U.S. total farm tractor sales rose 12.3% in April compared to 2019, while U.S. April self-propelled combine sales inched up 4.1%. Only heavy-duty (100-plus HP, articulated four-wheel drive) tractors declined in unit sales in the U.S. That puts total YTD sales of all farm tractor units down 0.6% for 2020 and combines down 10.1% in the same period.

For Canada, April tractor sales fell across all segments except midrange (40-100 HP) units, leading to an overall decline of tractor sales of 5.7%, with self-propelled combines following along losing 29.9%. That puts overall farm tractors down 13.1% for 2020 YTD and combines down 34.6% in Canada.

“When you look at March and April sales together, instead of seeing a month of significant year-over-year declines followed by a month of healthy gains, you should instead see two months that performed as expected given the current situation.” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of ag services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “The COVID-19 crisis is certainly causing some uncertainty in farm income and ag equipment purchases for the balance of the year.”

The full reports can be found in the market data section of the AEM website under ag tractor and combine reports. 

The U.S. reports can be found here.

The Canadian reports can be found here.

AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the U.S. supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.  

—From an Association of Equipment Manufacturers news release