Firstly I want to talk about how farming was done before all this fancy new mechanical equipment became available. People had to make their own tools to farm their small homesteads and smallholdings.

Now I am not saying you have to go that far, but what I am saying is that if you are starting a small farm. Then you do not need to spend a fortune on new equipment to start a small farming adventure.

Your tools are your hands and your brain and mostly your time these are what will get your small farm off the ground. Spending thousands on new farming equipment and fancy tools will only get you into debt before you even start.

Most of the tools in the header image would still work just fine. Give them a good clean with a grinder and paint, maybe a new handle and they will last another hundred years.

How Small Farms Used To Be Worked

Imagine you had a small piece of farmland way before electricity and mechanical engines were invented etc..? No shops to go and purchase a different tool for every job.

These farms used to be powered by horses and plain old hard labour. But this is not what we are talking about. But just look at what they could accomplish with a few horses and will power.

This is what farmers way back had to contend with, but they still made the farm work. They made a living and kept food on the table. Most of the family would pitch in and help around the farm.

But most of their tools were made by themselves or they would barter with other small local businesses. They would use what they raised or had grown to barter with metal workers and carpenters. This is how they got the tools needed to farm and maybe they got some large plows using small loans from the landowner who they probably leased the land off to farm etc.

The fact is they did not have it easy that’s for sure. There weren’t all the gadgets and gizmos we have available to us today. But just because they have a machine for every little thing you can do around the farm. That does not mean you need it.

That is what you are trying to get away from. A world that is full of materialistic things that we hardly ever use. You don’t have to purchase a new riddle for soil, you can make one with a little reclaimed timber and some mesh steel netting.

You can still find these old tools that were made by hand at car boot sales, garden sales, and auctions. This is because they were built with care, using better quality materials. Then some cheap crap you can find online today.

Take a look at an old hand saw from the 1950s and then take a look at a hand saw from today’s cheap builder’s merchants. That’s why I use old hand saws they were built to last because they had no power tools, so the hand saw had to be quality.

Quality of old hand tools is always better than todays..!

So don’t purchase tools that won’t even last one season. Why not use your brain and very own hands to build some much-needed equipment. There are so many videos and free plans online showing you how. You will probably have some of the materials laying around after a few months starting your small farm.

The best thing about making or building your own equipment is you are learning all the time.

Now if you can’t make your own tools at the start, we will talk about how you can find the tools you need cheap later on. After all, not all of us are good joiners or metal workers I know I certainly am not.

Small Farming In The Twenty First Century

Nowadays things are much easier but still, starting a small farm is not going to be simple. The thing I am trying to say is that you do not need brand new equipment. You don’t need a tractor for a small farm or even a quad especially when you’re first starting out.

The most important tool you are going to need and maintain is you. Do you have what it takes to keep going through the good times and the bad..? Do you give up easily..? If not then…

All you need are the basic tools and start using your hands and your brain again. Yes, it will be harder starting without all the fancy equipment but it will be more satisfying in the long run.

You won’t get into debt and as and when you start making a profit from your small farm. Then and only then do you invest that money back into the farm equipment you really need.

Now it is going to take time before you can purchase brand new equipment. But you want to live a good life right..? Well, worrying about paying lots of bills at the end of the month for hire purchase agreements is not part of the good life. This is stress you don’t need and you will feel all the better for it.

I started my small farm with nothing but used hand tools. All of them well 90% purchased from Tool and Machine Auctions and sites like Gumtree, Preloved, and Craigslist.

I even got most of my building materials free which you can see here in my blog post about How To Find free Building Materials.

The Basic Farming Tools Needed

Most of the tools you need are just going to be general hand tools that most gardeners use. Remember that a small farm is only a large garden or it could even be a garden. Urban farms are becoming more popular every year. You may need the odd petrol-powered Tiler or Rotavator hired or if you really have to purchase one then used or secondhand.

Below I will list the tools I started with and still mainly use today. I have one exception a large commercial lawnmower, but it is still a walk behind mower and I purchased it used and secondhand.

Here’s My List Of Basic Farm Tools I Started With

Gardening Equipment – This Is All I Started With Nothing Fancy.

