Classic tractor prices continue to increase, and collectors had to dig deep into their pockets to secure a model from the late 1970s/early 1980s at a Cheffins auction this year.

Five of the top 10 prices paid this year were for models from the 38-strong Ford/Fordson Paul Cable collection, which went under the hammer in Hertfordshire, in May. Holding the record for the highest price paid for a classic tractor this year was a 1985 ‘long nose’ County 1474 (main picture). The East Anglian-based auctioneer had expected the hammer to come down somewhere between £60,000-£70,000. In the end, it sold for an eye-watering £94,500!

The second highest price was £72,975 for a 1966 Doe 130, and in third spot was a 1981 County 1184; another tractor from the Paul Cable collection. It was sold to a Lincolnshire farmer for £56,700.

The fourth highest price was paid for a 1980 Roadless 118 (£53,550), and the fifth most expensive classic tractor was a 1979 and low-houred County 1174. Another Paul Cable tractor, this one, which used to work at Stansted Airport, sold for £43,050 (double its lower estimate of £20,000) to an Irish buyer.

The sixth most expensive tractor was this 1989 Ford 7810 ‘Silver Jubilee’, which sold for £37,725.

Sixth spot was another tractor from the Paul Cable collection and a 1989 Ford 7810 ‘Silver Jubilee’ (£37,725), and the seventh highest price paid for a classic tractor at a Cheffins auction this year was £35,700 for 1979 County 1174.

Bidding on this 1986 Ford FW-60 finally ended at £30,975.

The bidding on a 1986 Ford FW-60 finally ended at £30,975 (eighth position; another Paul Cable tractor) and a 1981 Roadless 980 sold for £31,500. The tenth most expensive classic tractord sold ata Cheffins auction this yearw was a 1986 IH 1455XL, which sold for £28,350.

The new owner of this IH 1455XL had to fork out £28,350 for the 1986-built tractor.

The combined value of the 10 best-selling classic tractors is just over £485,000, and Cheffins sold £50 million worth of machinery at 41 auctions in 2018. Spread across the firm’s Cambridge Machinery Sales at Sutton, on-farm auctions and vintage sales, over 35,000 lots were up for grabs. The 24 on-farm auctions grossed over £11 million; a £1 million increase on 2017.