Part of BigIron (since July 2022), now part of RB Global, Inc.Shipping equipment bought at Sullivan Auctioneers overseas
Also searched as Sullivan Auctioneers LLC, sullivanauctioneers.com, Hamilton IL auction
Sullivan Auctioneers sells farm equipment from Hamilton, Illinois, with offices in Huntington, Indiana and Bird Island, Minnesota. Its no-reserve dealer and farmer auctions carry no buyer's premium, and payment is due within 48 hours.
How Sullivan Auctioneers works for export buyers
BigIron acquired Sullivan Auctioneers in July 2022, and RB Global acquired BigIron in May 2026. Sullivan sells farm equipment, dealer inventory and farmland.
Load-out needs a paid invoice. Items must be removed by the date in the sale terms, or storage and loading fees apply.
Sullivan Auctioneers buyer terms
- Buyer's premium
- None on the no-reserve dealer and farmer auction shown. Source
- Payment
- Within 48 hours; ACH preferred, cards add 3%. Source
- Removal
- By the date in the sale terms, or storage and loading fees apply; load-out needs a paid invoice. Source
Checked October 2026. Terms vary by sale, so confirm them on your invoice.
After you win at Sullivan Auctioneers
- 1Pay by ACH or wire within 48 hours.
- 2Send us the paid invoice and the removal date.
- 3We collect the machine, load it with our own carrier and take it to the port, or first to our facility if it needs partial disassembly to fit a container.
- 4We file the export declaration (EEI) in the Automated Export System. It is required when any Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500 or needs an export license, and its ITN confirmation goes to the carrier at least 24 hours before the vessel loads.
- 5For titled machines and vehicles, the original title and the EEI go to U.S. Customs at the port at least 72 hours before export. Without them the unit cannot sail.
- 6We send you the bill of lading and the documents your customs broker needs to clear the machine at destination.
How we work with Sullivan Auctioneers
- From western Illinois we truck to the Chicago rail ramp for containers, which rail to the East and West Coast ports.
- Combines and large tractors are usually partly disassembled to fit 40 ft high-cube containers.
Sullivan Auctioneers locations and their best export ports
1 yard, each with the closest port that takes containers and flat racks, and the closest RoRo port, by road miles.
| Yard | Container and flat rack | RoRo |
|---|---|---|
| Sullivan AuctioneersHamilton, Illinois | Port of Houston967 mi, about 19.5 h | Port of Baltimore900 mi, about 18 h |
Road miles from OSRM (OpenStreetMap), calculated October 2026. Truck hours assume a 50 mph average for a loaded lowboy, including stops.
Container is usually the cheapest option, and we do the partial disassembly needed to make the machine fit. How we containerize heavy equipment
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
Best fit- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming every Sullivan sale has no buyer's premium. Check the terms of your sale.
Sullivan Auctioneers export questions
Is Sullivan Auctioneers part of BigIron?
Yes. BigIron acquired Sullivan Auctioneers in July 2022, and RB Global acquired BigIron in May 2026.