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The 30 Best Farming Tools That Any Farmer Might Need

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Regardless of whether you’re new in the business or if you’ve been working for quite some time now, everyone needs a little help every now and then, especially if you’re a farmer that really wants to improve the services that you provide.

So, in order to help you make the most out of your money we decided to create this article depicting the 30 best farming tools that every farmer needs.

We’ve got a lot of tools to get through and not a lot of time to do so, so how about we jump straight into it with number 30:

A Pickup Truck

Ford F-150
Ford F-150

Working on a farm without a pickup truck is like cleaning up the dishes without a dishwasher, it’s simply put ineffective at its best, disastrous at its worst.

While pickup trucks can be quite expensive, we recommend going for a second-hand option if you can’t handle the high price tag that a lot of newer models are demanding.

Ford F-150

Livestock Trailer

Livestock Trailer
W W Livestock Trailer

A livestock trailer will be your best tool if you’re looking to raise animals at your farm. Just think of how you’re going to pick them up and move them around if you don’t have one!

But it’s not just a one trick pony, it can also be used to haul around hay, firewood and basically anything else that you can think of. Make sure that you’ve got your animals safe and secure though, you don’t want them to jump out while you’re driving.

W-W Trailers

A Quad or ATV

Yamaha Grizzly
Yamaha Grizzly

The best part about an ATV is that it’s the best way for you to move around your farm fast and safely. ATVs are very easy to control and they can easily maneuver around muddy areas so there’s no better option if you’re looking to patrol around your farm on something.

Just remember that you shouldn’t haul too many supplies on it, all that extra weight can make it harder to control.

Yamaha Grizzly Utility ATV

Front-End Loader

John Deere M Series front end loader
John Deere M Series front end loader

You will need a front-end loader if you can already see that in your future you’ll need to haul around a lot of soil or rocks. The best part about it is that it’s one of those tools that you rarely need to fix, so if you get it once you pretty much have it for life.

John Deere Front End Loaders

Head Lamp

Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
Black Diamond Storm Headlamp

If you’re looking to do any evening chores around your farm then you absolutely need to get yourself a head lamp. As goofy as it may look, it will make your job a lot easier, and you can also check in on your animals during the late evening using it.

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Tool Kit

BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Drill & Home Tool Kit
BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Drill & Home Tool Kit, 68 Piece

A tool kit is a must mostly because around your farm you will have a lot to do, and that requires a lot of tools that can get very hard to carry around if you don’t have the right equipment for them.

You will literally thank us when you realize how screwed you would have been if you didn’t have a place to hold those pliers, that hammer and those wrenches that you desperately needed at that exact moment.

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Portable Generator

Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator
Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator

Your farm will always need to have electricity running if you’re looking to create a more modern farm which is why you desperately need to get yourself a portable generator to use whenever that time comes.

Whether you want to use it to power up your equipment or that one part of the farm that’s can’t go on without the energy, a portable generator is always a great tool to have.

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Weed Torch

Flame King YSNPQ810CGA Propane Torch Weed Burner
Flame King YSNPQ810CGA Propane Torch Weed Burner

The best part about the weed torch is that it makes a very tedious job pretty fun and honestly very easy to do. It’s the best tool for those that are looking to keep their organic garden in check.

Have we also mentioned how fun it can be to set the weeds on fire while listening to your favorite tunes?

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Garden Hose

Flexzilla HFZG550YW Garden Lead-In Hose
Flexzilla HFZG550YW Garden Lead-In Hose

While the garden hose can be an exceptional gardening tool, it can also be used around the livestock as well, as you can fill up their waterers with it or even clean up your equipment using it. Overall, it’s a great tool for every purpose you can think of.

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Meat Scale

Taylor Precision Products Taylor Stainless Steel Analog Kitchen Scale
Taylor Precision Products Taylor Stainless Steel Analog Kitchen Scale

Let’s be honest here, if you even considered having livestock at your farm then you must have already thought of the money you would be making off of their meat. In this case what you need is definitely a good meat scale that you can calculate your profits with at the end of the day.

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A Good Rake

Bully Tools Bow Rake with Fiberglass Handle
Bully Tools Bow Rake with Fiberglass Handle

The great thing about the rake is that it’s a simple, cheap and easy to acquire tool that you simply can’t do without if you want to work in the horticultural industry.

Whether you’re looking to work in orchards and meadows or if you’re more interested in flower beds and all that sort, the rake is definitely the best choice for you.

While the typical rake was either made up of wood or metal, you can also get it in plastic these days if you so wish to. It all depends on what you need the rake for, and that’s for you to decide.

