Simple Farm Tools And Their Uses, Descriptions, Maintenance

At the end of this blog, you will learn about all the simple Farm tools in Agriculture, Their descriptions, maintenance and uses.

Table Of Contents

Meaning of farm tools

Functions Of simple Farm tools
Uses Of farm tools.
Maintenance of simple farm tools.

Revision Questions.

Meaning of Farm Tools

Meaning: Farm tools are simple handy tools used mainly by peasant farmers. They are designed to help the hands to apply Force in Farm operations.

Some common simple Farm tools and their functions are going to be discussed below.

Simple Farm Tools

Cutlass

Hoe
Spade
Shovel

Garden fork
Hand Fork
Hand Trowel

Rake
Axe
Pick axe digger

Headpan
Watering Can
Mattock

Pruning saw
Sickle
Harvesting Knife

Root loading fork
Hay fork
Manure Drag

Wheelbarrow
Crowbar
Bradawl

Budding knife
Emasculator
Shears

Secateurs
Hammer
Mallet

Pliers

See Also

Farm machinery and implements and their functions

Uses and maintenance of farm structures and buildings

Cutlass: description; This is one of the types of farm tools most commonly used by farmers. There are two main types, one has a slightly curved blade with a short wooden handle, while the other has a straight metal blade and a short wooden. One edge of the metal blade is Sharp and the other is blunt.

Functions And Uses Of Cutlass

For cutting down and clearing bushes and trees.
For transplanting seedlings.

For planting seed and harvesting crops.
For weeding farmlands

Hoe: Description; The hoe consists of a metal blade which may either be rounded or slightly rectangular in shape with a wooden handle which can be either long or short.

Functions And Uses

Hoe is used for land preparation.
it is used for making ridges and heaps.

for planting or transplanting some crops.
for harvesting some crops.
it is used for weeding.

SPADE: Description; Spade has a long wooden handle and a broad metal blade. The edge of the metal blade is sharp so that it can easily be driven into it.

Functions and Uses of Spade

It is used for leveling soil.

for digging holes during transplanting.
for missing cement or concrete for farm structures

SHOVEL: Description; Shovel is just like the shade. It has a long wooden handle but the blade of a shovel is hollow and broad with a rectangular or round edge.

Functions and Uses

To load material from ground level into wheelbarrow.
For making garden paths.

For leveling the ground and removing Stones or rubbish

GARDEN FORK: Description; Garden fork usually has four prongs or teeth which taper to a point. The prongs, made of hard metal about 20 cm long mounted on a long wooden handle of about 70 to 80 cm long.

Functions and Uses of Garden Fork

It is used for turning manure during compost making.
It is used for loosening the soil before transplant.
It is used for loading manure.

It is used for loading hay.

HAND FORK: Description; The hand fork consist of a piece of metal with three or four short flat prongs. Some have a short wooden handle while all that are entirely made of metal.

Functions And Uses Hard Fork

It is used for loosening surface soil or breaking soil clods.
it is used for light weeding.
For mixing small quantity of soil or manure.

For working manual into the soil.

HAND TROWEL: Description; Hand trowel is a small hand tool consisting of a short metal handle and a scoop – shaped blade like the hand fork..

Functions And Uses Hand Trowel

It is used for transplanting seedlings.
For fertilizer or manure application.
It is used for nursery practice or light weeding.

It is used for digging holes for planting.
It is used for sampling soil, mixing soil and fertilizers

AXE: Description; Axe is one of the types of farm tools and it consist of a strong wooden or metal handle onto which a solid flat and heavy metal blade with a sharp ned edge is inserted.

Functions And Uses Of Axe

It is used for felling trees.
For slicing or splitting wood.

For cutting wood.
For uprooting stumps.
For cutting firewood and logs

PICK AXE OR DIGGER: Description; pick axe or digger consists of a long wooden handle and a metal head with double blades. One blade is shaped to form a short and rather narrow hole while the other side of the head is shaped into a small narrow axe like blade..

Functions And Uses Of Pick Axe

It is used for removal of roots of trees, stumping.

