FORT WORTH, TX, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will conduct a record-breaking unreserved public auction at its permanent auction site in Fort Worth, TX on Wednesday, December 2 to Thursday, December 3, 2009. More than 4,000 items - the most items ever to be sold at a Fort Worth auction - are already featured in the sale with more items still being added daily. All items will be sold to the highest bidders on auction day, with no minimum bids or reserve prices.
"With a record number of items to sell in our fifth and final auction of the year, we've got a diverse selection of equipment as well as one of the best assortments of oilfield-related equipment we've had in a Fort Worth auction in recent years," said Kieran Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.
Included in the more than 4,000 items being sold in the auction are 1,200 frac tanks. A frac tank is a mobile on-site storage container used for holding water and other liquids in oilfield operations or on large scale clean-up projects. All the tanks will be sold remotely using Ritchie Bros. proprietary Virtual Ramp auction method on Day 1 (December 2nd) starting approximately at 8:30 a.m. CST. A photo of each frac tank will be projected onto a large screen in the auction theatre while it is being sold. Ritchie Bros. will also be conducting a live simulcast of the frac tank portion of the Fort Worth auction at the Company's permanent auction site in Houston, TX.
The frac tanks can be inspected before auction day at four separate locations: Ritchie Bros.' Houston auction site, Ritchie Bros.' Columbus, OH auction site and two off-site storage facilities located in Aledo, TX and Haslet, TX. Viewing is by appointment only. Arrangements can be made by contacting the Fort Worth auction site at +1.817.237.6544. Directions to viewing locations and equipment details and photos are also available at http://www.rbauction.com/fractanks.
Close to 1,300 items also being sold on Day 1 (Wednesday, December 2) of the auction include: construction equipment, cranes, compaction and aggregate equipment, agricultural tractors, directional drills, pumps, generators and a large selection of over 180 items of aerial and lifting equipment.
Day 2 (Thursday, December 3, 2009) of the auction features almost 1,500 items including more than 200 truck tractors, 170 pickup trucks and more than 30 dump trucks. Other transportation items to be sold include utility, van, water, flatbed, fuel & lube, bed, and boom trucks and a wide assortment of trailers and winch tractors.
Buyers interested in the frac tanks and other equipment in the auction can register at the Forth Worth auction site a few days prior to the auction and on auction day, as well as over the internet if they plan on bidding online or they can contact the Fort Worth auction site at +1.817.237.6544 to place a proxy bid.
In September of 2009, Ritchie Bros. broke the record for the largest Fort Worth auction ever conducted in Company History when more than US$66 million in gross auction proceeds was generated over the course of a three-day sale. The auction also attracted a record number of bidders and buyers.
Auction details: ---------------- - Location: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers permanent Fort Worth auction site, 6050 Azle Ave, Lake Worth, TX - Fort Worth auction site tel: +1.817.237.6544 - Auction date: Wednesday, December 2 - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - Auction start time: 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, test and compare equipment during regular business hours the week before auction day - 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: + 1.817.237.6544 - 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, Phone: (778) 331-5442 or email kschulz@rbauction.com; Or Kieran
Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Fort Worth auction site, tel:
(817) 237-6544
