Ritchie Bros. to sell large number of late model equipment items for Rodman Companies and others in Fort Worth unreserved public auction / Most equipment items sold at auction site since September 2007

FORT WORTH, TX, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will be conducting a large, three-day, multi-million dollar unreserved public auction at its permanent auction site in Fort Worth, Texas from Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to Friday, September 25, 2009 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The upcoming auction marks the fourth auction the Company has held in Fort Worth this year, and the largest number of items featured in a single Fort Worth auction since September 2007.

More than 3,800 items, including a large selection of late model construction and transportation equipment from over 400 equipment sellers, will be sold to the highest bidders on auction day. More items are being added to the auction daily. All items will be sold with no minimum bids or reserve prices.

"We have such a large selection of equipment in this upcoming auction that almost every industrial sector Ritchie Bros. serves is represented," said Kieran Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "There's simply no other venue than an unreserved auction of this scope and size that can offer equipment buyers such a fantastic line-up of late model, low hour equipment in one place and at one time."

More than 260 late model equipment items are being sold in the auction as part of a major realignment for Rodman Companies LLC, one of the largest excavation contractors based in North Texas. Late model equipment from Rodman includes: crawler tractors, wheel loaders, motor graders, hydraulic excavators, articulated dump trucks, compactors, directional drills, crushers, truck tractors and low-boy, end-dump and vacuum trailers.

"With the state of the economy like it is, we have to downsize our fleet. The issue facing us is the volume of equipment already in the market place," said Mike Flowers, Fleet Manager, Rodman Companies LLC. "To give ourselves the greatest opportunity to sell our equipment for market value, we need to draw the largest audience of buyers possible. Ritchie Bros. emerged as the auction company of choice due to its loyal customer base and ability to attract bidders from all over the world. We are looking forward to auction day to see where all the bidders come from."

Other owners selling equipment in the Fort Worth auction include J K Dozer, United Rentals and Halliburton Energy Services Inc. The range of equipment being sold in the auction includes agricultural tractors, logging equipment, cranes, pickups, and oilfield and pipeline equipment, including over 110 frac tanks used for fracturing oil and gas wells. A 2002 CMI PTD400TPH portable counter flow drum mix asphalt batch plant and components, located off-site in Childress, Texas, will also be sold remotely on Day 2 of the auction using Ritchie Bros. proprietary Virtual Ramp auction method. Interested buyers can bid in person at the auction site, online in real time at http://www.rbauction.com/ or by proxy.

Auction highlights ------------------ Day 1 - September 23, 2009 -------------------------- - 240+ pickups - 110 crawler tractors - 85+ wheel loaders - 55+ rollers - 50+ compactors - 25+ crawler loaders Day 2 - September 24, 2009 -------------------------- - 115+ hydraulic excavators - 115 loader backhoes - 95+ forklifts - 55+ skid steer loaders - 30 trenchers - 25+ rough terrain cranes Day 3 - September 25, 2009 -------------------------- - 370+ trailers - 260+ truck tractors - 110+ frac tanks - 90+ flatbed trucks - 60+ dump trucks Auction details: ---------------- - Location: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers permanent auction site, 6050 Azle Avenue, Lake Worth, TX - Fort Worth auction site phone: [phone] - Time and date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to Friday, September 25, 2009 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day - Open to the public; registration to bid is free - Visit the auction site to register to bid in person; photo I.D. is required. First-time bidders from the U.S. and Canada must place a refundable US$1,000 deposit when they register. Customers can inspect equipment during regular business hours leading up to the auction - Internet bidders must register online before auction day at http://www.rbauction.com/; at least 2-3 business days is recommended for first-time internet bidders. - Phone the auction site to place a proxy bid. Phone [phone] - Equipment details, including photos, are available at http://www.rbauction.com/ About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. The Company has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 39 auction sites worldwide. Ritchie Bros. sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used and unused industrial assets, including equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. The Company maintains a web site at http://www.rbauction.com/ and sponsors an equipment wiki at http://www.ritchiewiki.com/.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

CONTACT: Kim Schulz, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ritchie Bros.
Auctioneers, Cell: [phone] or email [e-mail]; Or Kieran
Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Fort Worth auction site tel:
[phone]