For tilling of a very hard soil.
For making ridges.
For killing soil for farm building erection

Read Also

Uses of Axe, types and maintenance in agriculture

RAKE: Description; The rake consists of a long wooden handle and a strong metal head with several stout prongs.

Functions And Uses of Rake

It is used for leveling or spreading soy surface after hoeing.
For removing stones and weeds from seed beds.

For covering vegetable seed when they are broadcasts.
For breaking up soil lumps into final particles

HEAD PAN: Description; Head Pan is a metal container with small circumference at the bottom but a larger one at the top. It has two handles which are opposite to each other.

Functions And Uses Of Headpan

It is used for collection of harvested crops.
It is used for transplanting seedlings.

For carrying and mixing manure/ fertilizer.
For carrying Farm inputs and outputs.

WATERING CAN: Description; This is a metal or plastic can fitted with a spout which has a perforated metal sheet called Rose, over its mouth. The Rose is removable after use and replaceable when needed. It also has two handles used for lifting or carrying the can.

Functions And Uses Of Watering Can

It is used for light irrigation, like the application of water to crops during the dry season.
It is used for the application of liquid fertilizer

Application of water to seedlings in the nursery or vegetable beds.
It is used for watering cement blocks used for constructing farmhouse

MATTOCK: Description; matter consists of a small wooden handle and a double-headed metal Head. The mattock is essentially a small axe and hoe combined in one.

Functions And Uses Of Mattocks

It is used for digging and uprooting small stumps.
It is used for loosening Stones, roots and hard plant in the soil and digging soil.

It is used for clearing bush and weeding farms.

PRUNING SAW: Description; The pruning saw is flat and made up of flexible metal, its handle is wooden. Both edges of a saw have sharp pointed teeth.

Functions And Uses

It is used for cutting wood or log.
for pruning operations.
For falling of trees.

It is also used for cutting off budded seedlings.

SICKLE: Description; The Sickle has a curved blade fitted to a short handle. The inner edge of the metal blade is sharp while the outer edge is blunt.

Functions And Uses Of Sickle

It is used for harvesting fruits/cereal crops.
For cutting grass pasture for animals.
It can also be used for light reading of vegetable plants.

HARVESTING KNIFE: Description; harvesting knife has a very long wooden pole or handle with a small curved metal blade at one end. It also has a short, strong blade close to the curved end.

Functions And Uses

It is used for harvesting some crops, e.g, coco, oil palm, mango, orange and kolanut.

It is also used for light pruning.

ROOT LOADING FORK: Description; This tool is similar to the garden fork except that the prongs are usually bent at angle to the wooden handle.

Functions And Uses

It is used mainly to load roots, hay or silage into carts or wheelbarrows.

HAY FORK: Description; Hay fork has two or three long round and curved tines or prongs with a long wooden handle.

Functions And Uses Of Hay Fork

The two is used for collecting and removing hay and livestock bedding. The fork is inserted vertically in the middle of the load and the load is carried with the prongs held upwards

MANURE DRAG: description; This types of farm tools has four or five tines shape like those of a garden fork with the pointed end at right angles to the handle to facilitate digging.

Functions And Uses

It is used for digging farmyard manure.
It is also used for uploading farmyard manual

WHEELBARROW: Description; The wheelbarrow is a large metal or wooden container with one wheel at the front, two handles at the rear and below these are two legs which support the container. It is pushed by raising the rear end slightly so that the main weight is taken up by the front wheel. Tools Which can perform the same function as the wheelbarrow include head pan, bucket, tractor -mounted container and container driven by work animals.

Simple Farm Tools And Their Uses, Descriptions, Maintenance — Wheelbarrow | MN image

Functions And Uses Of wheelbarrow

It is used for carrying Farm inputs, e g, fertilizers and seeds.
It is used for carrying Farm outputs, e.g, harvested crops and slaughtered animal.

It is used for transplanting seedlings.
It is also used for carrying load/material to market

CROWBAR: Description; crowbar is an iron bar 90 to 120 cm long and bent slightly at one end.

