U.S. farm tractor sales fell 8.0% year over year in August 2026, to 14,571 units, and self-propelled combine sales fell 4.0%, to 387 units, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Both monthly declines were smaller than the drops recorded for the year to date through August, which are steeper at 12.4% for tractors and 9.1% for combines.
The August 2026 numbers
AEM’s U.S. monthly report compares each month with the same month a year earlier. The August 2026 report was released September 10, 2026. The table below uses AEM’s unit retail-sales counts for August 2026 and August 2025.
| Category | August 2026 | August 2025 | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2WD farm tractors under 40 hp | 8,829 | 9,568 | -7.7% |
| 2WD farm tractors 40 to under 100 hp | 4,465 | 4,762 | -6.2% |
| 2WD farm tractors 100 hp or more | 1,111 | 1,342 | -17.2% |
| Total 2WD farm tractors | 14,405 | 15,672 | -8.1% |
| 4WD farm tractors | 166 | 171 | -2.9% |
| Total farm tractors | 14,571 | 15,843 | -8.0% |
| Self-propelled combines | 387 | 403 | -4.0% |
Where the tractor decline was sharpest
The steepest August drop among the tractor classes AEM lists was in 2WD tractors rated 100 horsepower or more, which fell 17.2%. That is the larger, higher-priced end of the market. The smallest 2WD class, under 40 hp, was down 7.7%, and 4WD tractors fell only 2.9%. The segments did not move together, so a single total hides a meaningful difference between them.
Year-to-date: a larger drop than any single month
Across January through August 2026, sales ran well below the same stretch of 2025. The year-to-date figures are below.
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| Category (January to August) | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2WD farm tractors | 118,680 | 135,284 | -12.3% |
| 4WD farm tractors | 1,209 | 1,599 | -24.4% |
| Total farm tractors | 119,889 | 136,883 | -12.4% |
| Self-propelled combines | 2,063 | 2,269 | -9.1% |
The year-to-date decline for 4WD tractors (-24.4%) is the steepest figure in AEM’s report, even though 4WD units are a small share of the total. Because the August number is only one month, readers should treat the year-to-date line as the better guide to the trend, and the August line as a snapshot of the most recent month.
What AEM says is behind the decline
AEM’s Senior Vice President, Curt Blades, framed the month this way: “The agricultural equipment market continues to reflect the challenging environment facing farmers today. Unresolved trade questions are adding another layer of uncertainty at a time when producers are preparing for harvest and making important decisions about their operations, equipment needs and long-term competitiveness.”
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That is AEM’s characterization of conditions, and it is the only explanation the association offers in its release and report. AEM does not assign a share of the August decline to trade questions, commodity prices, financing costs, tariffs or any other factor. The sales figures show what fell and by how much; they do not show why. Any broader explanation of the decline needs its own sourcing, not the AEM figures alone.
Inventory is a separate figure
AEM also reports beginning inventory for August: 95,179 farm tractors in total, including 94,672 2WD and 507 4WD tractors, and 987 self-propelled combines. These are units on hand, not units sold, and they should not be read as sales. A month of lower sales against a stock of this size is one reason dealers and manufacturers watch inventory alongside retail figures, but AEM’s report does not state what level of inventory is normal for this market.
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How the data is collected and what it covers
- Source: AEM describes the figures as preliminary monthly retail sales submitted by member companies through its proprietary statistical reporting programs.
- Coverage: The report is not presented as a census of every sales channel, so the totals describe AEM’s reporting base rather than every tractor or combine sold in the country.
- Revisions: Because the monthly numbers are preliminary, later AEM reports may restate them. Check the newest release before comparing months.
- Month labels: Some secondary coverage of this report has mislabeled months and mismatched comparison years. The figures in this article follow AEM’s own tables.
- Credit: AEM asks that users credit the association when citing its monthly data.
What this means for personal finance readers
A drop in unit sales tells you that fewer farm machines changed hands in the period measured. It does not, on its own, tell you that equipment prices are rising or falling, that a particular manufacturer is in trouble, or that farm income is weakening. Those questions need price data, company results and farm income statistics from other sources.
For readers who follow agriculture as an investment theme or a household budget item, the most useful steps are to track the year-to-date trend rather than one month, to compare horsepower segments rather than totals, and to keep inventory figures separate from sales figures when you read the next AEM release.
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AEM publishes its monthly reports and offers historical report reprints for purchase. Readers who need the full category detail, going back beyond the figures quoted here, can get it directly from the association.
These are AEM’s preliminary counts for the periods shown. They describe what fell in August 2026 and in the first eight months of the year; they do not forecast the sales that will follow.
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