John Deere retained its position as Australia's most-searched agricultural machinery brand with 19.2% of search share in Q3 2025 according to Retain Media's inaugural Agricultural Market Brand Consideration Report. The American manufacturer still commands nearly a fifth of all ag machinery searches, though the inaugural report reveals a market where farmers are increasingly exploring alternatives based on value, innovation, and specialist expertise.

The first edition of Retain Media's agricultural machinery tracking analysed 46 brands, 36,000 search terms, and over 350,000 monthly searches across mainline tractors, shortline implements, farm bikes, and ATVs/UTVs. The Q3 results establish baseline measurements across Australia's diverse machinery landscape, from broadacre cropping to mixed farming operations.

Top Brands Face Mixed Fortunes

Massey Ferguson strengthened its second place position with 15.4%, posting a 0.7% quarterly increase from 15.3% in Q2 and climbing 0.9 percentage points since Q4 2024. The British brand continues to resonate with Australian farmers seeking reliable, proven machinery across diverse applications.

Kubota faced challenges, dropping from 11.7% in Q2 to 10.7% in Q3, an 8.5% quarterly decline representing the brand's steepest drop over the period assessed. The year-on-year picture shows a more concerning pattern, with the Japanese manufacturer falling from 12.3% in Q4 2024, marking a 13.0% decline across 12 months. Despite the softening, Kubota remains firmly entrenched in third place.

New Holland held perfectly steady at 7.3%, showing no movement from Q2 and sitting 0.3 percentage points above its Q4 2024 mark of 7.0%, suggesting solid year-on-year performance for the American brand's large-scale operations focus.

European and Asian Brands Gain Ground

Claas and JCB both landed at 4.6% in Q3, with Claas posting a 9.5% quarterly increase from 4.2% in Q2. The German manufacturer's strong momentum demonstrates Australian growers are taking notice of its harvesting and forage technology, whilst JCB continues expanding its agricultural presence beyond its construction equipment heritage.

Case IH held steady at 4.4%, showing no movement quarter to quarter and maintaining its position as a go to for serious broadacre farmers. The brand has demonstrated remarkable stability throughout the year, maintaining a consistent range of 4.4% to 4.7%.

Kioti reached 2.8%, posting a 3.7% quarterly increase, whilst United Heavy Industries (UHI) delivered impressive growth, climbing from 1.9% to 2.2%, a 15.8% quarterly increase demonstrating growing interest in the Chinese manufacturer's offerings.

Shortline Specialists See Volatility

In the shortline category, which includes specialist equipment builders and implement manufacturers focusing on specific agricultural tasks, Silvan maintained its commanding lead with 14.1% in Q3 2025, posting a 7.6% quarterly increase from 13.1% in Q2. The Australian spray equipment specialist has experienced considerable volatility throughout the year, dropping from 20.1% in Q4 2024 before this quarter's recovery.

Kanga held perfectly steady in second place at 13.8%, showing no movement from Q2 and climbing 1.2 percentage points since Q4 2024, reflecting steady year on year growth for the compact equipment brand.

Vermeer posted solid gains, rising from 9.7% to 10.5%, an 8.2% quarterly increase marking the brand's strongest performance in recent quarters. The American manufacturer has gained 0.8 percentage points since Q4 2024, demonstrating sustained momentum in the hay and forage equipment segment.

MacDon delivered impressive growth, surging from 6.1% to 7.3%, a 19.7% quarterly increase representing one of the category's strongest performances, whilst Hardi advanced from 7.1% to 7.7%, an 8.5% quarterly increase continuing the Danish spray equipment manufacturer's upward trajectory.

The shortline category also witnessed dramatic corrections. Bourgault experienced the category's steepest decline, plummeting from 5.8% in Q2 to 3.6% in Q3, a substantial 37.9% quarterly decrease erasing much of the gains recorded earlier in the year. Flexi-Coil suffered a sharp 34.6% decline, dropping from 2.6% to 1.7%, whilst Horwood Bagshaw experienced a significant correction, falling from 2.0% to 1.5%, a 25.0% quarterly decrease.

