Ritchie Bros. prepares for 'The Big One' in Orlando, FL

Ritchie Bros. six-day unreserved public auction with more than 9,200 heavy equipment items and trucks currently featured -and more being added daily- is set to take place in Orlando, FL between February 18 - 23, 2013

ORLANDO, FL, Feb. 12, 2013 /CNW/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, is preparing for next week's six-day unreserved public auction at its permanent auction site in Orlando, Florida from February 18 - 23, 2013. More than 9,200 heavy equipment items and trucks are already featured in this year's February Orlando auction—with new items being added daily. Bids in the unreserved public auction can be made on site at the 200±-acre Orlando auction site, online in real-time at www.rbauction.com or by placing proxy bids in person or by phone.

"One of the greatest things about this Orlando auction is how positively it affects businesses, people and construction projects in all corners of the world," said Steve Kriebel, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "This auction is our biggest auction of the year and it has truly become a global event - last year we registered more than 8,600 bidders from 88 countries. The auction is open to the public so we encourage everyone who loves heavy equipment to come visit us during the week!"

VIRTUALLY ALL HEAVY EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED AT UPCOMING ORLANDO AUCTION
A major highlight of the annual six-day Orlando auction is the thousands of used and unused, late-model equipment items including: forklifts, loader backhoes, wheel loaders, articulated dump trucks, motor graders, motor scrapers, crawler tractors, crawler loaders, pavers, skid steer loaders, multi-terrain loaders and much more. Every corner of the 200±-acre auction site (located at 700 Ritchie Road in Davenport, FL 33897) will be packed to the brim with endless rows of heavy equipment and trucks. There is something for every member of the heavy equipment industry at the upcoming Orlando, FL auction — from miscellaneous shop tools to 60-ton rock trucks. Here is a current snapshot of what bidders can expect to view, inspect and purchase over the course of the auction. For the latest equipment listings, please visit www.rbauction.com.

• Close to 500 boom & scissor lifts
• More than 430 excavators
• More than 260 wheel loaders
• More than 230 crawler tractors
• More than 200 truck tractors
• More than 90 cranes, one of the best selections of cranes the Ritchie Bros. February Orlando auction has ever had includes late-model rough terrain cranes, crawler cranes, carry deck cranes, hydraulic truck cranes and more
• 2,000 industrial support items, including landscape equipment, air compressors, generator sets, light towers, heaters, pressure washers and other miscellaneous consumer items
• And much more!

One unique highlight of this year's Orlando, FL February auction is that on the final day of the auction (Day 6 - February 23, 2013), more than 40 trucks from Walmart's professionally maintained fleet will be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price. This large selection of high-quality transport trucks was operated by Walmart to transport cargo in the lower 48 continental states. The trucks, which include a selection of 2008 International ProStars and a selection of 2007 International 9400Is, are equipped with Auxiliary Power Units (APU) for fuel efficiency and driver comfort. All trucks of the Walmart fleet have been maintained by certified technicians as part of a very proactive and responsive program to keep the trucks ready for the road. For more details about the Walmart trucks being sold on Day 6 of the Orlando auction, visit www.rbauction.com/walmart.

"This is the event that we all look forward to. It sets the stage for the beginning of the year and gives us a good read, in the used equipment market, on what the economy will look like for the rest of the year," said Gary Warren, Used Equipment Manager, Kelly Tractor Co. and annual equipment seller at the auction. "Buying, selling, knowing what is going on at a wholesale/retail level, planning for other auctions - it all revolves around this one huge event."

Orlando, FL - February 18 - 23, 2013: Auction details

• Location: Ritchie Bros. permanent auction site in Orlando at the corner of I-4 & US Hwy 27 (700 Ritchie Rd.), Davenport, FL 33897
• Orlando auction site telephone: +1.863.420.9919
• Date(s):Monday, February 18 to Saturday, February 23, 2013
• Auction start time:8:00 a.m. daily
• The auction is open to the public; registration to bid is free; a refundable bid deposit may be required
• On-site registration begins on Thursday, February 14, 2013
• Interested buyers can come to the auction site to inspect, test and compare items Monday - Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until the day of the auction (please note that the auction site will also be open on Sunday, February 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
• Schedule:
• Feb 18 (Day 1): Loader backhoes; forklifts; boom lifts; scissorlifts; recreational vehicles.
• Feb 19 (Day 2): Agricultural tractors; pull scrapers; feller bunchers; skidders; wheel loaders; water wagons; articulating dump trucks; rock trucks; cable plows; drills; air compressors; light towers.
• Feb 20 (Day 3): Motor graders/scrapers; crawler tractors/loaders; boom trucks; all cranes; crushing/aggregate equipment; pavers; log loaders.
• Feb 21 (Day 4): Skid steer loaders; compactors; rollers; hydraulic/mobile excavators.
• Feb 22 (Day 5): Trucks; mini excavators; hydraulic hammers; welders; generators.
• Feb 23 (Day 6): Automobiles; pickup and sport utility vehicles; truck tractors, lowboys, hiboys, trailers, jeeps, storage containers.

About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest seller of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, energy, mining, forestry,  marine and other industries. Ritchie Bros. offers compelling solutions that make it easy for the world's builders to buy and sell equipment with confidence. The Company conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world (rbauction.com).  The Company also operates an online marketplace through Ritchie Bros. EquipmentOne (EquipmentOne.com) and a range of value-added services, including equipment financing for customers through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services (rbauctionfinance.com). The Company has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide.

PHOTOS & VIDEO FOR MEDIA USE: High-resolution photos, including aerial photos of last year's February Orlando auction, are available for use at http://www.rbauction.com/photos. A six-month / 37 second time lapse video showcasing Ritchie Bros.' Orlando, Florida auction site in 2009 can be downloaded from YouTube and embedded on media websites and blogs at http://youtu.be/7h7artEjASw. Members of the public and the media can follow Ritchie Bros. on Twitter @RitchieBros.

SOURCE: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers