Equipment Roundup

In this Equipment Roundup, DTN/Progressive Farmer looks at the latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers report showing tractor and combine sales remain down in July, AGCO opening a new parts and service distribution center in California and AGCO naming a new PTx president.

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GUESS WHAT? TRACTOR, COMBINE SALES MOSTLY DOWN, AGAIN

It is under-100-horespower tractors that were giving tractor sales a bit of a breather in July. The newest July 2025 Ag Tractor and Combine report reveals that sales of under-40-horsepower tractor sales fell slightly, 1.7% from July a year ago. The July 2025 monthly tractor and combine sales reports come from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

Sales of tractors 40- to 100-horsepower rose. Sales of these tractors rose 0.8% compared to July 2024.

But sales of all tractors -- from small, under-40-horsepower units to large four-wheel-drive tractors -- were down 4.9% in July, compared to July 2024, according to AEM.

It is the larger tractors that are a drag on the industry. Sales of tractors 100-plus horsepower were down 29.3% in July, compared to July 2024. Sales of four-wheel-drive tractors were down 40.2% in July, compared to the previous July.

Manufacturers reported all-tractor sales of 17,614 in July compared to 18,519 units in July 2024.

Sales of all tractors in 2025 year-to-date through July compared to the same seven months of 2024 are down 9.9%; down 26.7% for tractors 100-plus horsepower; and down 38.8% for four-wheel-drive units.

Combine sales remain in the doldrums, AEM's analysis showed. AEM's preliminary report for July finds 359 combines sold, compared to 638 combines sold in July 2024. That's a sharp 43.7%, July 2025 compared to July 2024.

For all this year through July, combine sales are off 43.4% compared to the first seven months of 2024. Total combines sold this year -- January through July -- totaled compared to 3,308 combines sold during the first seven months of 2024.

AGCO OPENING WEST COAST PARTS HUB

AGCO is preparing to open a new, expanded Visalia (California) Parts Distribution Center (PDC). The modern facility will support all AGCO leading brands, including Fendt, and offers enhanced service, AGCO said, to western U.S. farmers, including California's crop farmers.

Located less than three miles from the current site, the new 115,000-square-foot facility will replace the existing center and feature advanced warehouse automation, expanded stocking capacity and improved forecasting capabilities to ensure faster delivery and greater parts availability, AGCO said.

"California's high-value crop farmers rely on precision equipment that runs long hours, often logging over 2,000 hours per year in demanding conditions," Jena Holtberg-Benge, AGCO vice president of aftersales and parts, said in a news release. "By expanding our parts distribution capabilities in Visalia, we're putting farmers first -- ensuring rapid access to critical components that keep machines running and on track during peak seasons."

Visalia's central location in the heart of West Coast agriculture enables AGCO to reach any dealer or farmer in the region within a day. The new facility will reduce lead times and improve fill rates for high-demand parts across AGCO's full brand portfolio, the manufacturer said.

AGCO's new PDC is scheduled to begin operations in late 2026.

AGCO NAMES NEW PTX LEADER TO DRIVE STRATEGIC VISION

AGCO has announced the appointment of Brian Sorbe as president of PTx.

"His passion for agriculture and ability to inspire teams will accelerate the momentum building in our entire PTx organization through a focus on retrofit innovation and farmer education," Eric Hansotia, chairman, president and CEO, said in an AGCO release.

AGCO is predicting its PTx precision ag sales arm (PTx Trimble and Precision Planting) will rise to $2 billion by 2029.

Sorbe spent 14 years at Topcon Positioning Systems in key leadership roles, including senior vice president and general manager. Sorbe's career spans construction and industrial automation, but agriculture has always been at the core. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Sorbe began his precision ag journey at Ag-Chem Equipment in Jackson, Minnesota, now part of AGCO.

Sorbe will be based in Tremont, Illinois, a key PTx site.

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

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