A total of 21 wheel loaders were registered during the month of May, up 52% (11 units) on the same period last year, according to the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA).

This brings the total number of wheel loader registrations for the first five months of 2021 to 108 units, 61% ahead of the 67 units registered during the corresponding period in 2020.

This marks the first time in the last four years on record that registrations have surpassed 100 units for the first five months of the year.

For the corresponding period in 2020, there were 67 units registered, 69 units in 2019 and 74 units in 2018.

35 new telehandlers were registered in May

However, it is worth bearing in mind that May 2020 registrations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain issues.

Meanwhile, 35 new telehandlers were registered in May, meaning registrations were up 192% (23 units) on the same month last year.

This brings total telehandler registrations for the first five months of 2021 to 265 units, up 27% on 208 units in 2020.

Looking back beyond the difficult year of 2020, this figure of 265 units sits 20 units behind the 285 units registered up until the end of May 2019.

Backhoe loaders

Backhoe loader registrations have picked up well for 2021 having witnessed an annual decrease of over 50% during 2020.

A Total of six units were registered for the month of May, up from none a year earlier.

The total of 32 new units registered during the first five months of the year is up 13 units on the 19 units registered for the same period in 2020.