what tools to buy?

[Billy Anderson]

We are slowly moving toward starting to work the land on our small holding with horse’s. Were aiming to market garden on a small scale first, hopefully building up as we get more competent.

One dilemma I am facing at the moment is what equipment to buy. Do we start investing in horse drawn cultivators etc or go down the road of a 3 point hitch on the forecart and using compact tractor implements?

Any opinions will be great fully appreciated.

Thanks

[j.l.holt]

one thing ,,or two things to think about buying three point hitch tools. if the horse thing just don’t work, you will have them bought for the small tractor. and, if you live long enough to reach ‘old age’ when you retire the horses, the tools will be there and you will not have to buy them and have a big investment.

[dominiquer60]

Some horse tools cannot be replaced by tractor tools easily. The first that comes to mind is a good 2 horse 1 row cultivator. Unless you invest in a cultivating tractor with belly mounts a 3 pt hitch (easily $12K) you can’t get the same precision with a small compact with 3pt implements. These cultivators are in high demand, but even if you have to buy a fancy rebuild for $800, it is only $800 and has good resale value. And just think $800 can get you years of cultivating pleasure or only 2.5 weeks of hiring a full time hand weeder at $8/hr. These pay for themselves fast. Personally I have used several models of belly mounted and offset cultivating tractors and I would rather use a old McCormick Deering 2 horse any day, you can’t get as close or precise with a tractor.

[Donn Hewes]

I am not a professional vegetable farmer, but general horse farmer, so take my advice for what it is worth. One thing that you said really stood out to me. ” just SLOWLY getting started”. This is a great idea and opportunity. Erika’s point about the low start up costs speaks to allowing the time to learn. Visit some farms that are using these tools and see how they work when pulled by horses. There is a great upcoming cultivating workshop in VT this summer. (see add on the side!). Also you could see lots of equipment at horse progress days.

[Does’ Leap]

This is a little off topic but a good – I would argue essential – complement to any tool array is an ac/dc arc welder, a set of torches, and a metal chop saw. These tools will give you the ability to modify, repair and even fabricate a lot of your equipment. If you don’t know how to weld, youtube and some practice go along way. I learned to weld through a high school vocational course for adults.

Good luck.

George

[dominiquer60]

I got to thinking about this later and I really couldn’t be where I am now with my market garden if I didn’t choose to use draft animals. Even with 3 brand new pieces and a lot of old stuff, I simply could not afford to farm if I had to buy a tractor and a line of equipment comparable to what I have. I went fairly slowly at first, I found a $175 cultivator, a $60 potato hiller, a $200 single gang disc before I ever had a team to pull them. Keep your eyes open to good equipment and deals, service and keep it covered until you are ready to start the garden. George’s suggestion is great too, you can save a lot of money, fixing, making and modifying your own equipment.

[Billy Anderson]

Thanks folks. Sorry i should have probably said in my opening thread but I am unfortunately not near VT. I stay in the U.K. Scotland. I got introduced to this forum by John (JAC). I have not posted much, but sat on the sidelines soaking up as much information as i can. You have a great community going on. I have said to my wife in the not to far future a trip to North America and horse progress is a must. It would be fantastic to combine that with a visit to one of these workshops.

There is a severe shortage of people to get any info from in regards to horse powered farming (market gardening) in this part of the world. When i tell people what my dream and intentions are, i get looked at as if i’m mad! This makes the SLOW road to our dream harder to navigate. We unfortunately never made it across to pferdestark in Germany, Europe’s answer to Horse Progress Days, it would have been great for the learning curve. To increase my knowledge I buy modern books on horse farming. (Stephen Leslie’s being the most recent) Subscribe to SFJ and read forums. It would also seem that we were not so as advance when it came to horse drawn equipment back in the day, so getting my hands on old deering cultivators is slim to none. There are however a few walk behind scufflers lying here and there, Ridgers and other bits and pieces, although some of it is best suited to garden furniture.

Our initial plan for next year was to work about 1 1/2 acre on ridges and get the likes of baby carrots, new potatoes etc out to local shops and restaurants. The research we carried out showed they are excited about Horse farmed, organic, fresh produce. We would hope to expand this over the years and move onto different bed systems. We would want to buy equipment that would suit us now but also last us if we were able to expand the farm over the coming years.

The reason i thought about compact tractor tools was the ease it is for me to get them. There are no manufacturer’s of modern horse drawn equipment here. There are in Europe but there tools are not so well marketed or so well known about as Pioneer or I&J etc. There is a company in England who import from the Amish and that is where i have bought some of my equipment. This is why, when i go to invest in any equipment, i want to be sure its right for the job.

George: Your right, and thanks for advice. I have some tools and again i’m slowly pulling a collection together. My weldings not bad but not great either 😆 for any tricky stuff i have good engineering friends who help out.

After reading your last post Dominiquer, and keeping myself in mind that i want to start growing in ridges, getting my hands on old walk behind cultivator and ridger should be my first port of call. What would you suggest for a harrow that would follow after the plough but could also be used on to create a nice tilth for beds?

Thanks again for all your inputs.

[Riverbound]

Of course it may be unavailable in the UK, but I spent a few hours on our Shipshe cultimulcher today turning plowed ground into a nice mellow seed bed/transplant bed. That is a great tool. I also use a one row cultivator extensively, and just add Hiller disks to make raised beds/ridges. I use an I&J cultivator. The steering isn’t quite as good as my old JD, but it isn’t broken, which is a real bonus. I would second the point about horse drawn equipment being more appropriate than 3pt stuff. Being able to see what you’re doing while you drive and look forward is better than looking back all the time. And safer, too. Eyes on the horses and if you fall off you won’t get run over. Now if you or anyone else finds an effective way to dig carrots with the horses, I’d greatly benefit from learning about it. Just planted 8600 feet of carrots and am praying for a good stand, but the digging fork lurks in the tool shed.

[Stephen Leslie]

Channing Family Farm— Brothers Teague and Kosma Channing in Twisp, Washington have built a bed-lifter using part of an old dozer blade for a 3-pnt-hitch cart pulled by draft mules. They dig/lift root crops and garlic with this tool.

[Riverbound]

Thanks Stephen. I’d like to see it. Getting the depth is the trick. Actually getting the soil in the right condition would solve the issue. Nice deep loose soil. We’re working on that, but we just started with sod this season (new farm). I’ll search the webs for some photos from Twisp!

[dominiquer60]

The harrow or cultimulcher that you should use after ploughing depends on your soil and it’s moisture level. We have a sandy loam that can compact easy if wet.

I recently seeded an oat and pea cover crop. We plowed the 1/4 acre with our White Horse 715 plow and then made a single pass with our shipshe cultimulcher. This tool does a great job smoothing and leveling a well plow plot. We seeded the oats and peas and made a second but shallow pass with the cultimulcher to stir the seed and firm it in the ground. The seeding is coming up great on some good smooth looking ground.

We also plowed our potato patch with the 715, but the cultimulcher can pack the ground some and I want it loose for making potato furrows, so we used a disc harrow to work it up.

I also have a spring tooth harrow, chain harrow, cultipacker and tine weeder that I can use.

Here is a pass with the cultimulcher after plowing.

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