The Association of Equipment Manufacturers' (AEM) December U.S. Ag Tractor and Combine Report shows all machine categories recorded year-to-date growth as 2018 closed out.

U.S. December year-to-date sales of self-propelled combines showed 18.2 percent growth and YTD sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors gained 12.9 percent.

U.S. sales of self-propelled combines gained 29.7 percent month-over-month in December compared to last year, while U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors declined 9.2 percent month-over-month.

Overall U.S. sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors for December year-to-date grew 6.8 percent; under-40 HP tractors gained 9.2 percent; 40-100 HP tractors increased 1.5 percent; and 100-plus HP tractors grew 5.5 percent.

For December month-over-month, total U.S. sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors grew 5.7 percent compared to last year: a 7 percent gain for under-40 HP tractors, a 3.6 percent increase for 40-100 HP tractors, and a 5.9 percent gain for 100-plus HP tractors.

“2018 was a solid year for equipment sales despite a weak overall farm economy and lingering trade issues. As we look at 2019, we’re still seeing a lot of uncertainty related to the Administration’s efforts to reset global trade parameters. We’re also watching some uncertainty with stock market ups and downs which could indicate a potential slowing economy. As a whole, we remain optimistic that the replacement market for large equipment will continue through 2019, and that the small tractor market will continue to be a bright spot on overall sales numbers,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president, Agriculture for AEM.

The full report can be found in the Market Data section of the AEM website under Ag Tractor and Combine Reports (https://www.aem.org/market-data/statistics/us-ag-tractor-and-combine-reports/).