Blog

Here at Tractor Tools Direct, we receive many inquiries about sickle bar mowers. While at one time we included them in our inventory, we stopped supplying them in 2021. This blog will discuss the reasons why and include details on drum mowers – mowers we have found to be superior to sickle bar mowers and much better matches for our customers’ needs, especially in the hay field.Sickle bar mowers, though their design is a bit antiquated, do have a place on a small farm. As the first mechanical hay …

“What is a lift kit, and why might I need one?” This is a question we get here at Tractor Tools Direct quite often when communicating with customers. This blog will answer that question.First, what is a lift kit?A lift kit consists of spacers, bolts, and skid plates that raise the cutting height of a drum mower by roughly an inch to an inch-and-a-half depending upon the model. With simple installation, the kit bolts to the underside of each drum and essentially raises the height of the entire ma …

In order to keep the best products at the best prices stocked and ready to ship from our warehouse at all times, it is important for our company to maintain good working relationships with our manufacturing partners. In mid November, TTD owner and president, Pat Goodwin, attended EIMA–the International Exposition of Machinery for Agriculture and Gardening–in Bologna, Italy where he met with vendors of our Italian-made implements. Read on to learn about this experience and what it means for Tract …

We LOVE hearing from our customers! Here is what Jim from MD has been up to: “We are located in the northern part of Maryland. We currently have nearly 10 acres, almost four acres in mixed grass hay; the remainder is in pasture/woodlands. As for our hay crop, it serves to feed a small herd of fainting goats (claimed by my wife, primarily pets... and quite spoiled!). Because of storage space and a time crunch (associated with incoming storms during the first cutting, 56 bales were given to …

Here at Tractor Tools Direct we field quite a few phone calls, chats, and emails asking about different types of mowers and their uses. This blog will discuss the differences between the two types of mowers we carry–drum mowers and flail mowers–and explain why they are not interchangeable. They definitely have very different uses on a small farm. A drum mower is a hay mower. Its purpose is to cut the stem of a crop at its base leaving the cut plant as unscathed and complete as possible. …