Menu

Know How / Tools

News and reviews for farmers of useful farm workshop power tools. We have a range tests including grease guns, welders, impact drivers, timber processing kit and electric chainsaws. See our roundup of 20 handy workshop tools and gadgets which take the stress out of the most frustrating farm tasks.

Advice and tips

TOOLS

Top tips for chainsaw chain and guide bar maintenance

When a chainsaw is running on point, it will effortlessly buzz through a piece of timber while the operator gently guides it in the desired direction. This is very pleasing…

FARM MAINTENANCE

How to get a chainsaw's tired two-stroke engine to run

Two-stroke engines like regular use, so after a summer of languishing at the back of the workshop it should be no surprise if the old chainsaw is reluctant to start.…

MACHINERY

Tips for choosing the right SDS drill

No workshop is complete without a drill – but what sort of drill should it be? Andy Collings takes a look at SDS-drills to see what they can do and…

See all

Community

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2021: Stan Roberts’ ladder levelling device

Simple category third place Inventor Stan Roberts, who counts a clever tractor quick hitch among his list of creations, returns to this year’s Inventions Competition with his Stayball ladder levelling…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Competition 2021: Simon Eckley’s chick tray wash

Intermediate category runner-up Simon Eckley’s chick tray wash Poultry farmer Simon Eckley from Herefordshire designed and built a chick tray wash and disinfector to comply with tighter rules as a…

See all

Insights

TOOLS

Safest options for changing wheels and jacking machinery

Perching bottle jacks on timber blocks or using loader pallet tines to lift farm machinery ready for wheel removal may have been the standard practice of yesteryear, but today’s heavy…

See all

News

TOOLS

JF Hudson develops front-mounted storage boxes for tractors

North Yorkshire-based ag engineering firm JF Hudson has developed a front-mounted storage box that offers more capacity than a standard tractor toolbox and should save drivers the irritation of having…

TOOLS

Electric oil pump makes for mess-free lubricant top-ups

An Australian firm has come up with an ultra-clean means of filling engines with lubricants and coolant. Rather than the messy combination of manual pump, jugs and funnels, Macnaught’s garage-grade…

TOOLS

Aussie tool releases pressure in stubborn hydraulic pipes

Pressure build-up in hydraulic pipes can make hooking up implements a far more tedious task than it needs to be. To put an end to this irksome problem, Australian engineer…

TOOLS

Echo launches world’s first auto-choke chainsaw

A new auto-choke chainsaw has been introduced by Echo in a bid to prevent flooding the engine when trying to fire it up on a cold morning. See also: How to…

See all

Test and reviews

TOOLS

Makita v Milwaukee: Impact wrenches and combi drills tested

The latest generation of brushless combi drills and impact wrenches offer punchy power output in a compact package. Oliver Mark and James Andrews put high-spec 18V models from two of…

TOOLS

On test: Cold water pressure washers – which is best?

Having a decent, easily portable pressure washer about the farm is always handy but, increasingly, it seems that what you buy doesn't always measure up to expectations. We put five…

TOOLS

6 handy new tools for the farm

Several big companies have been busy launching new farm-friendly tools, including ZF with its clever do-it-yourself oil analysis kit, Karcher with a new-look pressure washer lance and Draper, which has…

TOOLS

Video: 20 handy workshop tools, gadgets and knick-knacks

Having the right tool, gadget or knick-knack at hand can take some stress out of the most frustrating farm tasks. Here the Farmers Weekly Machinery team presents 20 potential gems…

See all

Video

TOOLS

Video: 20 handy workshop tools, gadgets and knick-knacks

Having the right tool, gadget or knick-knack at hand can take some stress out of the most frustrating farm tasks. Here the Farmers Weekly Machinery team presents 20 potential gems…

MACHINERY

Video: Electric chainsaws on test

The test Bosch Husqvarna Makita Oregon Stihl Verdict All the main players in the world of woodcraft are now offering cordless, battery-powered chainsaws. But what’s wrong with a good two-stroke…

MACHINERY

Video: Farm torches on test

Torch technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the past few years. Emily Padfield and David Cousins gathered 15 torches on a snowy February evening in Warwickshire to…

MACHINERY

Video: 15 tools we wouldn't be without - part 3

Intro 12-240-Volt inverter Hole-saws Bearing fitting kit Auto-ranging multimeter We’ve been asking a few of our machinery-minded contributors to nominate their favourite get-out-of-a-fix bits of workshop kit. In part one,…

See all