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Pickaxe

TABOR TOOLS Pick Mattock with Fiberglass Handle
TABOR TOOLS Pick Mattock with Fiberglass Handle

The main reason as to why you would ever need a pickaxe is if you need help with the prying process. It is a relatively hard to use tool however, since the top is always made up of metal you will need a decent amount of strength to wield it safely.

The handle on the other side can be customized to make the tool easier to use, you can go for wood or even fiberglass to make it last more and be easier to maneuver too. If you have the strength for it though definitely go for an all-out metal build.

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Machete

Hooyman Machete with Heavy Duty Construction
Hooyman Machete with Heavy Duty Construction

A machete is a must too for anyone that is looking to cut grass or any sort of greenery really. It is usually very easy to wield and very practical. Think of it as just another axe, but smaller and easier to maneuver.

The great thing about it is that it’s very cheap to get and it’s also an incredibly effective tool as well. The typical machete has a blade length of anywhere between 12 to 25 inches, so get the perfect size for you that will make your work easier.

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Axe

Fiskars X25 Splitting Axe
Fiskars X25 Splitting Axe

Do we even need to tell you why you need an axe as a farmer? If you’re looking to use wood a lot in your day-to-day basis then there’s simply put no better tool than the axe.

While the axe has definitely changed a lot over the years, with the wood being changed for fiberglass as of late, it still remains one of the most practical tools that farmers and woodcutters use to this very day.

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Wheelbarrow

Marathon Yard Rover Wheelbarrow
Marathon Yard Rover Wheelbarrow

The wheelbarrow will serve as your go-to small vehicle that you can use to move around materials around your farm. You can carry anything up to a certain weight on it and since it does have two handles and a wheel, you’ll find it easier to carry around heavy weights without breaking your back in the process.

Whether you’re a farmer, a gardener or if you work in the construction field, the wheelbarrow will always prove to be a worthy addition to your toolset.

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Pick-mattock

Fiskars 751220-1001 Pro IsoCore Pick Mattock
Fiskars 751220-1001 Pro IsoCore Pick Mattock

The pick-mattock is a lesser-known tool but still one of the best out there if you’re looking to do a little bit of agricultural work with your farmland. If you want to dig around or just loosen up the soil, the pick-mattock is the perfect choice for you.

It was the original tool that our ancestors used for planting so you already know you’re making the right choice when your ancestors have been using the same tool for centuries now, don’t you?

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Pitchfork

True Temper 2812200 4-Tine Spading Digging Fork
True Temper 2812200 4-Tine Spading Digging Fork

Pitchforks are already known as universal agricultural tools, mainly because throughout history we have always come down to using them and for good reason too.

A typical pitchfork is a 60- to 70-inch-long tool that is mostly made up of wood and the top part of it is made up of metal. The great thing about it is that you can use it for a lot of different tasks, but most people prefer to leave it as the hay mover in the barn.

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Pruning Shears

Fiskars 91095935J Steel Pruning Shears
Fiskars 91095935J Steel Pruning Shears

If you’re looking to get yourself a pair of pruning shears then you need to remember that you can only get them from farm pharmacies, not shopping malls.

You can find pruning shears with a single or multiple blades attached to them, just remember that depending on how many blades you get the shears might be made for different tasks altogether.

For example, the single bladed shears are specifically meant for floriculture and for pruning vines, while the other one with multiple blades is specifically meant to be used for orchards.

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Chainsaw

Greenworks 40V 12-Inch Cordless Chainsaw
Greenworks 40V 12-Inch Cordless Chainsaw

For as scary as it is, this is one of the best cutting tools that you’ll ever get and a must for you if you’re looking to get into farming. While it can be quite dangerous, the chainsaw is also incredibly useful so we don’t recommend skipping out on one just because you’re scared of it.

You can get a smaller chainsaw with a rechargeable battery which will be a lot safer and better for the environment if you prefer that.

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Sprinklers

Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler

Sprinklers will always be a must if you’re looking for quality irrigation. The best part about them is that they make watering incredibly easy and they also make it so that you don’t have to do anything after you place them down.

Just make sure that they’re placed in the right areas and voila, your plants will always be watered on time.

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Sprayers

YT25E Battery Sprayer
YT25E Battery Sprayer

If you want your flowers to look their best, then we recommend that you go for a motor sprayer or a motor atomizer, depending on the area of effect you want your sprayer to spread over.

Similar to the sprinkler, just make sure that you use them correctly before you start doing it and never do it without looking up if you’re doing it properly because you can easily mess up your gardening if you do it wrong.

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Tractor

John Deere D Series Tractor
John Deere D Series Tractor

You already knew the tractor would be here, and you already knew that you needed one the moment you even considered becoming a farmer so we’ll get through this quick.

