Farmstead tool list

This is a list based on what I once used to use multiple times over the course of a few
years to clear land, make a market garden, remodel a house and begin preparing a
homestead. Not all is essential, but this gives a good overall representation. Note that
nearly all protective gear and nearly all hand tools are considered vital. As much as
possible tools are multifunctional. Those that aren’t have no ready substitute. Tool lists
don’t normally include clothing and protective gear, but it’s so important that I want to
start right out with it. It’s extremely difficult to concentrate on anything else if one is too
hot, too cold or wet and cold. And it’s impossible to concentrate if injured, so safety gear
is an absolute necessity.

Protective Gear and Clothing

• Work gloves for all seasons and conditions

• Safety Glasses, tinted for use as sunglasses as well as clear or amber – WEAR
THEM!
• Hard hat for any activity involving lifting weights over one’s head or cutting trees
– This may seem overly cautious, but I knocked myself out the first day I used a
tee-post driver, and have come close in other situations due to extreme
exhaustion, carelessness or the whim of the way trees and limbs fell.
• Dust Masks and/or HEPA filter masks (if working around mold, excessive dust,
sawdust, sheetrock dust, toxic fumes etc.)
• Sturdy Work Boots
• Waterproof Muck Boots, neoprene preferred over PVC
• Insulated Coveralls and/or insulated bibs
• Hats for all seasons for sun protection, rain protection and warmth
• Raingear suitable for working in any condition, (i.e., vented and breathable)
• Insulated Farm Chore Coat, abrasion resistant
• Canvas duck cloth or denim pants and jackets for abrasion resistance
• Lightweight long sleeved shirts and pants for sun protection in summer

Human powered tools:

• Axes
o Felling Axe, 3.5-4lb, full sized handle
o Splitting Maul, 12lb wedge shaped
o Kindling Axe or Hatchet, 1.5-1.75 lb. ¾ or ½ sized handle (tier 2)
o Axe sharpening hone
o Mill Bastard sharpening file
o Landscape Axe, axe on one side, light cutter mattock on other, (tier 2)
• Sledge Hammer - 8lb.
• Splitting Wedges (tier 2 if using splitting maul)
• Fro (safer alternative to hatchet for splitting kindling)
• Crowbar, large 3ft.
• Timber jack, (a.k.a. Cant Hook Peavey w/stand), Peavey Mfr.
• Chains
o 15-20’ log chain with hooks
o 10’ high tensile 5/16” chain w/ a pair of screw type links rated to capacity
of chain
• Tee-post driver, two handled
• Post hole digger, clam shell type, fiberglass or steel handled
• Bypass loppers, 3x geared preferred
 • Saws
o Bow Saws, 12” & 21” (small one doubles as hacksaw)
o Pruning Saws (tier 2)
o Pole Saws, extendable w/ pruner
• Shovels
o Digging, round point, steel or fiberglass handle
o Materials Transfer, square point (tier 2)
o Garden Spade, rectangular, English style (tier 2)
o Trowels, narrow transplanting and wider scoop
o Mini-shovel (a.k.a. survival shovel w/fixed blade & 2ft handle)(tier 2)
• Garden Forks
o Garden Fork, steel handled
o Manure Fork (tier 2)
o Pitch Fork (tier 2)
• Mattocks
o 5lb. Cutter mattock
o one-hand lightweight, short-shafted landscape mattock and cultivator (tier
2)
• Hoes
o Grub Hoe, 4.5” and/or 6”, Bellosotto, heavy duty
o Weeding Hoe, 5-6” lightweight, long handled, sharpened
o Common Garden Hoe 6”(tier 2 if using others, tier 1 if it’s the only hoe
available)
o Rogue Hoe, 6-7” fiberglass handled (tier 2 if have grub hoe, works in lieu
of grub hoe and common hoe)
o Triangular or Warren Hoe (tier 2 if have weeding hoe)
o Scuffle Hoe (tier 2 if have weeding hoe)
• Rakes
o Garden Rake, steel tined bow rake
o Landscape Rake, 2-3ft. aluminum head (tier 2)
• Ladders
o Stepstool
o 6ft. stepladder, fiberglass, heavy duty preferred
o 20-24ft. extension ladder, fiberglass, medium duty preferred
o 8ft. stepladder, fiberglass medium duty preferred (tier 2)
• Levers and Pullers
o Ratcheting cable puller (a.k.a. “Come-A-Long), 1 ton
o Hi-Lift Jack
o Bottle Jack (tier 2)
o Jack Stands – could be blocks of wood
• Tie Downs
o Ratcheting, heavy duty
o Bungee cords, assorted, 12”, 24”, 36”, 48”
o Rope, nylon braided, 25’
• Wheel Barrows, Garden Carts - vital, get/make good quality
• Buckets, lugs, totes – 5g buckets, plastic tubs etc., can’t have too many

Hand tools:

