2026 Tractor Sales Data

[CloverKnollFarms]

Issue is that wages have not kept pace with inflation... especially in farming. So, prices adjusted for inflation, just prove the chasm has widened

 

[JRH02]

I don't think I will ever have any source of income stay ahead of inflation unless I work harder AND smarter.

 

[MarkMac]

There are a multitude of factors, most already mentioned. Covid stims helped saturate and temporarily swell a market that is/was shrinking.

Rural life is going extinct.

I ride my horse and people look at me with trepidation like I’m sitting astride a velociraptor. Today a co-worker stared at me wide-eyed when I mentioned welding something, “You can weld?”. Most all my rural neighbors have a landscaping service, even the ones with teenage children that should be mowing the grass and raking leaves.

I sometimes think I’m the last person on Earth who hand washes his own vehicles.

The irony is these people pay others to do all these services for them, and then pay again for a gym membership. I just fling my own hay bales and rake my own leaves, and stay in good shape moving around my property, with no need for a gym membership.

A tractor is a great force multiplier, and handy if you do stuff yourself… but if a fella hires out all the work he needs done then he probably doesn’t really need a tractor.

 

[JRH02]

There are a multitude of factors, most already mentioned. Covid stims helped saturate and temporarily swell a market that is/was shrinking.

Rural life is going extinct.

I ride my horse and people look at me with trepidation like I’m sitting astride a velociraptor. Today a co-worker stared at me wide-eyed when I mentioned welding something, “You can weld?”. Most all my rural neighbors have a landscaping service, even the ones with teenage children that should be mowing the grass and raking leaves.

I sometimes think I’m the last person on Earth who hand washes his own vehicles.

The irony is these people pay others to do all these services for them, and then pay again for a gym membership. I just fling my own hay bales and rake my own leaves, and stay in good shape moving around my property, with no need for a gym membership.

A tractor is a great force multiplier, and handy if you do stuff yourself… but if a fella hires out all the work he needs done then he probably doesn’t really need a tractor.

^^^ What an excellent few thoughts to add to this thread. ^^^

I have a similar challenge doing everything myself because if I hire within the trades it is obscenely expensive just to get them here and back to their starting point. And if I try to hire a day or project helper, if I can find someone, I have to be with them the whole time or weird, stupid stuff begins to happen.

So I have invested in tools large and small to help me with the things I can't physically do myself.

If my old B7100 had a heart attack I'd be replacing it immediately. I'd be on the lookout for a pre-emissions Kubota in the same size range but I probably wouldn't find one so I'd likely buy new.

 

[Muhammad]

February 2026 down 11%.

 

[bmaverick]

I also fit in that group.
John Deere 850 4x4 times 2
John Deere 850 2wd
YANMAR YM336D
Mahindra 4540 4wd [2025 OLD SCHOOL]
At almost 73 yrs old I should not worry about repairs but I can't change my way of thinking.

I'm with ya!

YM2610 is a JD850, yet with PowerShift. Easy to find parts for the JD850/YM2500/YM2610 at many of the Yanmar parts suppliers on the web.

The 3T80 engine is a workhorse!

 

[bmaverick]

I see that both you guys own mostly older tractors, and I happen to agree with that. I prefer the older machines myself. A lot of that is because we enjoy mechanical things. Being able to do the maintenance & repair myself on well designed tractors is at least half the fun.

But the thread was originally about exploring reasons for the recent decline in new tractor sales.
As much as some of us like old tractors, I'm not so sure that the answer to the declining sales is to produce "brand new old-style" simpler machines, or that they would have the same appeal for today's new tractor buyer.

I could be wrong; it's happened before,
rScotty

Old tractor hoods are metal, gets dented, you bump it back into shape, new tractors even the Yanmars have plastic hoods. Yanmar and other brands have done recalls on them.

DEF and other computer controlled gimos keeps smart buyers away.

And the Right-2-Repair stares at plenty of us older owners in the face when looking at new.

If a band started making a tractor the average owner can repair themselves, they would have great sales.

On many of the tractor forums, I hear of tales of owners whose new machine went into limp mode and have spent months at the dealers waiting on warranty parts, and they then have to borrow or rent a machine, else loose their crops.

NEW does not mean improved nor better vs. OLD or vintage for being reliable.

 

[ptsg]

It would've been interesting if it has a bit more details. Something like we got over here.

Translation:

January through September 2025

Brand | Units | Variation | Market Share

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Old tractor hoods are metal, gets dented, you bump it back into shape, new tractors even the Yanmars have plastic hoods.

My 2021 Massey Ferguson has a metal hood, and dents too!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

My 2023 TYM is metal...

No dents.

But it's capable

I don't buy **** anymore... I can get 10-20 years out of what I currently have

 

[edgarrian]

It would appear this is partially driven from the hangover of covid. Add in inflation. Plus the price of corn and so on. Consumer confidence isn't good either. Interest rates are still high and thats not going away any time soon. Funny how we think of interest rates are high. Historically they would be considered low.

interestingly enough we always talk about wage growth or lack of. I often wonder why this has been an issue for so long. Back when I had a small excavation business. I didnt have a full time help but when i did have a kid work for me. I always paid them more than companies in the area did. Granted he wasnt full time so it t made it easy to pay more. Lets say had I needed to hire a full time person. I would have been competitive.

Its interesting to see how raises rarely even keep up with normal inflation let alone what we have experience the last 5 years. 5-7% is not common in the excavation world. 2-maybe 4% is where most raises are at. Id say 2% is normal.

For example we just had reviews at the place where i work. And some people didnt even get a raise. My review started at 50 cents and i was pissed off as soon as they said it. I ended up getting more but i couldn't believe it. Im not one to hold back my thoughts or opinions. I dont care who you are. You could be the VP, the owner, or my manager. Im gonna tell you what i think. Its a gift thats generally well received but their are people who hate it.

Why do businesses think blue collar workers do not deserve proper raises.

In my experience its beneficial to interview about every other year to see where starting wages are at especially for experienced operators for us NON union professionals.

 

[DieselAndDirt]

Currently looking for a second hand tractor in Australia and demand is heavy on used. Anything well priced in the 2-3000hr range is snapped up in hours. Also there is a number of “dealers” competing for the mid range with mid hour, rougher machines that they spruce them up with a lick of paint, detail and an oil change and add on a margins.Talking to dealers and they’re saying that new tractors are getting so expensive they not selling many, most people are chasing used and everyone else is hanging onto machines for the time being rather than upgrading! Supply in used tractors is thin as a result!

 

[edgarrian]

Currently looking for a second hand tractor in Australia and demand is heavy on used. Anything well priced in the 2-3000hr range is snapped up in hours. Also there is a number of “dealers” competing for the mid range with mid hour, rougher machines that they spruce them up with a lick of paint, detail and an oil change and add on a margins.Talking to dealers and they’re saying that new tractors are getting so expensive they not selling many, most people are chasing used and everyone else is hanging onto machines for the time being rather than upgrading! Supply in used tractors is thin as a result!

Its been that way here in the states as well. If you see a decent looking tractor in the yard with a for sale sign. Its gone in a week.