• Spades
• Spit Spade
• Garden Forks
• Hand Shovels
• Wheel Barrows
• Basic Garden Rakes
• Garden Hoe
• Pick Axe
• Sledge Hammer
• Post Knocker
• Hayfork
• Pruners Different Sizes
• Hand Trowels
• Used Weed Sprayer
• And probably a few more that I have forgotten

Joinery Tools – You Are Going To Need Some Joinery Tools

• Hammer
• Hand Saw
• Tape Measure
• Set Square & Speed Square
• Sliding Bevel
• Used Drill
• Used Circular Saw
• Used Mitre Saw
• Used Table Saw
• And an old tool belt
• And lots of little small tools like hand planes the list is too long.

Now if you told someone you were going to start a small farm they would be telling you that you will need a fortune in machinery. But we are not talking about starting a thousand-acre farm.

We are talking about farming on a small scale. Maybe you are just going to specialize in Speciality Mushrooms or Garlic. Maybe you are just going to be Breeding & Selling Pure Breed Chickens like me. You do not need massive machinery to get small farming ventures like this off the ground.

You start adding to your tool collection as and when you need it. Never just go and purchase every tool just because it may come in handy down the road.

What You Need & Don’t Need

The list above are more or less the tools with which I started my small farm with. If I needed a larger tool or machine-like a Mini Digger so that I could dig out the foundations for my stable block. I would go to my local builder’s merchants and hire one for a week for £200.

After I finished the foundations for the stable block. I would use the digger to do other things around the farm like dig the water pipe trench. These large machines can cost tens of thousands to purchase.

So why not hire them instead, you do not have to worry about them breaking down and having to fix them. They also do the work of 10 – 20 men if you are digging a farm pond or water system these are essential time-saving machines.

You will also find that with larger machines, you will only use them a couple of times. So why have such a big investment sat there losing money? Even the larger farms hire in Combine Harvesting Machines than purchase their own.

Let’s say you wanted to Til a large field you could hire a good quality Tiler for around £60 for a week that’s 7 days. You’re only going to use it once or twice a year so why spend thousands on your own. Especially when you are first starting out, it makes no sense.

Even now that I can afford some of these expensive machines. I don’t purchase them outright. If I need to use something expensive now like Whacker Plates, Mini Diggers, Tilers I just hire them, it is much more viable than purchasing one.

You should never be thinking of purchasing machines that cost thousands if you only intend to use it now and then. The only time that purchasing an expensive machine would make sense is if you are using it every day.

Even running my own business which is in construction I never purchase anything expensive. I only purchase good quality drills etc that I will be using daily. The more expensive items are always hired.

The Reason I Never Purchase Expensive Farm Tools & Machinery

The first reason is I have a small farm and it would just be stupid to have large tractors just sitting there. I can walk round my farm in a couple of mins I don’t need a tractor or quad. Neither should you if you farm is only a couple acres.

The second reason is the cost when starting out and I am still starting out. Why would you spend thousands purchasing equipment that may get used now and then or here and there whichever way you want to say it?

A third reason is I can hire them if I need to hire something for one-off jobs then I can. There is a local builders merchants with a tool hire section and has all the tools I would need to use around my small farm.

I would never advise purchasing expensive equipment when first starting out. You don’t need the stress and the hassle and you may like your new toy for a week or so but that will soon wear off. Especially when you cannot keep up with the repayments. Plus if you purchase through hire purchase you are paying interest on the machinery also.

I see people purchasing new quad bikes and they have only got 2 acres..? Trust me the money would have been better spent on materials to build a small barn or purchase a used polytunnel. Yes, I said it again a used polytunnel.

Why Buy Used Tools & Other Farming Equipment

The answer is simple you are just starting out in your small farm. Every penny counts and you can purchase almost anything and everything used. You can do most of this without even leaving your home over the internet. Or like me you can go down to your local auction house and find bargains there.

If the first thing you did when starting your farm was purchase everything new. Then you would soon find yourself spending tens of thousands before you even start making any profit.

You can purchase new when your farm is up and running and you are making a profit from it. Unless you have a boatload of cash and don’t mind taking the chance that your small farm is going to succeed.

Take it from me you can get lots of great deals on used equipment and tools. You will always find the tool you need for sale somewhere used these days.

Best places to look for used tools and machinery. Facebook Market Place is my favorite place, Gumtree, Craigslist, Preloved, FreeAdds, FreeCycle, Local Auctions, eBay.

I hope I have talked you out of thinking you need lots and lots of money and tools to start a small farm. You can do it on a budget and as your farm grows so will your bank balance. Then and only then you can think I would like to trade my old machine in for a new one.

I would only do that if the machine I had was broken beyond all repair or was costing me too much to keep it going. Even then I would probably purchase another second-hand one lol.