AEM Data Says Unit Sales of 4WD, Row-Crop Farm Tractors Continue Growth in August

Sep 14, 2023

Heavy duty row crop tractor unit sales continued to increase in the U.S., while overall farm tractor unit sales in the U.S. and Canada declined in August, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

In the U.S., 100+ horsepower 2WD tractors and 4WD tractors were the only segments to grow year-over-year. Both those segments along with self-propelled combines remain positive for the year. The biggest overall growth among tractors happened in 4WD units, growing more than 20% in August.

“North American row-crop farmers continue to add and adopt new technology to their equipment fleets to help reduce costs and improve yields,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president, industry sectors and product leadership at AEM. “The appeal of the newer equipment centers on improved fuel efficiency, better GPS technology and improved automation features, which is why farmers are continuing to make these investments.”

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Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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