Since he started collecting and restoring old tractors in the mid 1980s, former Toowoomba cotton grower Albert Brimblecombe had managed to build an unrivalled collection of heavy farm machinery.

But he was starting to wonder if it was all getting a bit too much to handle, so he recently decided to sell off his collection to the highest bidder.

A crowd of about 3,000 people turned out today for what was dubbed the rural "sale of the century" on a farm, west of Brisbane.

About 3,000 people turned out for the vintage tractor auction. ( ABC News )

Tractor enthusiasts came from as far as Western Australia and New Zealand to place a bid on the unique catalogue of Queensland farming history.

"It's a bit overwhelming," Mr Brimblecombe told the ABC.

"I didn't think that so many people would take notice of a silly old beggar like me collecting old tractors."

More than 100 restored machines went gone under the hammer, with some of the old farm workhorses selling for more than $50,000 apiece.

"They're all going, there's probably about two or three of them that are a bit cranky, but the rest of them are all up and running," he said.

Maryborough cane farmer Jeff Schmidt said he used to own vintage tractors and each one has a personality. ( ABC News: Nancy Webb )

Mr Brimblecombe said the sale was never about the money.

"[The proceeds] probably don't even account to the cost and the time and the effort put in. You'll never recover that," he said.

He said he was concerned that as he grew older the unique farming memorabilia would become "rust buckets" on his Toowoomba property.

"The whole thought I had today was that people take them home, they keep them looked after," he said.

Toowoomba resident James McArthur-Onslow purchased two old milk carts and fought back tears as the hammer went down.

"They mean a lot personally. These would have been used for delivering milk around Sydney and various places," Mr McArthur-Onslow said.

George Robert said nobody would ever see a collection like this again. ( ABC News: Nancy Webb )

George Robert said he wanted to attend the auction to reminisce.

"Seeing the ad, I was amazed by the volume and the variety of stuff," Mr Robert said.

Mr Robert said he hoped some of the old machines would be archived so people in future could see how far the farming industry had come.

"Give people a better insight into what the old farmers, contractors and others have had to put up with," he said.

Shannon Bestmann brought her two young children to the sale.

"I have a son who loves machinery and anything on wheels, so we just thought it was a really good opportunity to come and see some beautiful old machinery," she said.