U.S. tractor sales totaled 24,238 in April up more than 8 percent from April of last year.
That is the first year-over-year increase in 2015. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) reports sales of two-wheel-drive tractors was up 10 percent from a year ago at 23,970 units. However, the increases are due to smaller tractors: sales of 40-to-100 horsepower machines increased 9 percent and sales of tractors with less than 40 horsepower were up nearly 18 percent.
Sales of two-wheel-drive tractors with more than 100 horsepower were nearly 20 percent below April of 2014 and four-wheel-drive sales plunged more ant 54 percent.
Thanks to those small tractor sales; total tractor sales year-to-date are now just one-tenth-of-one-percent behind a year ago. But 100-horsepower-plus two-wheel-drive sales are off nearly 17 percent year-to-date and four-wheel-drive sales for the year so-far are down 47 percent. Sales in those categories fell-off when commodity prices declined.
Self-propelled combine sales were down 34 percent for April and down nearly 42 percent year-to-date.
Canadian tractor sales were more than 3 percent higher in April with increases in all categories except 40-to-100 horsepower two-wheel-drives. Year-to-date total sales are 2.4 percent below 2014.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com