The Association of Equipment Manufacturers' (AEM) December U.S. Ag Tractor and Combine Report shows all machine categories recorded year-to-date (YTD) growth as 2018 closed out.
U.S. December year-to-date sales of self-propelled combines showed 18.2% growth and YTD sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors gained 12.9%.
U.S. sales of self-propelled combines gained 29.7% month-over-month in December compared to last year, while U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors declined 9.2% month-over-month.
Overall U.S. sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors for December year-to-date grew 6.8%; under-40 hp tractors gained 9.2%; 40-100 hp tractors increased 1.5%; and 100-plus hp tractors grew 5.5%.
For December month-over-month, total U.S. sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors grew 5.7% compared to last year: a 7% gain for under-40 hp tractors, a 3.6% increase for 40-100 hp tractors, and a 5.9% gain for 100-plus hp tractors.
“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,” says Curt Blades, AEM Senior Vice President, Agriculture for AEM.
