While it looks as if there is good ground for optimism here in Ireland in regard to tractor sales, the latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) figures suggest that the US machinery industry is still far from experiencing any sort of full recovery.
Figures released by the trade association show that both the month-by-month and year-to-date numbers show steep declines in all classes of tractors from April of last year.
AEM figures provoke dismay
Two-wheel drive tractors, which can confusingly include rigid-framed four-wheel drive machines, suffered an overall decrease of 11.7% in sales this April and 12.8% on a year-to-date basis.
The US is the land of the compact tractor, with 15,387 units sold this April, a 10.4% drop leaving only 38,244 units sold this year so far. For comparison, 43,374 had been sold by this time last year, which indicates a near 12% decline year-on-year.
The news was not quite so bad in the 40–100hp bracket, where sales fell 7.3% in April and 10% in the year to date, with 14,131 units sold so far in 2025.
Yet in the over 100hp segment, there was an alarming decline of 28.5 percent in April and 24.3 percent year-to-date, just 5,760 units left the dealers showrooms last month.
Total tractor sales for rigid framed tractors totalled 21,908 units in April 2025, down from 24,816 a year earlier.
Four-wheel drive collapse
If things looked bad in the market of smaller tractors, it was a disaster in the larger four-wheel drive articulated segment. which recorded a 41.5% drop. However, the year-to-date figures are not yet available.
The AEM notes that increased input prices, high interest rates, and global trade concerns are leading to farmers taking a more cautious approach to their capital investments.
Yet it remains optimistic that sales will return – it is just a question of when.
