Very small scale farm equipment .....

Homestead and hobby both start with an H. One is about becoming self sufficient and the other is about having something that you want without regard to expense. If I were to spend a million on equipment to homestead a 10 acre piece of ground would I have a neat homestead or a hobby?

I have long thought that I would love to see farm equipment that's smaller for the "hobby" farmer. While I don't have my own land yet, I'd love to one day be able to grow and harvest my own hay, for instance.

What if a person has a million dollars in equipment to start, and then decides they want to homestead- will they never be a real homesteader? What about me- I have a newish diesel truck which cost a fortune but it is paid off, and I have a small tractor and trailer, and a few other pieces of equipment, all paid off as I prepared for my future, do I count as a homesteader? What if somebody has a little debt, but they are selling crops and things at the farmer's market, making a little progress towards paying the debt off, or maybe breaking even or going backwards a bit but struggling to find the sweet spot- are they a homesteader?

Short runs for low demand equipment make the machinery cost a lot. We design and build a lot of our own equipment. The materials cost for steel, plastic, wood and such are often a tiny part of the cost. Developing the skills to build things takes time but is very rewarding and opens up new opportunities. In some cases we create the tools to build the machines to make the equipment we need to do our work. It also means we can fix things.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

I use a swisher string trimmer to cut my hay and a small estate rake to rake it or just a plain old leaf rake. We made a small box that I put the hay into jump it down. Reuse old balers twine to keep the bale together. It's not simple but it works!

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I'm so done here.

In reality, very few people want the work of farming 2-10 acres of stuff. They like the idea and perhaps move out to a 10-15 acre plot. And there are many people on this site, the exception, that will do that type of work year after year.

But on the whole, very few people want to be in the dust and the dirt.....

Looking at that round baler or that mini combine, it looks so neat.....

When it is 85-95 degrees out, and the dust those things put out is blowing in your face, along with the exhaust pipe and heat off the engine.....

A lot of people go run back in the house and call for a pizza to be delivered, they want nothing more to do with farming! Won't ever set foot in their field again!

There are a whole lot of family farmers left out there. They handle about 500-600 acres per person, perhaps have dad, his brother, two kids and several wives all working together, might run a 2000 to 5000 acre farm, but if you look close it averages out to 600 acres of corn/soybeans per person.

These are the family farms.

If you look up the price on that mini baler, I think I remember it being $16,000 new.... The bales it spits out are cute, but if you stack then in the barn wrong, they will bust out the sides of the barn. Elevators don't handle then right, just in general they are difficult to haul, stack, pack, etc.

I bought my old Vermeer big round baler for $1,625 10 years ago at an auction. It makes 5x6 round bales.

Just no way could a person afford those mini machines to be productive, ecconomically viable.

They are cute tho, I sure agree. Gives a pretty picture, when one isn't actually there sitting in that dust and heat and noise and making one tiny impractical bale at a time.......

Paul

Hmmm,starting out with a million $ of equipment=hobby farming.starting out with low or no dollar equipment that u repair and use untill it's earned enough dollars back to afford (better) machinery= homesteading.been at it 50yrs,still working on (better equipment).and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

Fair enough, but can you please tell me the price at which something no longer qualifies as "low dollar equipment?" Or, could it be that the definition of "homesteading" is more based upon opinion than fact? I'll go with the latter.

Like I said, every one has an opinion, your is different from hers, hers from his, all of them different from mine and none of us are wrong.

Personally, I am a fan of old equipment. I have a list of stuff I watch out for constantly. I go to auctions before hand to see what they may have, what condition it is in and then figure what it is worth and what it is worth to me.

And as I said earlier, it seems if I lived just about anywhere but here, I could find a lot of good stuff for good prices. FarmboyBill has told me some of the prices he has paid and /or seen just across the state line in OK.

I dont have the time do make hay by hand off an acre or 2. There is no one close that will bring their equipment here for an acre or 2. So Im in a catch 22 situation.

And for about 95% of the " homesteaders" they will never get even close to being self sufficient. All you have to do is read all the posts here to see that.

We try to operate break even or better with all of our goings on here. And once again, the lack of timely rainfall is the biggest reason we dont in most cases.

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" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

They will here because no one just harvests their own crops, all harvest for neighbors. I haul the grain and I see what goes on.

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" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

My dad farmed most of his life. And right now he will tell you that if he won the lottery he would farm til it was all gone.

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" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

A guy down the road from me brought with him his urban manicured **lawn** ideas when he moved up here.
He got flustrated with the common little ole Craftsman 'lawn tractor', so he went out and bought an $8000 fancy zero turn mower . . . . . .
His "golf course" lawn sticks out like a sore thumb compared to all the "weed fields" here abouts........

But he is happy . . . . .??? . . . .what ever floats your boat...........

Wow! I could put all that stuff alongside my $25,000 Kuboto tractor with the FEL and backhoe, right next to my diesel four wheel Ford pickup, in my 60 X 80 pole barn--and call myself a (......................................) you can fill in the blanks.



geo

I could find so many ways to break those things...

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The internet - fueling paranoia and misinformation since 1873.

There is a movement for the development of smaller, homestead sized equipment. Pioneer Equipment in Ohio is one. A couple in PA. Mostly geard towards horse drawn but most would wor behind a small tractor.
If you are serious, attend this summer's Horse Progress Days. See horses pull equipment to build a raised bed. Then watch them roll out A drip hose and black plastic mulch, followed my a team pulling a transplanter that inserts plants into holes punched in the plastic.
Also watch non-motorized hay mowers, garden sized cultipackers and many more.
So stuff is available, but it is built to last and costs a lot more than the cast off, worn out junk many buy from real farmers.

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Make a stop by Iowa would you. Actually the big big feed mill around here is already get their oats from Canada for at least the past two years. I won’t even tell you what a bag of peas cost.

That mini round hay-baler from earthtools in Kentucky starts at $8500...not very cheap for something that small

Homesteading to me is living off the land. Farming is done to make a profit. Doesn't mean farmers don't live off their land or homesteaders don't try to make a profit. It is a different mindset. I have done both and both at the same time....James

I have no problem paying more for well built equipment, unless I just dont the money at the time.

And I couldnt justify the cost on that mini equipment I posted. I was more like wishing smaller scale stuff was more readily available to give some options when looking.

3 years ago we went to a horse drawn field day and I was amazed by this ground drive PTO fore cart. And even this stuff has to be found North of here.

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" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

ok here goes.Budget or the lack of=what equipment u buy.ex:i needed a loader tractor-new?-$25,000.budget-used=$1250.disc -new-$800.used=$150,fertilizer spreader-new$500.used-$85.other examples are numerous.this equipment on 2 of my 31 acres feeds myself/family.supplys 1 local barn market and 1 local store with veggies in season.when a piece of my equipment is unrepairable-i got my mony's worth.but bottom line is i'd still farm million$ or not.Homestead?mom started here.i raised my family here.now my kids will raise theirs here.hobby?nope.homesteading is a way of life-opinion-yes.Start one-it's a fine thing.we don't look down on people with money,but don't look down on us.