Grain Cart Inventories Surge in Fall 2026, Sales Drop 40%

This content was originally published by Successful Farming on October 12, 2026. It accompanies an episode of the Successful Farming Machinery Podcast and was written by Curt Bennink.

Tractor Zoom’s Andy Campbell, Director of Insights, and Ryan Roossinck, Digital Marketing Specialist, joined Successful Farming’s Machinery Podcast. They discussed one of the clearest pressure points in today’s used equipment market: a growing glut of grain carts on dealer lots. They also covered softening conditions in vertical tillage and midrange 175–300 hp tractors.

A once-hot category now sitting on the lot

Tractor Zoom Pro data shows the average days on lot for grain carts has climbed 33% in a single year. Over the same period, retail sales fell roughly 40% year-over-year. For a category that was in high demand not long ago, that’s a sharp reversal. Andy and Ryan explain that it reflects a broader shift in buying behavior. As the farm economy tightens, farmers become far more price-sensitive. Overall dealer inventories have been shrinking, but grain carts have been piling up through the 2026 season. Andy first flagged these warning signs in his earlier analysis, Grain Carts: A Bellwether for What’s Next in the Implement Market. He revisited them in the June 2026 Equipment Trends podcast.

A hangover from the 2021–2022 upgrade cycle

The oversupply traces back to 2021 and 2022. Strong commodity prices and favorable tax incentives during those years drove a wave of combine upgrades. Bigger combines called for bigger carts, so the average size of carts sold climbed over the past four years. The industry standard moved from 850–1,000 bushels to a fleet dominated by 1,100-, 1,300-, and even 1,500-bushel carts. Much of that capacity upgrade has already happened. As a result, the secondary market is saturated and dealers are carrying the excess.

Built to last, and easy to put off replacing

Ryan, who also writes Tractor Zoom’s Interesting Iron blog, pointed to the grain cart’s durability as a key factor. A cart is a relatively simple machine compared with a planter or a primary tractor. When a light fails or a seam cracks, many farmers can fix it themselves with a welder. That makes it easy to delay replacement indefinitely. Many buyers are choosing to keep cash in the bank rather than spend 80,000–150,000 on a new cart while the old one still does the job.

Other categories showing similar warning signs

Grain carts aren’t the only category under pressure. Tractor Zoom’s data shows days on lot rising more than 20% in two other categories: vertical tillage and midrange 175–300 hp tractors. Farmers are buying only what fits within tight operating budgets.

Key takeaways from the episode

• With days on lot up 33%, grain carts are firmly a buyer’s market. Demand for 1,100-plus-bushel carts has leveled off, which is creating better deals on high-capacity used units.
• Buyers looking for 175–300 hp tractors may find softer pricing in the South and Delta regions. Regional economic pressure there is pushing dealers to price more aggressively.
• Farmers are highly price-sensitive right now. Many lack the discretionary funds to replace equipment that still works.

Listen to the full episode

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