10 Hobby Farm Tractor Implements That Earn Their Keep in WA

Slashers, post hole diggers, carry-alls, pallet forks – on a WA small acreage, the right hobby farm machinery does more work in a year than the tractor itself. Below are the ten tractor implements that earn their keep on a real block: the ones lifestyle property owners come back for after every pasture flush, every fence rebuild, every fire season. Ranked by how often they actually get used, not by how they look in a brochure.

Ten Tractor Implements That Run Most WA Small Acreages

There’s no single “right” hobby farm equipment list, but the implements below are the ones we see small-acreage owners come back for time and again. Most are 3PL-mounted, all fit Category 1 tractors in the 20-80hp range, and each solves a job (or several) that often can’t really be done well with anything else.

1. Slasher

A tractor slasher is the most common piece of hobby farm equipment in Australia, and the first implement most small-acreage owners buy. It cuts long grass, manages weeds, and keeps firebreaks clear ahead of summer. A 4 to 6 foot slasher suits most compact and mid-sized tractors, and on a WA block, it’ll see action year-round managing fast spring growth, summer firebreak prep, and tidying up after the autumn break.

2. Post Hole Digger

Fencing is a never-ending job on a small acreage. A 3PL-mounted post hole digger turns a half-day fencing slog into an hour, and pays for itself the first time you replace a paddock line or yard. Auger sizes typically range from 6 to 12 inches, covering strainer posts, gate posts, and standard line posts. Match the auger size to the post and the soil type – rocky WA ground will eat smaller augers fast.

3. Carry-All

A 5ft or 6ft tractor carry-all is the workhorse no one talks about. It mounts to the 3-point linkage and gives you a flat tray for hauling fence posts, feed bags, water tanks, hand tools, firewood, or whatever the day calls for. On a property with no ute access to certain paddocks, a carry-all replaces a dozen trips and saves the back.

4. Pallet Forks

Pallet forks turn a tractor into a small forklift. They’re indispensable for moving feed pallets, hay, fertiliser bags, or anything else that arrives stacked. Front-end loader pallet forks suit most jobs around the shed, while 3PL-mounted forks work well for heavier rear lifting. Either option is faster, safer, and cheaper than hiring a forklift for every delivery.

5. Rotary Hoe

A rotary hoe is the implement to reach for when you’re preparing a vegetable patch, a small crop area, or a fresh seedbed. It tills, breaks up clods, and leaves a workable surface in a single pass. For smallholders establishing pasture, a market garden, or a paddock for hay, a rotary hoe matched to a 30 to 60hp tractor saves hours of hand work.

6. Stick Rake

Stick rakes clear scrub, sticks, fallen branches and surface debris without disturbing the topsoil. They’re particularly handy on WA blocks with native bush, marri leaf litter or post-storm cleanup. Mounted to the 3PL and reversed across paddocks, a stick rake leaves the ground clean and ready for slashing, seeding or pasture work.

7. Single Ripper Tine

A single ripper tine breaks up compacted ground, prepares trenches for irrigation lines or services, and lifts buried rocks. On WA small acreages with sandy or gravel soils, a ripper tine is the easiest way to open up compacted paddocks before seeding, or to dig a service trench without hiring a machine.

8. Fertiliser Spreader

A 3PL fertiliser spreader gives you even, controlled application across paddocks, pastures and crops. For lifestyle property owners moving past hand-spreading or knapsack work, a tractor spreader cuts the time on a 5- to 10-hectare block from a full day to under an hour. Most compact units hold 200 to 600 litres, which is plenty for a typical small-acreage round.

9. Bale Spear or Bale Grab

If you keep livestock, you’ll move hay. Bale spears mount to the 3PL or front-end loader and lift round bales cleanly without splitting them open. Bale grabs handle square bales the same way. Either is faster and safer than rolling, dragging, or trying to manhandle bales by hand, and both protect your back and the quality of the hay.

10. Boom Spray

A tractor boom spray is the most efficient way to manage weeds, knock back summer grass before fire season, and apply broad-acre treatments across larger paddocks. Tank sizes from 200 to 600 litres suit most compact tractor setups. In WA, where summer fire risk is real, a boom spray on hand is part of being a good and responsible neighbour.

How to Match Your Tractor With the Right Hobby Farm Machinery

Before buying any hobby farm tractor implements, check three things on your tractor:

1. The three-point linkage category
2. The PTO (power take-off) speed
3. The available horsepower

Most compact and mid-sized tractors used on small farms in Australia run a Category 1 (Cat 1) 3-point linkage, a 540rpm PTO, and sit between 20 and 80 horsepower. AgKing implements are designed to fit this exact bracket, which covers the full AgKing tractor range plus most other compact tractors used on small acreages.

Horsepower is the biggest constraint on what you can run safely. A 25hp sub-compact will happily handle a 4-foot slasher, a post hole digger, pallet forks and a small carry-all. By the time you step up to 50hp and beyond, you can add disc harrows, larger slashers, rotary hoes and heavier earth-moving gear. Buying an implement that’s too big for your tractor is the most common mistake new owners make – it stresses the hydraulics, chews fuel, and leaves the implement under-driven.

Choosing the Right Hobby Farm Equipment for WA Conditions

Hobby farm machinery on a WA block has to handle a specific set of conditions. Sandy and gravel soils across the South West and Wheatbelt put extra wear on tilling and ripping gear, so pick implements with replaceable tines and hard-wearing tips. Long, dry summers and a serious bushfire season make slashers, boom sprays and stick rakes priority gear from October through March. Properties on the urban fringes of Perth often have tight access through gates and around buildings, which favours compact 4 to 5-foot implements over wider ones.

Build a kit that handles the seasons rather than chasing every implement at once. A slasher, a post hole digger, a carry-all and pallet forks will cover 80% of jobs on most WA small acreages in year one. Add the rest as the work demands it.