In the first half of the year 5,382 agricultural* tractors were registered for road use; this was a decrease of 9.8% compared with the first half of 2015, according to figures released by the AEA.

The average size of unit sold in the first 6 months of 2016 was 158.5 hp, a 2.7% increase on the same period of last year. The total tractor power sold was 853k hp – a drop of 7.5%.

An analysis by broad power group indicates a small increase at the upper end (over 160 hp) while the greatest decline is seen in the mid-power bands.

Regional analysis

The third table and chart give a regional breakdown. It would appear that the central areas of England have seen relatively better sales than the south, the north and the other provinces. The AEA say it is quite difficult to determine the underlying reasons.

*Tractors of over 50hp