Large ag equipment sales rose 17.4% year over year in May, led by combines and 4WD tractors, according to the latest data from the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

Large ag equipment unit sales rose 30.1% year-over-year, with strong growth across categories, led by combines and 4WD, according to data from AEM and analysis from RW Baird analyst Mircea (Mig) Dobre.

January 2019 ag equipment sales were a tale of two countries. “U.S. growth of 3% was offset by an 11% decline in Canada,” Mircea (Mig) Dobre, RW Baird, said in his summary of ag equipment sales reported by the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers.

On a monthly basis, the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers compiles and publishes the unit sales for 4WD (4 wheel drive) tractors. AEM defines its 4WD category of tractors as “as a large frame machine with equal size wheels with the capability to dual/triple allwheels; equal and consistent power to all wheels; full time power to all wheels; engages primarily in heavy draft and drawbar applications normally considered to be related to farming; allwheel steer; and articulated or rigid frame.” Some large tractor manufacturers offer the general guideline for categorizing these tractors as those of about 300 horsepower and larger. These tables show the monthly sales of 4WD tractors from 2004-present based on AEM data.

Sales of large 4WD tractors finished 2017 on a high note, but other big ag equipment — row-crop tractors and combines — ended the sales year in “flat” fashion, according to the latest figures released by the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers.