Equipment Buying Guide
Expert guidance to help you choose the right agricultural equipment for your operation
● Hay & Forage Equipment
Choosing the right hay and forage equipment depends on your operation size, terrain, and crop type.
Disc Mowers: Ideal for cutting hay and forage crops. Choose between mounted (for smaller operations, typically 40-80 HP tractors) and pull-type (for larger fields requiring 80+ HP). Consider cutting width based on your tractor HP and field size.
Rotary Rakes: Used to windrow cut hay for baling. Single-rotor rakes work well for smaller operations, while twin-rotor models handle larger volumes and wider swaths.
Tedders: Spread cut hay to speed drying. Choose rotor count based on your swath width and drying needs. More rotors mean wider spread and faster drying.
Balers: Round balers are versatile for various hay types, while square balers produce uniform bales for easy stacking and transport.
Bale Wrappers: Essential for producing silage bales. Inline wrappers handle individual bales while continuous wrappers are faster for high-volume operations.
Forage Harvesters: For chopping standing crops or windrows into silage. Self-propelled units offer maximum throughput, while pull-type models work well for mid-size operations.
● Grain Handling Equipment
Efficient grain handling is critical during harvest season. Consider these factors when selecting equipment:
Grain Wagons: Choose capacity based on your combine output and field-to-storage distance. Available in sizes from 350 to 1,300+ bushel capacity. Gravity-flow wagons are the standard for most operations.
Harvest Hoppers: Ideal for temporary grain storage and transfer at the field edge. Consider unloading speed and capacity relative to your harvest volume.
Nurse Wagons: Essential for seed and fertilizer transport during planting season. Choose capacity based on your planting operation size and field distance.
Augers & Conveyors: For moving grain between storage, wagons, and trucks. Match auger diameter and length to your throughput needs. Larger diameters move more grain per hour.
Wagons & Running Gear: General-purpose wagons for hauling feed, materials, and supplies around the farm. Available in various capacities and configurations.
● Rotary Cutters & Mowers
Rotary cutters handle heavy brush, tall grass, and overgrown areas that disc mowers can't manage.
Single-Deck Cutters: Best for maintaining pastures, roadsides, and light brush. Available from 4' to 10' cutting widths for tractors in the 25-100 HP range.
Multi-Deck/Flex-Wing Cutters: For large-scale mowing operations. Cutting widths from 10' to 30'+ cover maximum acreage per pass. Require 80-200+ HP tractors.
Heavy-Duty Cutters: Designed for thick brush, saplings, and land clearing. Reinforced decks, heavier blades, and stronger gearboxes handle the toughest conditions.
● Loader Attachments
The right loader attachment turns your tractor or skid steer into a versatile workhorse. Match attachments to your machine's hydraulic capacity and lift rating.
Pallet Forks: Essential for moving palletized materials, lumber, and supplies. Choose based on your loader's lift capacity and the loads you handle.
Bale Spears: For handling round and square bales. Single spears work for most operations; quad spears handle multiple bales at once for high-volume feeding.
Grapples: Ideal for brush, logs, rocks, and debris. Root grapples have tines for sifting soil; log grapples clamp securely for transport.
Buckets: Standard buckets for general material handling. Choose width and capacity based on your loader's rating. Skeleton buckets (stone forks) are ideal for rock picking.
Snow Equipment: Pushers, blades, and wing blades for winter maintenance. Size to your machine and the area you need to clear.
● Feeders & Livestock Equipment
Efficient feeding reduces waste and labor. Choose equipment based on your herd size and feeding method.
Bale Feeders: Chain-type feeders unroll and distribute bales evenly, reducing waste compared to ring feeders. Available in single and double-bale capacities.
UTV Feeders: Compact feeders that mount to UTVs for feeding in tight spaces, small pastures, or supplemental feeding operations.
Bale Processors: Shred and distribute bales for bedding or TMR mixing. Choose processing capacity based on your daily feeding volume.
● Spreaders
Manure and material spreaders are essential for nutrient management and soil health.