Mainline Manufacturers Mirror Overall Trends

In the mainline category, which covers major agricultural equipment companies producing tractors and full equipment lineups for broadacre and commercial farming, John Deere maintained its commanding lead with 23.9% in Q3 2025, declining 2.8% from 24.6% in Q2. Despite the modest pullback, the American giant still commands nearly a quarter of all mainline searches.

Massey Ferguson strengthened its second place position with 19.2%, posting a 1.1% quarterly increase from 19.0% in Q2. The British manufacturer has demonstrated impressive momentum throughout the year, climbing 1.2 percentage points since Q4 2024.

Kubota faced significant headwinds, dropping from 14.5% in Q2 to 13.4% in Q3, a 7.6% quarterly decrease extending the brand's challenging year. Since Q4 2024, when Kubota held 15.2%, the Japanese manufacturer has declined 1.8 percentage points.

Kuhn delivered the mainline category's strongest performance, surging from 0.9% to 1.1%, a remarkable 22.2% quarterly increase, whilst United Heavy Industries (UHI) rounded out the top 10 with impressive growth, surging from 2.4% to 2.7%, a 12.5% quarterly increase.

Farm Bikes Favour Proven Workhorses

The Honda CT125 maintained its commanding lead with 37.7% in Q3 2025, posting a modest 1.9% quarterly increase from 37.0% in Q2. The iconic postie bike continues to dominate farm bike searches, reflecting its reputation as a reliable, economical workhorse for Australian properties.

The Honda XR150L held second place with 19.7%, slipping 4.4% from 20.6% in Q2, whilst the Yamaha AG200F experienced a notable pullback, dropping from 16.6% in Q2 to 15.1% in Q3, a 9.0% quarterly decrease.

The Suzuki Trojan 200 posted impressive growth, jumping from 4.3% in Q2 to 5.0% in Q3, a 16.3% quarterly increase marking the category's strongest performance and suggesting the value focused model is winning over budget conscious farmers. The Honda CTX200 delivered exceptional gains, surging from 2.0% to 2.5%, a 25.0% quarterly increase representing the quarter's standout performance.

UTVs Show Competitive Landscape

The CFMOTO CFORCE 1000 maintained its lead in the ATV/UTV category with 4.9% in Q3 2025, down marginally 2.0% from 5.0% in Q2. Despite the minor decline, the CFORCE 1000 continues to dominate as the most searched side by side, cementing CFMOTO's position as the value leader in the utility vehicle segment.

The Can-Am Outlander strengthened its second place position, climbing from 4.1% to 4.2%, whilst the Can-Am Defender Max delivered impressive gains, surging from 2.4% to 2.7%, a 12.5% quarterly increase highlighting growing interest in Can-Am's utility focused UTV with expanded seating capacity.

The Polaris RZR Trail S 1000 Prem suffered the quarter's steepest drop, plummeting from 2.1% to 1.8%, a substantial 14.3% quarterly decrease, whilst the CFMOTO CFORCE 500 declined from 1.6% to 1.5%, a 6.3% quarterly decrease.

Market Shows Growing Diversity

The inaugural agricultural machinery results reveal a market where legacy brands still hold considerable sway, but where farmers are increasingly willing to explore alternatives based on value, innovation, and local expertise. The remarkable growth of brands like MacDon (up 19.7% in shortline) and United Heavy Industries (up 15.8% overall) signals a sector where traditional brand loyalty is being tested against practical considerations of capability and cost.

The stark corrections experienced by Bourgault (down 37.9%) and Flexi-Coil (down 34.6%) demonstrate the volatility inherent in specialty equipment segments, where seasonal purchasing patterns and specific operational needs can dramatically shift search interest from quarter to quarter.

In the farm bike and ATV/UTV segments, the data reveals Australian farmers prioritising proven workhorse reliability over flashy features, with practical, economical models dominating search interest despite the availability of more sophisticated alternatives. The Honda CT125's commanding 37.7% share and the CFMOTO CFORCE 1000's leadership in UTVs reflect this pragmatic approach to equipment selection.

The inaugural report establishes baseline measurements that will become increasingly valuable as quarterly comparisons accumulate. Retain Media's Q4 2025 Agricultural Market Brand Consideration Report, due early next year, will reveal whether the summer harvest period amplifies these emerging patterns or introduces new dynamics to the machinery consideration landscape.


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