Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to conduct largest Wyoming auction in its history

Unreserved equipment auction in Gillette on August 30 will feature more equipment than the Company has ever sold in a single auction in the state of Wyoming

GILLETTE, WY, Aug. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - On Thursday, August 30, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will sell more equipment than it has ever sold before in a single auction in the state of Wyoming. In total, more than 800 equipment items, including a large selection of mining, construction and transportation equipment, will be sold to the highest bidders—without minimum bids or reserve prices. Bids in the auction can be made in person at the auction site (10577 Wyoming 59, Gillette, WY, 82718), online in real time at www.rbauction.com or by proxy.

"This auction features a lot of large, unique mining equipment along with a great selection of excavators, crawler tractors, scrapers and more," said Steve Merich, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "We conducted our last auction in Gillette more than two years ago. We are glad to be back with an auction of this magnitude—the largest we have ever conducted in the state, in terms of the amount of equipment available. We welcome everyone to come and check out the equipment and bid in the auction—as we will have something for nearly every type of equipment user."

Specific equipment highlights in the Gillette, WY auction include:

• 12 Caterpillar 773B rock trucks
• six Caterpillar 777B rock trucks
• five Hitachi EX1200 series hydraulic excavators
• a 2008 Hitachi EX1900-6 BE hydraulic excavator
• nine Caterpillar 651E motor scrapers
• four Caterpillar 657E motor scrapers
• five Caterpillar D10N crawler tractors
• two Caterpillar D9N crawler tractors
• a 2011 Tesab RK1012S impact crusher
• a 2007 Tesmec TRS950SL crawler trencher
• a 2010 John Deere 544K wheel loader

Close to 350 of the equipment items in the auction are being sold for Larry Suchor, owner of Larry's Mining Inc., a large topsoil and overburden-removal company based in Wyoming, who is retiring after 45 years in the business.

"I'm selling the entire fleet—rock trucks, belly dumps, excavators and much more," said Mr. Suchor. "Much of this equipment was specifically designed for dealing with long distance hauls, which was a key factor to the efficiency and success of my company. Back in 2004, I sold a division of my company with Ritchie Bros. in Gillette and I am happy to be selling with Ritchie Bros. again because of the great customer reach they have worldwide."

Registration to bid is free. For more information about the auction, visit www.rbauction.com or contact the auction site at +1.307.682.2238.

Auction details:

• Auction location: 10577 Wyoming 59, Gillette, WY, 82718
• Site phone: +1.307.682.2238
• Every auction is open to the public; registration to bid is free; a refundable bid deposit may be required
• How to register and bid:
• In person at the auction site
• Online at rbauction.com - register in advance and bid online in real time on auction day; a refundable bid deposit may be required; first-time online bidders should register several days in advance of the auction
• By proxy - phone the auction site to place a proxy bid

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. Ritchie Bros. offers services that enable the world's builders to easily and confidently exchange equipment. The Company conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. Ritchie Bros. has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com

ATTENTION MEDIA: Photos 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.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers