LO 1.

Prepare nursery tools, farm implements, and simple equipment

1.1 Prepare tools, farm implements, and simple equipment according to work requirements

1.2 Perform basic pre-operative checking of tools, farm implements and equipment in accordance with
manufacturer’s manual and Phil GAP (Philippine Good Agricultural Practices) standard

1.3 Perform segregation and treatment of tools with wear and corrosion according to maintenance plan
and procedures

Lesson 1

Use Farm Tools and Equipment

Learning Outcomes

LO 1: select and use farm tools;

Farm Tools in Nursery Operation

Farm tools, implements, and equipment play very important role in horticultural
operations. Their availability makes the work much easier and faster. However, even if one may have the
most sophisticated tools and implements, but does not know how to use them, they are useless. In order
to do horticultural operations successfully, one must have a good working knowledge of the tools,
implements and equipment before using them.

Hand Tools

Hand tools are usually light and are used without the help of animals or machines. They are
being used in performing farm activities which involve small areas like school garden and home garden.

Bolo is used for cutting tall grasses and weeds and chopping branches of tree
Crowbar is used for digging big holes and for digging out big stones and stumps

Pick-mattock is used for digging canals breaking hard topsoil and for digging up stones and tree stumps

Grab-hoe is used for breaking hard topsoil and pulverizing soil

Shovel is used in removing trash, digging loose soil, moving soil from one place to another and for
mixing
soil media

Rake is used for cleaning ground and leveling topsoil

Light hoe is used for loosening and leveling soil and digging out furrows
for planting
Hand Trowel is used for loosening the soil around the growing plants and putting small
amount of manure fertilizer in the soil

Hand cultivator is used for cultivating the garden plot by loosening the soil and removing weeds
around the plant

Hand fork is used for inter row cultivation

Pruning shears is for cutting branches of planting materials and unnecessary branches of plants
Axe is for cutting bigger size post

Knife is for cutting planting materials and for performing other operations in horticulture
 Springklers are used for watering seedlings and young plants

Water pails are used for hauling water, manure and fetilizers
Sprayers is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically
used for cutting weeds

Wheel barrow is used for hauling trash, manures, fertilizers, planting materials and other equipment

Sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically

Farm Implements

These are accessories which are being pulled by working animals or mounted to
machineries (hand tractor, tractor) which are usually used in preparation of land. These are usually made
of special kind of metal

Plows. These are farm implements used in horticultural operations either pulled by a working animal or a
tractor. The plow is specifically used for tilling large areas, making furrows and inter-row cultivation.
Plows pulled by working animals are made of either a combination of metal and wood or pure metal.
They are used to til areas with a shallower depth than that of the disc plows which are pulled by
tractors
 NATIVE PLOW
Disc Plow

Harrow. The native wooden harrow is made of wood with a metal teeth and pulled by a carabao while
the disc harrow is made of metal mounted to a tractor. Harrows are used for tilling and pulverizing the
soil

Native wooden harrow

Rotavator. The rotavator is an impelement attached to a tractor and used for tilling and pulverizing the
soil
LO 2: Select and operate farm equipment; and

Common Farm Equipment

These are machineries used in horticultural operations especially in vegetable production.

Hand tractor is used to pull a plow and harrow in preparing a large area of land.
Four wheel tractor is used to pull disc plow and disc harrow in preparing much bigger area of land

Water pumps are used to draw irrigation water from a source.

LO 3. perform preventive maintenance.

PRE-OPERATIVE CHECK UP OF FARM TOOLS, IMPLEMENTS AND EQUIPMENTS

Imagine that the long, hot summer vacation has finally come to an end and it‘s the
beginning of the school year and you are ready to start working your vegetable gardens. But before that
let us check first our tools, implements and equipment you are going to use. Armed with your working
clothes and personal protective equipment (PPE). Proceed to the shop to retrieve your tools so that you
can start clearing away the last remnants of summer and begin breaking the soil for a new year. Imagine
your frustration as you start pulling out all of your tools to see that they are covered with rust and dirt
that has hardened and crusty globs of oil that have collected dust last vacation. It seems that you are
going to spend more time cleaning and repairing tools on this nice day than you will actually use them.

How to Clean Your Garden Tools:

Let‘s start with the basics. Your shovel, spade, hoe, or even the blades on a hedge trimmer
will be a lot easier to use if you take a few minutes to knock some of the rust off the blade. Not only will
this extend the life of the tool, but also it will cut through the soil better, and thus require less effort to
use, if it has a nice sharp blade. It is a good idea to keep a large whetstone in your shop. A whetstone is
an ideal tool to use to keep all of the cutting edges of your garden tools honed. It will work well on your
shovel, as well as many other common garden tools.
The best way to use the stone is to find a way to stabilize the tool that you want to work
on. A bench vise is ideal. You will be able to clamp the tool into place at an angle, so you can work on it.
Clamping the garden tool into place with a vise frees both of your hands to use the whetstone and gives
you more control over what you are doing.
Apply a little lubricating oil to the end of the tool and carefully begin to work the stone
over the blade. Maintain a 30-degree angle between the stone and the blade to form the ideal cutting
edge for your tool. Not only will the edge become sharper, but you will also be removing any pitting and
rust that has formed at the edge of your tool‘s blade.
In instances where the moving parts of your garden tools (such as with of any new
pruners, shears, and loppers) have frozen in place, like springs and pivot joints, you should disassemble
them first carefully break free any rust or dirt that may keep the tool from functioning properly. Clean
accumulated rust and dirt off all metal surfaces with a wire brush. Remove stubborn rust from small
tools with fine steel wool. Using an old toothbrush with some lightweight lubricating oil is a great way to
work fresh oil into the joints of most garden tools. Not only will this fresh oil helps your tool to work as it
was intended, but it will also prevent the formation of rust. Use medium-grit sandpaper to remove rust
on larger tools such as shovels, spades, and hoes.
Once your tools are cleaned, they're ready to be sharpened. When sharpening, try to
maintain the original factory bevel or angle. For pruners, use a whetstone because it produces a very
sharp cutting edge. Depending on the type of whetstone, apply a few drops of oil or water to the stone.
With the beveled side of the blade against the stone, rub the sharp edge of the blade toward the stone in
a curved motion, as if you were trying to shave off a thin slice from the stone.
When working with a file, stabilize the blades in a vise or against a solid surface such as
a work bench to avoid injury and ensure an even stroke. Always push the file across the blade in a motion
away from your body. Move the file diagonally, so that its cutting teeth are biting into the metal on the
tool. When sharpening with a file, do not use oil; metal filings will accumulate and clog the file's
serrations.
Farm implements like ordinary plow and wooden harrow should be checked thoroughly
before use. Loosened bolts and nuts should be tightened firmly. Disc plow and harrow should also be
lubricated on their moving parts like bearings. Tractors should be tuned-up very well by and skilled
operator. Checking on their oil, lubricant, fuel and cooling system.
 Tools that are worn out should be separated and be fixed immediately to avoid
accident.