For 902 Farmtrac tractors, it appears to be a case of "abracadabra, disappear ... abracadabra, reappear."

At approximately 10:40 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, that's what happened to a LewPack International Web site offering three Tarboro properties full of Farmtrac agricultural hardware – it vanished into cyberspace.

A bevy of custom built two-wheelers from Fort Worth, Texas-based IronHorse Motorcycles also disappeared from the LewPack site.

Farmtrac and IronHorse Motorcycles were financially troubled firms and both were bankrolled by Textron Financial of Alpharetta, Ga. Textron is the primary secured creditor to Farmtrac.

Both were present for one moment and gone the next.

The online clearance Web site comes three months after financially embattled Farmtrac North America (FNA) closed its doors to employees to reorganize. It is also more than 180 days behind on its debt of more than $14 million to Textron.

Attorney Jim Marrow of Tarboro assumed duty Feb. 27 as the Edgecombe County court-appointed receiver to ensure payment of debt to creditors. In essence, Marrow acts as the owner of Farmtrac. Part of his job is to repair the company's reputation and prevent it from perishing.

When asked about the offering through LewPack International, Marrow claimed having no prior knowledge but learned of it through faxes and e-mails from Farmtrac retailers across the country.

In further conversation Tuesday, the receiver attributed LewPack's online setup attempt to a "miscommunication" between two undisclosed parties that was resolved through a phone conversation.

"They were contacted and the Web page is no longer in service," Marrow said.

LewPack's Farmtrac sales page, lewpackinternational.com/tractors.html, was in full operation until shortly after The Daily Southerner had gone to press Wednesday.

LewPack International partner Bobby Pack, of Cummings, Ga., stated that he and Richard Lewis established the Web site "less than one month ago" for the express intent of "disposing of that property." The company was registered with the Georgia Secretary of State on Mar. 25.

On Thursday, a Web site for Country Boys Auction & Realty of Washington, N.C., listed an Apr. 25 auction of Farmtrac tractors and related hardware it claims is "primarily to dispose of a large amount of surplus ... approximately 25-30 tractors" that are for test, yard, experimental and prototype purposes."

According to the Country Boys Auction & Realty Web site, it is family-owned and operated by Mike and Doug Gurkins.

Doug Gurkins, hired by Marrow in late February to spearhead the project of sorting through years of bookkeeping and hardware inventory issues, leads a barebones administrative staff of 12 at the Farmtrac headquarters building on 111 Fairview Street to wade though a sea of backdated paperwork and "get a good picture of what's here."