• Hammer
o Claw hammer, 16oz.
o Framing hammer, 22oz. Rip claw
o Drilling hammer, (a.k.a. Hand Drill 1-2lb.)
o Half hatchet, half hatchet, half hammer Dangerous, but useful (tier 2)
o Flat Pry bar, cat’s paw nail puller

• Utility Knife w/200 replacement blades

• Swiss Army Knife
• Screwdrivers
o All-in-one, universal, changeable bit tips
o Nut drivers, long hollow shaft
o Precision, rotating handle
o Bull driver, slotted, large
• Pliers
o Needle nosed pliers
o Channel locks
o Diagonal pliers (wire cutters)
o Wire strippers
o Crimping pliers (a.k.a. “Stakon tool”)
o Fence Pliers
o End nippers (a.k.a. nail pullers/cutters)
o Lineman’s pliers (a.k.a. “Kleins”)
• Measuring tapes, 25’x1” and 100yd. Nylon reel tape
• Levels - torpedo, *2ft and 4ft.
• Brace & Bits – (old fashioned human powered drill with auger bits)
• Wrenches
o Adjustable
o Open end and box end
o Ratcheting
o Pipe wrenches, 12”, 18”
o Socket Set w/ratchet handles
o Allen (hex) and Torx wrenches
• Files and Rasps
o Mill Bastard File
o Combination flat/half-round file/rasp
• Combination sharpening stone, 12”
• Chisels
o Wood Chisels, ¼”, ½”, ¾”, 1”
o Cold Chisels
o Masonry Chisels
• Punches
o Drift punch set Center punch set (tier 2)
• Scissors and Snips
o All purpose garden and game shears
o Tin snips, Aviation style
• Saws
o Carpenter’s
o Hacksaw
• Multi-meter – capable of accurately and safely reading volts, ohms, amps, both
AC/DC
• Grease gun w/lube cartridges
• Powered tools
o Chainsaws, 16” bar, med. wt. with gas, oil, bar oil and several spare
chains
o Chainsaw file sharpening system
Powered Hand Tools

• Circular saw, 7.25”

• Reciprocating saw
• Jig saw
• Mitre saw
• Electric Drills
o 3/8” heavy duty w/full drill bit assortment
o ½” industrial drill with hole saw set and auger bits (tier 2) *Extension
cords, heavy duty, all weather, 50ft and 100ft.

Fully Equipped Kitchen

o Pressure Canner, 7qt. Capable minimum

o Freezer
o Dutch Ovens, cast iron, 5qt and 7qt.
o Skillets, cast iron assorted sizes, 10”, 12” and 15”
o Kitchen knives, assorted, high quality
o Dehydrator

Extremely desirable and useful, but may or may not be technically necessary -
YMMV

• Utility Trailer, 4x8 w/tilt bed preferred (tier 1 if no pickup, tier 2 if pickup truck)
• Tractor, compact diesel 4WD with front end loader, 3pt hitch and implements

o Rotary mower attachment (a.k.a. Bush-Hog or Belly Mower)

o Bucket for front-end loader
o Fork lifts for front-end loader
o Auger(s), 3 pt. Hitch, 6” and 8” bits
o Scrape Blade or Box Blade

• Tillers

o Rear tined, shaft driven, forward rotation, (not counter rotating!)

o PTO driven, tractor pulled (tier 2, but darned nice)
o Mini-cultivator (tier 2)

• Weed Trimmers (tier 2)

• Lawn mowers (tier 2)
• Generator (tier 2 if power is available on site, tier 1 until it is available!)
• Air Compressor w/ tools: nailer, impact wrench, ratchet, *tire inflator, etc (tier 2)

Below this line is some stuff that I thought would be more useful than it’s really proved
to be. Buyer beware.

Scythes, Sickles, Billhooks, Sling Blades (all completely optional) (tier 2 as long as
there’s cheap gas)

Brush Axe (tier 2)

Pick or Pickaxe, (tier 2, optional in most of SE US unless busting concrete)

Digging Bar, 5ft. (tier 2 unless large rocks are a problem or one needs to bust concrete)

Broad Fork (aka U-Bar Digger) (tier 2 at least until the garden is well established)

Machetes, short stout (Ontario), and two-handed w/extended handle, (i.e. Cold Steel)
(tier 2)

Earthway Garden Seeder, two wheeled, with discs (tier 2)

Earthway High Wheeled cultivator with plow and stirrup hoe (tier 2)

Backpack sprayer for herbicide

Live trap and or rifle for problem wildlife

Beyond that, there are all types of tools you may eventually want. I'd save up your
money and keep a "tool fund", and maintain a list of wanted (but not urgently needed)
tools. Pay attention to what type of work you're doing regularly, and what tools would
have helped you. Check out garage sales, second hand shops, eBay, Craigslist, etc and
grab things off your list as you see them. Be prepared to wait for bargains. Within a few
years you'll have built up a really good set of tools, for not a lot of money.

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