Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to sell hundreds of lifting equipment items and a large...

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to sell hundreds of lifting equipment items and a
large selection of cranes at upcoming Detroit-area auctions

Hundreds of high quality forklifts, scissorlifts, boom lifts, wide
variety of cranes will be sold at two Detroit-area auctions

DETROIT, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and
TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will be holding two
unreserved public auctions in Detroit in May and June. On Wednesday, May 20,
the Company will be selling more than 1,200 pieces of lifting and general
rental equipment on behalf of NES Rentals Holdings, Inc., at an unreserved
public auction in Lincoln Park, Michigan. Two weeks later, on Thursday, June
4, Ritchie Bros. will sell a large selection of late-model, high quality
cranes, in addition to an assortment of heavy equipment items and trucks, to
the highest bidders, regardless of price, at an unreserved public auction in
Milan, approximately 20 minutes from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Items
at both of the upcoming Ritchie Bros. Detroit-area auctions will be sold on a
strictly unreserved basis, meaning there will be no minimum bids or reserve
prices for items being sold in Lincoln Park and Milan.
"People interested in our upcoming Detroit auctions will find a large
selection of nice equipment to satisfy their lifting, rigging, crane and
construction needs, " said Rory Mullarney, Ritchie Bros. Regional Manager.
"Prices for the items being sold at our Detroit auctions will be determined by
the competitive bidding process on auction day, as every item sells unreserved
to the highest bidder regardless of price."
The selection of equipment from NES Rentals includes more than 340 forklifts,
including 170 electric forklifts; more than 60 scissorlifts, as well as
carry-deck cranes, boom lifts, light towers and other specialized rigging
equipment. More than 950 of the items are located at the Lincoln Park
(Detroit), Michigan site, with approximately 300 additional items at Ritchie
Bros. auction sites in Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The items in
all three locations will be sold in Detroit on May 20th, starting at 8:00 am
(EST), local time via the Company's proprietary Virtual Ramp system, with
items displayed on a large screen in front of the seated crowd at the Lincoln
Park location. On-site bidding will only take place in the Lincoln Park
(Detroit) location at 1120 John A. Papalas Drive.
The June unreserved auction in Milan, Michigan currently features cranes from
JJ Curran Crane Co., Connelly Crane Rental Corp., Laramie Crane Corp. as well
as trucks and heavy equipment from more than 15 other consignors. This will be
the second time that Ritchie Bros. has held an unreserved auction in Milan -
the location welcomed over 850 bidders from around the world at an unreserved
industrial auction in November of last year. The yard, located at 10411
Darling Road in Milan, currently holds more than 30 cranes, including a
selection of hydraulic, crawler, rough terrain and conventional truck cranes.
The selection of items in Milan also includes late-model industrial equipment
including a 2006 Caterpillar D6R XW crawler tractor and two Caterpillar 627F
push/pull motor scrapers, with equipment being added to the June 4 auction
right up to sale day.
"The locations we have chosen for these unique auctions are conveniently
situated within close proximity to major freeways and the Detroit Metropolitan
Airport for our interested out-of-town visitors," added Mr. Mullarney. "We
understand that not everyone will be able to attend the auctions in person, so
they will also have the option to bid live and online during the auctions or
they can place proxy bids ahead of time."
Registration is free at a Ritchie Bros. unreserved public auction and
everything is sold "As is, where is" on auction day. Customers can also bid
live and online at www.rbauction.com or can place a proxy bid at the auction
site.

Information about the unreserved Lincoln Park auction on May 20:
----------------------------------------------------------------
- Detailed information about item locations is posted at
www.rbauction.com. Items will be available for inspection, testing
and comparing prior to the auction date at the following three
locations:

1. Lincoln Park (Detroit), Michigan - NES Rentals site at 1120 John
A. Papalas Drive, Lincoln Park, MI
Call: +1.313.388.5722
2. Morris (Chicago), Illinois - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers permanent
auction site at 2400 Ritchie Road, Morris, IL
Call: +1.815.941.6400
3. St. Louis, Missouri - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers temporary auction
site at 1400 Shapiro Drive, Festus, MO
Call: +1.636.931.0090

- NOTE: Please contact the site ahead of time to find out more
information about inspections.

Information about the unreserved Milan auction on June 4:
---------------------------------------------------------
- The Milan, Michigan site at 10411 Darling Road will be open from
Monday to Friday throughout the month of May for inspections or any
inquiries about the upcoming auction. The site will also be open on
the last weekend of May (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31) for
equipment inspections. Appointments can also be made to inspect
equipment outside of business hours.
- Registration for this auction begins two days prior to sale day on
Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
- Milan, Michigan auction site tel: 734.587.3200

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 38 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.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

Kim Schulz, Corporate Communications Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Phone
(604) 788-5379, or email kschulz@rbauction.com; Or Rory Mullarney, Regional
Manager, Rental and Manufacturing Sectors, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Phone
(863) 206-3960; Or Scott McGregor, Regional Manager, Ritchie Bros.
Auctioneers, Phone (937) 568-9500