When picking the best model for you always consider what you need it for. Pick out the perfect size and power for you, the strongest model for example can reach up to 450kW and they can reach up to 50mph.

There are plenty of companies out there that make quality tractors, just look it up for a second and you’ll find hundreds of amazing picks to choose from.

John Deere D Series Tractors

Cultivator

Sun Joe TJ604E Electric Garden Tiller Cultivator
Sun Joe TJ604E Electric Garden Tiller Cultivator

If you’re looking to get yourself a cultivator just know that you need a multifunctional one that handles all of what you need it for.

So, make sure that your cultivator has all of the add-ons that it needs, for example the spatula, the water pump, the spreader, the mower and of course, the milling cutter and the plug. If it has all of the above then you’ve got yourself a quality cultivator right there.

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Harvester

Claas Lexion 700 Series
Claas Lexion 700 Series

What you need here is a combine that will collect the produce you’ve been growing, such as the beans, the cereal, the peas or whatever else you’ve been working on as of late.

Modern combines can handle everything with ease, whether we’re talking mowing, performing or even cleaning for that matter. They can vastly improve the quality of your produce and make your job run way smoother than without them.

Claas Lexion 700 Series

A Set of Harrows

McFarlane Ag Harrows
McFarlane Ag Harrows

The main reason as to why you need a set of harrows is so you can efficiently aerate the lawn and of course, make sure that your land is properly leveled out.

We recommend going for the meadow harrow simply because it is made up of very good materials that can ensure you the fact that they will last for a very long time.

McFarlane AG Harrows

Fertilizer or Seeder

Agri-Fab 45-0462 Push Broadcast Spreader
Agri-Fab 45-0462 Push Broadcast Spreader

This is a pretty self-explanatory tool that you literally can’t go on without. If you choose to work without one, you’ll have to work tenfold to get the job done, so do yourself a favor and save a lot of time and money by simply buying a fertilizer instead.

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Agricultural Roller

He-Va Land Roller
He-Va Land Roller

In case you didn’t know by now, during winter, your soil will rise slightly making the agricultural roller a must if you’re looking to get in the industry.

This process is known as subsidence and if you don’t have a roller on standby then you have a very high chance of losing your winter crops for no reason whatsoever.

He-Va Rollers

A Baler

Claas Round Baler
Claas Round Baler

Balers make the job a lot easier for you and your workers. Balers are a perfect tool if you’re looking to make transporting hay and collecting it easier, and at the end of the day isn’t that exactly what we need every tool out there for?

We recommend going for high-pressure balers if you’re looking to make sure that your job is done well, you wouldn’t want those bales to break apart when you try to store them now wouldn’t you?

Claas Round Baler

Shovel

Radius Garden 22011 Root Slayer Shovel
Radius Garden 22011 Root Slayer Shovel

The shovel is yet another universal tool that you will always need when working in the farming industry. If you want to dig up or move bulk materials such as soil, sand or anything else for that sort then you simply can’t go on without a shovel.

The best part about it is that a shovel is very cheap and very easy to find, just look for one at your closest supermarket and chances are you’ll find a nice and cheap addition to your toolset that will make your job a lot easier.

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Plow

John Deere 3710 Moldboard Plow
John Deere 3710 Moldboard Plow

The plow is literally the best at its job, and unlike with many other tools out there, there aren’t all that many alternatives to the plough in the industry.

You can find one with a single, a double or even multiple furrows that will help you do your job as a farmer. The name is pretty self-explanatory as far as its job on the farm goes, but just remember, it is a must if you want to be a farmer, a gardener, or anything of that sort.

John Deere 3710 Moldboard Plow

Conclusion

best farming tools
TheDigitalArtist / pixabay.com

So those were the 30 best farming tools that will make or break your farming career. We recommend you at least get yourself one of each, although getting a second one on the side just in case will never do you any wrong either.

So, make sure that you’re settled for the job and good luck out there. Chances are that if you’ve got everything on here then you’re pretty much already ahead of your competition but still, remember, the job’s only done when your eyes shut down, so for now get back out there and get those hands dirty!

PS: you should also read our guide on the best boots for farming.

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About Leah Shelton

Involved in the “green” arena for over 20 years, Leah has worn many hats due to her diverse experience and knowledge in the field. In addition to writing for Agronomag, she’s also a sustainability consultant with a unique perspective on eco-friendly farming practices. Learn more about Agronomag's Editorial Process.

1 thought on “The 30 Best Farming Tools That Any Farmer Might Need”

  1. I want to make sure that I put my farm together properly. It makes sense that I would want to get the right farm equipment! That seems like a good way to ensure that I put everything together properly.

    Reply

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