Farm Equipment Frequently Asked Questions

This is largely dependent upon the type of farm and its operation size but farmers will typically use the following equipment:

• Tractors: As one of the most versatile pieces of equipment on the farm, tractors are used in a variety of ways. They pull implements used during planting, growing, and harvest season such as grain carts, planters, rotary tillers, balers, and so much more. With bucket, grapple or forklift attachments, tractors can also be used to transport feed for livestock, move hay, or even plow paths through the winter snow.

• Harvesting equipment: Harvest equipment such as combines and their respective headers are used to collect the crop from the field, while equipment such as grain carts, grain augers, or gravity wagons help transport the crop from the field to storage.

• Planting equipment: As its name suggests, planting equipment is used to plant the seed into the ground. Equipment such as planters, seeders, grain drills, and more are typically used to plant crops in the U.S., although the exact type of equipment needed will vary depending on the crop type.

• Tillage equipment: Tillage equipment comprises the tools needed to prepare fields for planting including chisel plows, disks, disk rippers, field cultivators, moldboard plows, and more. These tools are largely responsible for digging, stirring, and overturning soil. 

• Hay and forage equipment: Hay and forage equipment consists of the machinery needed to harvest hay and other grass crops, as well as prepare it for storage. Equipment such as balers, mowers, windrowers, rakes, tedders, and more comprise this category of equipment.

• Chemical application equipment: Chemical application equipment such as self-propelled or pull sprayers, fertilizer applicators, floaters, and tanks, help farmers apply nutrients and protectants to their crops. Nutrients include fertilizers, while protectants typically include spraying pesticides, herbicides, or pesticides.

• Manure handling equipment: Manure handling equipment is machinery that, you guessed it, handles manure. This machinery includes manure spreaders, manure systems, and poultry litter equipment. Different types of equipment are used to handle dry or liquid manure.

• Ag trailers: Ag trailers are used on farms to transport livestock, grain, and other farm equipment. They range from enclosed box trailers to hopper bottoms, 48-foot header trailers, and more.

• Construction equipment: While farm usage may not be the first thought that comes to mind for construction equipment, this machinery can be a valuable tool to help farmers tackle the toughest jobs. For example, skid steers or compact loaders are often used to transport animal feed, clear land, dig trenches, or perform operational maintenance. Compact excavators can also help transport heavy bags of fertilizer or feed, or clear land to make way for crops or livestock pastures.

• Other farm equipment: The ancillary equipment needed to keep any farm running smoothly day-to-day. While the pieces of equipment needed will vary based on the farm, some additional equipment that comes in useful for farmers includes pickup trucks, generators, GPS equipment, cattle chutes, snowblowers, and more.

Tractor Zoom currently features over 25,377 pieces of farm equipment for sale from dealers and auctioneers around the country. Narrow down your search with our easy-to-use filters to find the exact make/model you’re looking for or view only the farm equipment for sale in your state. From there, sort your search results based on what is closest to you, what has been most recently added, and much more.

1. Ensure all lights and flashers are in working order; use them when traveling on roads

2. Perform regular maintenance on your farm equipment to ensure all PTO guards, rotating equipment shields, access doors, etc. are in good working order

3. Ensure reflectors and warning signs, e.g. “slow moving vehicle”, are clean, bright, and visibly mounted 

4. If your older tractor doesn’t include rollover protection, invest in a rollover protective structure

5. Avoid drugs and alcohol when handling or operating farm equipment

6. Keep children and animals away from running farm equipment and working areas

7. Follow state and federal laws; they are put in place to not only protect your safety but the safety of others

8. Don’t allow anyone to ride on farm equipment besides the driver; most machinery is designed for one rider only

9. Seat belts should always be worn when operating farm equipment, even equipment that has an enclosed cab or tractors equipped with rollover protection

10. Stay well-rested; don’t operate farm equipment when you’re fatigued

For more resources on farm machinery and equipment safety, visit the National Ag Safety Database.

You can access a full list of dealers that have farm equipment for sale in your region or state on Tractor Zoom.

Typically, any piece of farm equipment that travels on a public road needs to be registered and have some type of identification, like a license plate. However, requirements vary by region so be sure to check with your state’s Department of Transportation or Department of Motor Vehicles to identify your specific requirements.

Tractor Zoom partners with 720 auctioneers and 1718 dealer locations across the country. We feature all auctioneers in your region or equipment dealers near you that sell farm equipment on our website or you can simply complete a search for the farm equipment you’re interested in and results will automatically populate with relevant farm equipment for sale that is closest to you.

Tractor Zoom is not a bank but we do help facilitate financing and loans for farm equipment with our industry-leading lenders. Compare loan interest rates and terms for your farm equipment purchase from multiple lenders so you can select the best financing option that meets your unique needs.

The short answer is that it depends. 

Tax depreciation or the depreciation of equipment for tax purposes is largely determined by the IRS and its guidelines, which outline how farmers can expense the cost of their farm equipment over time. This allows farmers to deduct the value of their farm equipment over a specified period of time (typically years) in an effort to reduce their pretax income. 

In contrast, economic depreciation focuses largely on the estimated value or loss in value of the piece of farm equipment based on its usage. Economic depreciation takes into account equipment hours, mileage, wear and tear, and more. This form of depreciation is typically used to understand the value of the equipment should the farmer be looking to sell or trade in.

To identify the best way to depreciate your farm equipment, consult with your accountant or tax professional.

Farmers operate a business, and like any business, their property and farm equipment must be insured to protect their investment and financial assets. Farm equipment is insured by many nationally-recognized insurance agencies and is typically covered by individual policies, where each piece is individually insured with its own value, or with a blanket policy, where all equipment is covered by a designated amount. What type of farm equipment each agency will insure and what their coverage protects against varies by company.

According to a 2022 farm equipment financing survey completed by Tractor Zoom, in partnership with DTN/Progressive Farmer, 61% of farmers finance their equipment. While there are many companies that offer farm equipment financing at very attractive rates, some farmers opt to pay cash for their farm equipment purchases to not incur any additional interest or fees on their farm equipment.

According to a 2022 Grand View Research report, the global farm equipment market was estimated to value $159.42 billion in 2022. The key companies included in that figure include AGCO Corporation, FlieglAgro-Center GmbH, Agromaster, Amazon Inc., APV GmbH, Bellota Agrisolutions, CLAAS KGaAmbH, CNH Industrial N.V., Deere & Company, Escorts Limited, HORSCH Maschinen GmbH, ISEKI & Co., Ltd., J C Bamford Excavators Ltd, Quivogne CEE GmbH (Kiwon RUS LLC), Rostselmash, KRUKOWIAK, KUBOTA Corporation, KUHN SAS, LEMKEN GmbH & Co. KG, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., MascarSpA, MaschioGaspardo S.p.A, MaterMacc S.p.A, Morris Equipment Ltd, SDF S.p.A., Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE), Väderstad AB, and Valmont Industries, Inc.

The value of your farm equipment can vary based on its category, make, year, size, and hours of operation, among many other factors that are specific to the model. Understanding what equipment is worth is a challenge many farmers come across. In fact, 82% of the farmers we surveyed said it was their #1 pain point when buying and selling farm equipment.

With that challenge in mind, Tractor Zoom built a feature called Equipment Lists, which allows farmers to quickly and accurately gauge the value of their farm equipment (for FREE) based on its unique specifications. We leverage over $20B in equipment sales, and update our transaction data weekly, so farmers always have up-to-date auction and retail values to gauge what their farm equipment is worth in near, real-time.