AEM Report: Good Year For Ag Equipment

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) has released its 2018 U.S. Ag Tractor and Combine Report with all machine categories recording year-to-date growth for 2018.

December year-to-date sales of self-propelled combines showed 18.2 percent growth, while year-to-date sales of four-wheel-drive tractors increased 12.9 percent. Overall U.S. sales of two-wheel-drive tractors grew 6.8 percent; under-40 hp tractors gained 9.2 percent; tractors from 40 to 100 hp increased 1.5 percent; and 100+ hp tractors grew 5.5 percent.

The year also finished on a mostly strong note as U.S. sales of self-propelled combines gained 29.7 percent month-over-month vs. December 2017, though U.S. sales of four-wheel-drive tractors declined 9.2 percent month-over-month.

Total U.S. sales of two-wheel-drive tractors grew 5.7 percent month-over-month compared to last year: under-40 hp tractors posted a 7 percent gain, with 40 to 100 hp tractors coming in at a 3.6 percent increase; and 100+ hp tractors showing a 5.9 percent gain.

“2018 was a solid year for equipment sales despite a weak overall farm economy and lingering trade issues. As we look at 2019, we’re still seeing a lot of uncertainty related to the Administration’s efforts to reset global trade parameters. We’re also watching some uncertainty with stock market ups and downs which could indicate a potential slowing economy. As a whole, we remain optimistic that the replacement market for large equipment will continue through 2019, and that the small tractor market will continue to be a bright spot on overall sales numbers,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president, Agriculture for AEM.

The full report can be found in the Market Data section of the AEM website under Ag Tractor and Combine Reports: https://www.aem.org/AEM/media/docs/Statistics/18-12-USAG.pdf.