Crane Auctions Australia (CAA), a joint venture between All Cranes and MCT Equipment with Todd and Peter Shelton working alongside Anthony and James Grosser, has completed its second national crane auction.
The team says the results show the business is heading in the right direction. CAA entered the crane auction market in June 2025 with its first event, followed by a second in September. Both auctions attracted strong interest in the used crane market. The experience has given them a much clearer picture of what buyers want ahead of the next auction in February.
James said the second auction showed that the interest from June was not a one-off. “We had roughly the same amount of registered bidders and bidding interest as the first auction,” he said. He noted that the performance was strong despite the tougher conditions.
Crane Auctions Australia achieved solid results, recording a clearance rate of about 50 per cent through a mix of auction-day interest and steady post-auction follow-up. James said the team worked closely with buyers and sellers in the days after the event to keep the momentum going.
The September auction also gave the team a clearer view of how buyers are operating in a market that is still adjusting. Todd said activity has been uneven across the country, with some regions busy and others noticeably quiet. “You’ve got two operators two minutes apart and one is quiet while the other is tremendously busy,” he said. He said the broader market remains volatile and buyers are weighing up their options more carefully than before.
Todd said buyers are becoming more considered in how they assess long-term value. He believes customers are now looking more closely at what their cranes will be worth later in the machine’s life and are factoring residual value into their decisions.
James said cranes from emerging brands will naturally build confidence over time as more units enter the field and prove themselves in different working conditions. He said buyers are simply waiting to see how these machines perform over the long term before forming strong views about their resale value.
Most buyers in September were established crane hire companies. One startup took part, and the rest of the interest came from crane hire fleets and, increasingly, from construction and rigging businesses.
Why the second auction still worked
One of the main reasons the September auction delivered results was the mix of cranes. The catalogue included all terrains, truck cranes, city cranes and crawlers.
“Having that spread is the reason we sold anything,” James said. “It provided what the market needed at the time rather than trying to force a certain type of crane.”
Much of the success, however, came from what happened after the auction closed. Todd said the team’s industry understanding helped move several machines. “We were able to provide accurate transport quotes because we actually know what they cost,” he said. “We also contacted manufacturers to get pricing on state registration differences. Once we gave buyers the real cost of getting a machine on the road, we got the deals across the line.”
Their existing network also played a role. James said, “Two of the cranes we sold weren’t even listed on the auction. Buyers rang us directly because they know us.”
Todd and James said they avoid putting the same crane through multiple auction cycles because it usually drives the price down. James explained with an example where a crane was listed five times. “The first bid was nearly $300,000. Eighteen months later the buyer paid $122,000,” he said. “That’s what happens when you run it again and again.”
Todd said their approach is aimed at avoiding that outcome. “Not every crane suits an auction. When they don’t sell on the day, we filter them through our network and our sales channels properly,” he said.
More sellers coming forward
Even though the second auction has only recently finished, the team is already receiving direct enquiry from sellers. Todd said, “It’s only our second auction and we’re already getting people coming through our website trying to give us cranes.”
James said the supply pipeline is growing quickly. “There’s no shortage of cranes coming our way,” he said. “We’ve turned away a lot.”
Planning for February
Attention has now shifted to the third national auction, planned for February 2026. While listings are still being finalised, Todd expects it to reflect early-year buying patterns. “It’ll probably be smaller and more specialised, matching what people are chasing in the new year,” he said.
James expects most demand to come from companies preparing for confirmed projects. “Coming into the start of the year, it’ll be project based,” he said. “People will buy to bolster fleets for jobs they already have lined up. We’re aiming for around 10 to 15 cranes that strengthen fleets rather than a full spread.”
With two auctions completed and a third underway, Crane Auctions Australia is finding its place in a competitive market. The June launch put the business on the radar, the September auction showed it could hold its ground, and the February event is shaping up to carry that momentum into 2026.
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