with power steering was a crowd pleaser. It had a two-point hitch and newly painted rims. This show piece started quickly, and the bidding ran to $2,200 before it was sold to a new owner. A John Deere Gator 6 x 4 was new in 2004 and also started easily. This Gator sold for a final bid of $4,500.

A John Deere 316 plow was sold for $250, while the 7-foot plow blade brought a bid of $100.

A Ford tractor, white and red in color, also ran well. It had a blade, chains and weights with it, and after opening at $1,000, it took almost three times that to end up with the winning bid. This piece sold for $2,950.

A Roadmaster bicycle in nice condition brought a final bid price of $43. The bidders hung right with the auctioneer as he moved around the acreage, selling a large cast iron kettle that was about four feet across for $100. This piece already had holes drilled in the bottom so it could be used for landscaping.

A wagon with a new tongue was a “people mover.” It had a back rest for the driver and was made of treated lumber. With several seats along both sides available for tourists, this wagon was sold for $600. A wooden trailer useful around any farm brought a final bid of $375, while a horse trailer with a double axel and lights that worked, sold for $450. A wooden sled with steel blades underneath was made to break horses and brought some interest at $160.

An Avco New Idea spreader was sold for $400; while Schwartz announced to the crowd, “We will not stand behind it, especially if it’s loaded.” When the chuckles stopped, he moved on to sell a flat bed wooden trailer for the final bid of $210.

A Yard Machines 20-ton log splitter earned a final bid of $575. A 10-inch blade Skill saw was sold for $50, and a Pro Tech chop saw brought a bid of $25.

The guns caught the attention of the men and women both, and it didn’t take long to hand them over to new owners. The bids came quickly for a 12-gauge Remington 870 which sold for the final price of $320. A Remington semi-automatic with a new scope was sold for almost as much with the bidder winning it for $300.

A Winchester model 250 that fired 22 longs or shorts was sold for $275 and a BB gun was sold for $20.

To keep the animals contained a bit, there was an 8 by 20 foot dog kennel which brought a bid of $60 and a taller kennel which sold for $90. To finish off this auction, Schwartz sold a 30 foot long outside canopy. It was being used by the food concession for the day, but came complete with a wooden storage box that packed it in to a nice package. It sold for the bid price of $93.

Schwartz Auctions conducts farm, real estate, household and antique auctions. To contact Schwartz Auctions, located in Sturgis, Mich., call (269) 651-9261, or visit his website at www.SchwartzAuctioneers.com.

He has conducted auctions since 1969 and loves to joke with his buyers and sellers. His wife, Marilyn, is always within hearing range to help keep him in line. Schwartz Auctions is capable of conducting any type of auction and has traveled more than 250 miles to sell merchandise auction style.

9/9/2013