Manure Spreaders: Available in various capacities from small PTO-driven units to large truck-mounted models. Choose based on your herd size and spreading acreage. Vertical beaters provide aggressive spreading; horizontal beaters offer more even distribution.
Hydra-Spread Models: Hydraulic-driven spreaders offer variable speed control and consistent application rates regardless of ground speed.
● Tillage & Land Prep
Proper soil preparation is the foundation of a productive growing season.
Rotary Tillers: Best for breaking up compacted soil and incorporating crop residue. Match tiller width to your tractor's PTO HP rating. Heavy-duty models handle rocky or root-filled ground.
Plows: Moldboard plows are ideal for primary tillage of heavy soils. Switch plows allow you to turn soil in one direction for contour plowing.
Disc Harrows: For secondary tillage — breaking up plowed ground and preparing seedbeds. Offset discs handle heavier residue.
Box Scrapers & Land Levelers: Essential for grading, leveling, and maintaining roads, pads, and field approaches.
● Wood Processing
For farms and rural properties that process firewood, clear timber, or manage woodlots.
Log Splitters: Available in horizontal, vertical, and combination models. Choose tonnage based on the hardness and diameter of wood you split. PTO-driven models offer maximum power.
Chippers & Shredders: Turn branches and brush into mulch or chips. Match chipper capacity (max diameter) to the material you process.
Firewood Processors: All-in-one machines that cut, split, and convey firewood. Ideal for commercial firewood operations or large-volume personal use.
● Blades & Scrapers
For grading, snow removal, and general land maintenance.
Rear Blades: Versatile for grading driveways, spreading gravel, and light snow removal. Angle and offset adjustments add flexibility.
Snow Blades & Pushers: Purpose-built for snow clearing. Angled blades push snow to the side; box pushers contain and move large volumes.
Box Scrapers: For precision grading and leveling. Scarifier teeth break up hard ground before the blade smooths the surface.
● Trailers & Transport
Selecting the right trailer depends on what you're hauling, how far, and your towing vehicle.
Semi Trailers: For long-distance hauling of grain, equipment, and materials. Consider payload capacity, trailer length, and axle configuration.
Drop Deck Trailers: Ideal for hauling tall equipment that won't fit on a standard flatbed. Lower deck height provides more vertical clearance under bridges and overpasses.
Side Dump Trailers: Efficient for dumping loose materials like grain, gravel, or compost without the tipping risk associated with end dumps.
Liquid Tender Trailers: For transporting water, fertilizer, or chemicals to the field. Choose tank capacity and pump configuration based on your application needs.
● Snow & Leaf Equipment
Keep your property accessible and maintained year-round.
Snow Blowers: PTO-driven snow blowers handle heavy snowfall that blades can't manage. Choose chute diameter and blower width based on your tractor HP and snowfall volume.
Snow Pushers & Plows: For clearing parking areas, driveways, and farm lanes. Skid steer and loader-mounted options available.
Leaf & Debris Blowers: Clear leaves, grass clippings, and light debris from large areas quickly.
● Specialty Equipment
Specialized tools for specific agricultural and property maintenance tasks.
Post Hole Diggers: For fencing, signage, and tree planting. Match auger diameter to your post size and digger HP to your soil conditions.
Stump Grinders: Remove stumps below grade for clean fields and mowing areas. PTO-driven models handle stumps up to 12"+ in diameter.
Trenchers & Backhoes: For drainage, irrigation lines, and utility installation. Compact 3-point backhoes are ideal for farm use without needing a dedicated excavator.
● Need Help Choosing?
Our team of agricultural equipment specialists can help you find the right equipment for your specific operation. We'll consider your:
• Tractor HP and PTO specifications
• Operation size and terrain
• Crop types and volumes
• Herd size and feeding requirements
• Climate and seasonal needs
• Budget and financing needs
Call us at (888) 464-4880 or email us for a personalized recommendation.
Have questions? We're here to help.
Call (888) 464-4880 or email support@grainhog.com