New tractor sales increased by nearly 7.0% to 235,856 in North America last year.
The market for tractors below 40hp is huge in the US, and data from the Association of Equipment manufacturers (AEM), shows that they accounted for nearly 155,000 units (+9.2%) last year.
The 40-100hp category grew by 1.5% to 60,163, and sales of 100hp+ tractors rose by 5.5% (950 more than in 2017) to 17,958 units. Articulated tractors were popular last year accounting for nearly 2,750 of the total (over 300 more than in 2017).
2018 was not just a strong year for tractor sales in North America but also for combines and the AEM figures confirm that sales rose by more than 18.0% in 2018 to 4,849 units.
“2018 was a solid year for equipment sales despite a weak overall farm economy and lingering trade issues,” said AEM senior vice agricultural president Curt Blades.
“As we look at 2019, we’re still seeing a lot of uncertainty related to the administration’s efforts to reset global trade parameters. However, 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.”
