New tractor registrations in September have witnessed a 114% increase in comparison to the same month in 2019, according to figures from the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA).

The figures show that 135 new tractors were registered during September, up from 63 units in September 2019. This brings the total number of new units registered for the nine months to 1,761, which is a drop of 4% on last year.

“The registration of new tractors saw a strong month, with much of the ground lost in the earlier part of the year recovered. The number of new tractors registered during September was more than double that registered in the same month of 2019. Given that the year on year figure was down 12% at the end of June, the improvement during the third quarter is quite significant”, said FTMTA chief executive Gary Ryan.

There are only three counties recording triple-digit levels of registrations so far in 2020. Cork continues to lead the field on 238 units, with Tipperary (124) and Wexford (123) nearly tied with similar registration levels.

The horsepower band with the highest level of registrations during the first three quarters of the year is the 101 to 120hp range with 563 units, or nearly 32% of all registrations. Over 88% of all tractors registered in the period had over 100hp, 57% had over 120hp and nearly 30% had over 150hp.

UK

Meanwhile, in the UK, figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) show that 1,187 units were registered in September, an increase of 18% on September 2019. The registration figures show a return to year-on-year growth in September, for the first time since February and only the second time in 12 months. Total UK tractor registrations for the first nine months of 2020 are running at 7,870 units. This represents a drop of 22.3% on 2019 figures.

The Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) have noted that some of the increase may be due to manufacturers working through a backlog of orders which built up while factories were closed earlier in the year. However, there have been signs that the machinery market has picked up over the summer, so much of the increase will be due to these improving conditions.