Functions And Uses Of Crowbar

By inserting the pointed end underneath a load and pushing the long end downwards the load can be gradually moved.
It is also used for digging holes for planting seeds

BRADAWL: Description; This is a small tool with a wooden handle. It has a short, round blade with a small, narrow cutting edge.

Functions And Uses

It is used for boring holes in the wood

BUDDING KNIFE: Description; budding knife is a small knife with a short, wooden handle and a short, metal blade which sharpened at one edge.

Functions And Uses

Budding knife is used mainly in budding by vegetative propagation in citrus, cocoa, rubber, etc

EMASCULATOR: Description; An instrument used for castration of some farm animals. It consist of a pair of powerful pincers with plastic or metal handle. The pincers press the neck of the scrotum to crush the spermatic cord which supply blood to the testes.

Functions And Uses Of Emasculator

The emasculator is used to eastrate some farm animals, especially the male, e.g, bull, ram, doe (goat).

SHEARS: Description; The shears are enlarge pair of scissors or are seasons like in shape. They possesses two long metal blades and two handles which may be wooden, metal, rubber or plastic. The blades are sharpened at one edge are connected to the pivot by bot and nut.

Functions And Uses

They are used for trimming flower edges.
They are used for pruning operations.

SECATEURS: Description; It is a scissor like in shape but small in size. It consists of two short, metal blades, one with a concave curve and the other with with a convex curve joined at a pivot by bolt and nut. It possesses two short wooden or metal handles. it usually has a spring between the handles.

Functions And Uses

It is used for pruning shrubs, ornamental plants and for weeding.
It is used for trimming hedges or shrubs.
It is used for cutting bud, wood or scion and the root stock

HAMMER: Description; hammer is a tool with a heavy, metal head on a short wooden handle. The metal head has two ends-one is the flat ball and and the other end is prong-like.

Functions And Uses Of Hammer

Hammer is used for straightening damage or bent components of Farm implements.
It is used for driving nails into the wood part of Farm structure / equipments.
The ball end is used for riveting.
The pronged end is used for removing nails from wood.

MALLET: Description; This is a wooden hammer with a short handle and a large wooden head. The shape is just like the normal hammer except that it’s larger but lighter than the metal Hammer.

Functions And Uses

It is used for driving a chisel while cutting or shipping wood.
For hammering materials that would be damaged by a metal Hammer.

PLIERS: Description; A pair of pliers is a small metal types of farm tools with jaws which normally have parallel toothed surfaces used for gripping.

Functions And Uses

For holding or handling bolts and nuts.
for handling small objects.
For cutting, especially wires and other cables.

Farm Tools maintenance

Maintaining all the types of farm tools is important for their longevity and efficient performance. These are general tips for your farm tools maintenance:

Clean After Use: Remove soil and debris to prevent corrosion.
Sharpen Blades: Regularly sharpen cutting edges to ensure clean cuts.
Oil Moving Parts: Lubricate hinges and moving parts to prevent rust.
Store Properly: Keep tools in a dry, sheltered area to avoid rust and damage.
Inspect Regularly: Check for loose parts, cracks, or signs of wear.
Handle Carefully: Use tools for their intended purpose and avoid misuse.
Replace Handles: If wooden handles break or splinter, replace them promptly.
Protective Coating: Apply rust-resistant coatings or paint to metal parts.
Store Tools Off the Ground: Hang or store tools on racks to prevent soil contact.
Keep Blades Sharp: Maintain sharpness for efficient cutting and reduced effort.
Properly Adjust Tools: Ensure adjustments are correct for optimal performance.
Follow Manufacturer Guidelines: Adhere to recommended maintenance instructions.

When you consistently following these practices, you can extend the life of different types of farm tools and ensure they perform effectively whenever you need them.

Revision Questions

Briefly state the uses of cutlass
What are the uses of axe?
List 10 simple Farm tools in agriculture
State three functions and uses of garden fork.
State four uses of hoe.
(a) Briefly describe spade (b) state the uses of spade (c) Outline 5 maintenance of simple farm tools.

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