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When first starting a homestead there is a lot you need, but these 10 essential homesteading tools are the most important! Some of the things on the list are a little expensive and you can definitely homestead without them, but from experience, they will make your life easier and I recommend getting them as soon as you can afford.
Homesteading is a super fun lifestyle but often just when you think things are finished for the day or something works fine, something will come up or something will break. It’s a fact of life, ha ha. You are constantly fixing and adjusting as you grow your homestead of think of better ideas. This list is designed to make your life easier, when you have these things on hand you will be better prepared for whatever comes your way!
10 Essential Homesteading Tools
Tractor
While I know this isn’t in everyones budget, having a tractor can seriously make life easier. We lived without one for a while, and the first day we got it we save about 10 hours of work. Tractors are great for a bunch of things like plowing snow, moving soil and manure to gardens, picking up hay bales to feed your animals, towing chicken coops and other small structures, grading the road, mowing the lawn, lifting up pallets, etc. If you can find an older, cheaper tractor, finance one, or even rent when you really need it for a job, I would seriously consider it! We love ours 🙂
Above is a picture of our old Kubota tractor, which we loved, but we eventually needed something to be able to lift more weight, so we recently got a Kioti tractor with a cab and its soooo amazing!
Trailer
I think this often gets overlooked. Having a trailer is another very handy item. You need it for so much! While lots can be delivered to your door, you can save money by picking things up yourself. For example livestock, hay bales, IBC totes, feed totes, structures, etc. all need a way to get your homestead! I recommend a livestock trailer or a flat bed trailer. The livestock trailer allows you a way to transport animals and can also fit those larger items like the hay bales and totes.
Side by Side
Another essential homestead tool that you will use everyday! Going to check your animals, in case of emergency getting to and from your animals in a hurry. And to carry feed and water and supplies out to your livestock, garden or current project you are working on. If you only have a few acres, perhaps a wheelbarrow is sufficient, but if you have 10 or more acres, a side by side is invaluable. My husband and I literally say it everyday.
5 Gal Buckets
These will change your life – trust me. Anything you do, you will probably bring a 5 gal bucket with you. We use ours for water, feed, soil, grit, minerals, scraps, garbage bins, etc. You can even make them into a nesting box, chicken waterer (as seen below, click here for a tutorial), and grow mushrooms in them. They are cheap at the store, I would recommend getting at least 10 to start.
Zip ties
Yup, another classic. Need to keep something together in a pinch? Zip tie it! We use these for everything. But them in bulk and by good quality ones, there is nothing worse the a broken zip tie.
Bungee Cords
Similar to above but more sturdy, they come in handy for a bunch of things. It’s always great to have a pack in your car as well for emergencies or for keeping things down. We use them on gates, to keep lids on, hang waterers, etc.
IBC totes
These things are amazing! They have an unlimited amount of uses (if you have some extra time, google IBC tote followed by whatever you need to build, and guaranteed there will be an amazing inspiration). We use ours a lot for watering our animals, as waterers themselves, chicken brooders, feed storage, firewood storage, etc. We even made one into a pig feeder.
Hand Tools
This is a pretty broad item as there are a lot of tools out there but these are the basics we use on the frequent: drill, impact driver, hammer, screw driver, plyers, post pounder, tposts, pry bar, circular saw, jigsaw, reciprocating saw, screws and nails, hand fencing tool, shovel, pitch fork, trowel, rake and weeder. For any project you are working on, these 19 tools will be the bulk of what you need. Below is a circular saw and it was a vital tool in our build project when we built our chicken tractor.
Tape
Yup, a basic item but its important. We use duct tape a lot, but also found a new love for flex seal tape!! And tuck tape. They will all get used, so buy a few rolls of each.
Hose
Another essential homesteading item because you’ll need a way to give water to your animals and water your garden. We use a hose that is lead free and drinking water safe. We would recommend buying at least 100-200’ depending on how big your property is and where your hydrant is located.
So thats my list for you guys! Do you guys think I missed anything?? Let me know in the comments below.
I’ll leave you with one more tip: buy more than you think you need. My husband always says this but its true, buy more than you think you need of everything!! Food, water, tape, zip ties, feed, bolts for a project, everything! Trust me, not only will you be stocked up, but it will minimize the stress of certain situations ;).
Talk soon,
Abby
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