Types of Farm Equipment
Farming is always a battle against the margins and squeezing every bit of profit from improving efficiencies matters. That’s why getting the right farm equipment plays a significant role in a successful harvest. Without modern farm equipment, you’ll get back to the back-breaking manual labor that was done before the advent of technology. Today, even small agricultural operations rely on the power of vehicles, tools, and equipment, which make it easy to quickly accomplish time-consuming tasks.
At High Plains Equipment, we pride ourselves on providing quality, reliable implements that farmers use to get their work done. We want all our customers to have access to the information that they need to determine what kind of equipment they need for their operations. In that spirit, we’ve put together this quick guide to different types of farm equipment. Keep reading for more information or head into our location in Harvey and Devils Lake, North Dakota, where we proudly serve all those in Minot.
Plows
Plows have been around for ages. They use blades that are drawn through the soil to create furrows. Plows can be used for medium-depth and deep tillage. A chisel plow can till the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches using a row of staggered shanks that can be adjusted according to your needs. A moldboard plow has wing-like blades that cover all the soil leaving behind clean-cut furrow slices. For greater depths, you can use subsoil plows, which leave behind evenly-spaced slots that are 15 to 20 inches in depth.
Cultivating Machines
Cultivators are a good option for soil that’s medium-textured and well-drained. These machines require less fuel, time, and labor to get things done than other available options. Cultivators are also used as secondary tools before spring planting.
You’ll get field cultivators in various sizes, from ones that can be used in small gardens to ones that can help you take care of large fields. You can use your cultivator to destroy any weeds that cropped up after your primary plowing. A sweep cultivator has large v-shaped blades that can cut soil up to depths of 12 to 15 cm.
Harrows
These tools consist of rows of carbon steel or boron disk blades attached to a frame. Disk harrows are made to loosen and lift up the soil. The rows come in two to four sections to thoroughly and uniformly till the ground underneath them. They come in primary and secondary styles. Primary styles are used before any other tillage equipment to slice up organic material to add it to the topsoil. Secondary discs are used after an initial harrowing to break down sod clumps and loosen up tightly-packed soil. It’s smart to use a disk harrow before plowing since it can prevent your machines from getting clogged up and will result in a more complete turning of the soil.
Swather
A swather is a handy piece of farm equipment, which is also known as a windrower. It helps in speeding up the process of harvesting by cutting the crop and forming it into a windrow. These implements enhance the drying process so that the moisture content becomes suitable for packing and storing.
Seed Drills
You can easily attach a seed drill to your tractor and use it to insert seeds into the soil without disturbing the ground. This type of farm equipment is generally used for row crops, cover crops, and grasses. You’ll be able to choose between no-till drills that can clear a path for seeding or older models that require tilling.
Harvester
The most popular harvester is a combine harvester (also referred to as a combine), which is a highly versatile farm machine that’s designed to effectively harvest various kinds of grain crops. They’re called combine harvesters because they combine three important processes into one: reaping, threshing, and winnowing.
We hope that this guide helps you figure out which farm equipment will work best for you. If you need additional information or you’re ready to check out our inventory, visit High Plains Equipment at one of our locations in Harvey and Devils Lake, ND. We proudly serve all those in Grand Forks.