Equipment Rentals
As part of our Healthy Soils Program, we provide low-cost farm equipment rentals to farmers in Western Massachusetts. The equipment is available to farmers and gardeners within Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties. Rentals and delivery to Berkshire and Worcester county will be considered, dependent on equipment availability and location.
The equipment we have selected is designed to build soil health, through minimizing soil disturbance. The first piece of equipment we have purchased is an Esch No-Till Seed drill. You can find details on this piece of equipment below.
We are planning to offer more equipment over time, and welcome your suggestions on equipment that would be of greatest use to your operation.
To make a rental reservation, please contact Matthew Karas: (413) 362-4720, or MatthewHHCD@gmail.com
We ask that all farmers clean rented equipment prior to returning. Equipment that is returned dirty is subject to a $100 cleaning fee.
Delivery
Farmers are encouraged to pick up and drop off rental equipment, free of charge. The rental equipment is stored in South Deerfield, close to Route 116.
We offer delivery at a rate of $50 + $4/mile.
Esch 5605 No-Till Seed Drill
Available for Spring planting, pasture rejuvenation, mid-season interseeding and Fall cover-cropping or double cropping. The 5605 has 12 openers, with a planting width of 5’6″ and 5.5″ row spacing. The transport width is 8′ and weight is 3,900 lbs. Requires 40+HP Tractor.
Rental fee: $75 + $10/acre.
Jang JP-1 Push Seeder
Accurately singulates a wide variety of raw and pelletized seeds with quick change seed rollers and easy adjustments!
- Singulates and spaces small seeds; saving time and money
- Seed sizing gauge on hopper lid for ease of roller selection
- No wasted seeds – can work with small amount in hopper
- Uses special anti abrasion plastic rollers to prevent static electricity
Iconoclast Pro Tilther
This is a professional drill powered heavy duty tilther / cultivator built for the demands of daily use on today’s Small Intensive Market Farms.
- New with Lightweight Fiber handles
- Padded Steel Center Bracket with Clamping Feature
- Stainless Bottom Bracket with Locking and Extended Handle Positions
- Comes with the ProE Motor kit, so no drill necessary!
BCS Tractor and Attachments
The newest addition to our fleet of equipment! The BCS 779 walk-behind tractor with a rotary plow, 30″ power harrow, 30″ flail mower, and a subsoiler! Every attachment you need to break ground and prepare a seed bed, or to manage your garden & farm!
Rental Fee for BCS tractor, with all attachments:
- $100/1-day
- $275/3-day
- $400/5-day
To rent a single attachment:
- $35/day
- $90/3-day
- $125/5-day
Broadforks
We have two broadforks from Neversink Tools – The Goat, which is a larger two-handled fork with 5 tines, and the smaller Billy Goat with one adjustable handle and 4 tines.
Agtec Soil Penetrometer
This soil penetrometer is used to test the compaction levels of the soil. It has a detailed color coded gauge that lets you see the resistance of your soil based on how much pressure is needed to break through the soil. This unit features a dual gauge and 2 penetrometer tips so you can measure either 0-500 psi with the 3/4″ tip or 0-1000 psi with the 1/2″ tip. Soil resistance should be less than 200 but definitely not more than 400 psi.
Rental fee: Free of charge!
Berkshire Conservation District
Esch 5512 No-Till Seed Drill
The Esch 5512 is a 12′ seed drill designed for sowing larger acreage than the 5605. It has 5.5″ row spacing, and has a swing tongue that allows it to fold to 8’8″ for road transportation. Please visit BCD’s website to learn more and make a reservation: https://berkshireconservation.org/no-till-seeder-drill/