If you want an indication of how much the small-tractor market has grown
recently, just go to a farm show. At a National Farm Machinery Show in
Louisville a few years ago, there were fewer than 10 brand names of
tractors under 100 hp. This year there were more than 20.
Why the huge increase? Tractor manufacturers can read demographic data.
They know more Americans are choosing to live on the land and that they
need equipment sized for the jobs they have to do, including mowing,
haying, planting and hauling. Small tractors are versatile tools that
can help with all of those jobs.
The major North American manufacturers all have their own small models.
AGCO has ST, GT and LT Series tractors that range from 25 to 85 hp.
Massey Ferguson covers much the same range. Case IH jumped into the
subcompact market when it recently re-introduced the Farmall brand to
complement its JX Series, which ranges from 45 to 85 hp. John Deere has
compact utility tractors in the 4000 TEN and 4000 TWENTY Series. Its
line of utility tractors ranges from 50 to 90 hp. And New Holland's
Boomers were among the first American-made small tractors, ranging from
18 to 55 hp.
Kubota, although a Japanese company, is a North American leader in small
tractors and now assembles many of its products in the U.S. Its line
includes BX, B, L and M Series tractors from 15 to 99 hp.
Kubota always has specialized in small tractors. But many other
manufacturers only got serious about the small stuff within the last 10
years. Before then, most major manufacturers concentrated on big
tractors that sold for big bucks. When farm numbers began to decline in
the 1980s, that market segment slowed and has continued to slump. By the
late 1990s, small tractors were the only market segment with positive
numbers.
In fact, between 1982 and 2002the average annual unit sales numbers for
100-plus-hp tractors declined 11%, while average annual unit sales for
under-40-hp tractors rose 121%. At the same time, average annual unit
sales for 40- to 100-hp tractors rose 125%. Is it any wonder tractor
factories have geared up for small tractors?
The boom in small tractors also has lured new and foreign companies to
the market. The McCormick brand, for instance, is the revival by an
international company of a familiar old American name. It offers
tractors that range from 23 to more than 200 hp. Unfamiliar brands and
foreign-sounding names include Mahindra, Eicher and Kioti.
American-sounding names made by foreign companies include Montana,
Scorpion and Eagle. Many of these new tractors come from eastern Europe.
But manufacturers also are based in India, Turkey and South Korea.
This explosion of small-tractor brands means more choices for
landowners. It also means more competition, which should lead to better
quality, lower prices and more optional equipment.
Some manufacturers concentrate on economy models, which are practical
with few frills. But most manufacturers also offer upscale tractors.
Like today's pickup trucks, small tractors can be loaded with luxury
features such as heated and air-conditioned cabs with stereo systems,
seats with adjustable air-cushioned rides, and automatic transmissions
as easy to operate as a sedan's.
If you are in the market for a small tractor, your choices are almost
unlimited. And if the trend continues, those choices will only get
better.