Ritchie Bros. to feature record number of items in London, ON public auction

A rare Russian crawler tractor, a Mercedes-Benz Unimog and late model transportation and agricultural equipment among 400 items to be sold on auction day

LONDON, ON, June 10 /CNW/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE andTSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will conduct a public unreserved equipment auction on June 16 at the Company's permanent auction site in London, Ontario. The number of equipment items in the auction will be the most items ever sold at the Company's London auction site. All items will be sold to the highest bidders on auction day - regardless of price - with no minimum bids or reserve prices. More information about the London public auction, including full equipment photos and details is available at www.rbauction.com.

"We've got the largest selection of equipment ever assembled in the London yard since the site was first opened in April 2009," said Brian Dykstra, Regional Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "We've also got a very large selection of transportation items - the most we've ever seen in London - including late model truck tractors that could attract buyers from outside the province."

Truck tractors being sold in the June 16th London auction include 10 - 2005 International 9400I Eagle trucks; five 2005 Freightliner FLD120 Classic trucks; 10 - 2005 International 4300 trucks; and two 2006 Freightliner CL120064ST Columbia trucks. Other transportation items include more than 120 van trailers, curtain side trailers and hiboys.

The auction will also feature seven 2009 John Deere 6430 Premium MFWD tractors and a rare 1975 DT75M Volgograd Russian 140 horsepower diesel engine crawler tractor, built with a tank undercarriage, and fitted with a three-point hitch.

The DT75M tractor was originally built as an agricultural tractor for farming in Siberia. Built by the Volgograd Tractor Factory, a heavy equipment factory located in Volgograd, Russia, the crawler tracks enabled the tractor to traverse over ice and operate in extreme cold weather conditions.

Prior to 1961, the Volgograd Tractor Factory was known as the Stalingrad Tractor Factory. The factory was re-tooled to produce military equipment for the Soviet Army during World War II. After 1970, some examples of Russian-built tractors were exported by the Soviet Union to earn foreign currency. Only a few Volgograd DT75M tractors were ever imported to Canada.

Another unique item being sold in the London auction is a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 4X4 flatbed truck. Made by Mercedes, the Unimog is an all terrain truck with a diesel engine used for special haulage in extreme off road conditions. Unimogs are used by the military and navy, in disaster relief, geological surveying, expeditions and exploration, and mining and agricultural applications.

    
    Auction details:
    ----------------
    -  Location: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers' London auction site, 4077 Breen
       Road, Putnam, ON N0L 2B0
    -  London auction site phone: + 1.519.425.4321 or +1.800.357.0659
    -  Time and date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 starting at 9:00 a.m. (EST)
    -  Open to the public; registration to bid is free. First-time registered
       bidders are required to place a CAD$1,000 refundable deposit when they
       register.
    -  Visit the auction site to register to bid in person; photo I.D. is
       required. Customers can inspect equipment during regular business
       hours leading up to the auction.
    -  Internet bidders must register online before auction day at
       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 at: + 1.519.425.4321 or
       1.800.357.0659
    -  Equipment details, including photos, are available on the Ritchie
       Bros. web site: www.rbauction,com
    

About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE andTSX: 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 41 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 www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.

ATTENTION MEDIA: Photos of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog flatbed truck and Volgograd DT75M crawler tractor and other media resources are available for use at http://www.rbauction.com/media

Members of the public and the media can follow Ritchie Bros. on Twitter @RitchieBros

For further information: Kim Schulz, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Phone: [phone] or email [email protected]; Or Brian Dykstra, Regional Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, London auction site tel: [phone]