A Guide to Farm Equipment Types

No one ever said that farming was easy to do. That’s why so many different pieces of machinery have been invented over the past few hundred years to assist with all the daily tasks that farmers must complete. From cultivating the soil for planting seeds to harvesting crops, farmers have their work cut out for them.

It can be confusing to enter the industry and not understand which pieces of farming equipment would best benefit you, but that’s why we’re here. High Plains Equipment, with locations in Devils Lake and Harvey, serves all our North Dakota customers coming from Minot and Grand Forks. Here’s our brief guide to the different types of farm equipment available on the market so you can decide what it is you need to round out your agricultural operation.

Cultivator

This machine helps to prepare your soil before you start planting seeds by loosening it and turning it over. Cultivators are also helpful for controlling weeds because they chop up the growth and incorporate it into the soil. 

Harrow

Need to make your soil even and redistribute residues? A harrow pulled behind your tractor will help. Harrows break up ground and make it easier to work with.

Plow

This classic farm implement is extremely useful and comes in several different varieties. You can choose the style that best suits your needs, depending on what you’re going to grow and what type of soil you have.

Seed Drills

This tool is attached to your tractor and it plunges your seeds into the ground without disturbing the surrounding soil. Row crows, cover crops and grass seeds can be planted this way. Older models usually require you to till first, but newer seed drills can clear their own path for planting.

Broadcast Seeder

Have a lot of crop to plant across a large area, like grass or forage or cover crops? Broadcast seeders can be as small as a backpack or as large as a tractor attachment and they help to spread seeds, but they won’t work for row crops.

Combine Harvester

A combine harvester is designed to be versatile and capable of harvesting lots of different types of crops. The name “combine” comes from the way that these machines can reap, thresh and winnow in one process, rather than forcing you to get machines to do each one of these harvesting steps separately. 

Visit one of our dealerships located in Harvey or Devils Lake, ND, to view our stock of new and used farm equipment for sale. For assistance with paying for your equipment, talk to our finance department. High Plains Equipment serves the whole of North Dakota, including the cities of Minot and Grand Forks.