Combine sales up, tractor sales falling back to pre-pandemic levels in February

Sales for combine harvesters continued triple-digit growth, while overall tractor sales fell in February, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

"With the technology in today's equipment, especially in new harvesters, it's no surprise to see that segment continuing to grow as farmers look to increase the yields they can get with these new units," says Curt Blades, senior vice president, industry sectors and product leadership at the AEM. "On the tractor side, most of those losses are the result of overly hot sales of small units during the pandemic. With overall sales reverting to near their five-year average, this is more a return to normal than anything else."

Tractor sales

Total farm tractor sales for February 2023 were down 19.4% from 2022. Year to date, AEM reports 27,921 total farm tractors were sold as of February this year, down from 33,716 this time last year. Tractor sales are broken down by horsepower range as follows:

Sales for 2WD sub-40 hp. tractors in February were down 25.6% from 2022, with 8,785 sales this year, and 11,801 last year. Year to date, AEM reports 16,750 tractors have been sold in this category, down from 22,197 at the same time last year.

Sales for 2WD 40-100 hp. tractors were down 12.9%, with 3,566 sales this year, and 4,092 last year. Year to date, AEM reports 7,333 tractors have been sold in this category, down from 8,150 at the same time last year.

Sales for 2WD 100+ hp. tractors in February were up 2.7%, with 1,518 sales this year, and 1,478 last year. Year to date, AEM reports 3,354 tractors have been sold in this category, up from 2,974 at the same time last year.

Sales for 4WD tractors were up 55% in February, with 265 sales this year, and 171 last year. Year to date, AEM reports 484 tractors have been sold in this category, up from 395 at the same time last year.

Combine Sales

Sales for self-propelled combines were up in February, up 165% with 530 sales this year compared to 200 last year. Year to date, AEM reports 1,007 combines have been sold as of February, up from 405 at the same time last year.