Why Class 8 Combines Still Dominate the Used Market in 2025

When Class 8 combines were introduced, around 2003, it quickly became apparent that their combination of size and power were a good fit for many farms. Even as combines have grown into Classes 9, 10, and 10+, Class 8 machines remain in high demand. 

“Back in the day, they were saying combines would never get above a Class 7, that the roads wouldn’t be able to handle them,” said Andy Campbell, Tractor Zoom director of insights. “But now, the 8s are the dominant size, and people are saying that about the 9s and up, that roads and bridges can’t handle them, that they’re too difficult to transport.

“But I think one of the biggest limiters right now is the farm size of what I call the second buyer,” he continued. “There’s enough new buyers in the market to handle the 9-plus category, but there’s not nearly enough secondary buyers that need those big machines. And definitely not enough third buyers. But there are plenty of second and third buyers who can handle a Class 8 machine just fine.”

Data from Tractor Zoom shows that in 2021–2022, Class 8 combines made up about 60% of the market, according to auction data, and those machines are continuing to find their place in the used market. In 2024, there was a surplus due to late deliveries in 2023, but that has largely flattened out.

Ben Freidhof, general manager of used equipment for Ziegler Ag, said he’s noticing a plateau in pricing and supply of Class 8 combines. 

“We had some pretty good price erosion over the past 12–18 months, but that’s flattened out,” he said. “The question now is, how long will we stay here? I think we’re going to bounce along this new flat line for the foreseeable future.”

He said that’s positive and negative for the used combine market. Supply is good, but demand is not there to consume what’s available.

“We’re stabling out, and stability is good in the ag economy, but we’re not seeing great values for used combines compared to what new ones are selling for,” Freidhof said. “I think until we see a major event, either something that makes commodity prices jump significantly or a political event, we’re going to see that disparity between new and used prices for a while.”

Recent Sales Data

Tractorhouse.com listed 325 sales of model year 2022-2025 Class 8 combines with a high price of $620,250, for a Class Lexion 8600TT in Illinois with zero hours, and a low price of $163,250, for a Case IH 8250 in North Dakota with 2,236 engine hours and 1,056 separator hours. The average auction price was $342,623. 

Looking at all model years on Tractor Zoom Pro as of June 2025, there were 4,085 Class 8 machines available at auction and 14,065 available at dealerships. Compared with Class 7 combines (4,908 at auction and 8,911 at dealerships) and Class 9/10s (855 at auction and 3,998 at dealerships), it’s clear Class 8s dominate today’s market. 

Significant price drops seem to occur after machines reach 500, 1,000, and 1,500 separator hours. According to Tractor Zoom Pro data, the average price drops around $100,000 between 500–1,000 hours, and again between 1,000–1,500 hours, with the jump between 1,500–2,000 hours coming in around $60,000. After that point, average prices continue to fall, but not as sharply. 

A Good Time to Buy? 

Freidhof said if you’re in the market for a used combine, especially if you’re a cash buyer looking to add a machine with no trade-in, you’re in the driver’s seat. 

“I think you can find a cleaner, lower-houred, better maintained machine, and afford to be a little more picky about getting exactly what you want,” he said. “I don’t think anyone needs to settle on a combine right now.” 

He cautioned farmers to remember, though, that your current equipment’s trade-in value has also been affected. 

“Your machine isn’t worth what it was worth two years ago, but neither is the machine you’re buying,” he said. “The math still works out, but some buyers don’t want to admit that their machine sheds were affected by the same downturn that hit the dealerships.” 

August typically sees the biggest volume of combine sales, followed by December and then March, Tractor Zoom’s Campbell said. 

“If you’re looking for a buy, preharvest is actually a pretty good time, historically,” he said. “On average, we do see prices hit a little lower, probably because at this point in the year the top buyers are satisfied, so the second and third buyers have the chance to buy at a slightly lower price. December tends to bring a price premium because of the tax incentives.

“Right now, we just don’t know yet how harvest will end up and where net farmer income will be at the end of the year,” he said.