Used Farm Equipment Prices Show Signs of Recovery Amid Technological Divide

The US used farm equipment market is showing signs of recovery after dealers spent much of 2024 and 2025 correcting excess inventories. According to Tractor Zoom executives Andy Campbell and Ryan Roossinck, values are no longer moving uniformly due to the widening price gap between newer, technology-loaded machines and older equipment.

While some previous-generation equipment continues to soften, 3- to 5-year-old machines equipped with advanced technology are showing particular strength. The divergence is particularly noticeable in self-propelled sprayers, where pricing for late-model machines roughly 3 to 5 years old has remained strong when those units include advanced technology.

Producer interest in in-furrow technology and automated upgrades is accelerating planter trade-in cycles, potentially creating more differentiation between equipment capable of supporting newer production systems and machines without those capabilities. Combines and headers have also stabilized after dealers spent the past couple of years working through excessive combine inventories.

The machinery market cannot be separated from broader farm economics: commodity prices, livestock values, interest costs, and available cash flow ultimately determine how aggressively producers can bid for equipment. If corn remains strong enough to encourage replacement purchases, used inventory could tighten and support prices into year-end.