Handy Trailer & Towing Accessories

Fall of 2021 we were getting ready to pickup a new cow for a friend. After we hooked up the trailer and were checking everything we discovered that the puppy had chewed through the wiring harness on the trailer and we didn’t have any trailer lights. I ran to town and picked up some wired trailer lights. I have used them before and they are just barely long enough for our livestock trailer. I installed them and went into the house to grab a drink. 60 seconds later I came out of the house the puppy had chewed the wire on the new temporary trailer lights! Anyway while I was at Harbor Freight I noticed a set of battery powered wireless lights. I ran back to town and grabbed them and a set of battery powered running lights.

Wired Trailer Lights

This is what I typically had around the farm for when the trailers had light issues. They are an excellent economical solution to have on hand. The magnets aren’t as strong as I like though. They also are barely wide enough for some of the trailers and are only 20ft long so they don’t work on a trailer longer than 16ft.

I wish I got these years ago. They do cost a lot but I have gone through several of the wired ones in that timeframe. Something always seems to happen. Eventually they fall off and get damaged or the wires drag (Or a dog chews them :) These ones have really strong magnets and haven’t budged even though we have hit some huge potholes! My favorite part is that I don’t have to worry about the animals getting tangled in the wires like with the old versions.

Con’s: They are battery powered and sometimes will lose their power even if they are turned off. I leave them plugged in and just unplug them when they are needed. They will last at least 10 hours of use. One other issue is they don’t have running lights, just turn signals. You need to purchase running lights separately. See below.

These running lights have worked great. we use two of them in conjunction with the wireless trailer lights or just as an emergency backup.

You should always check your trailer lights before going on a drive. When there is an issue this tester helps determine whether the problem is on the car or the trailer.

You don’t want to be stuck at the side of the road but just in case it is a really good idea to have some safety gear on hand. This is DOT approved and helps to make sure cars have time to move over while you are working on the vehicle or just waiting for the tow truck.

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Homesteading Suppliers & Savings!

It can be hard to find supplies for your homestead. Here are some of the places we use.

Seeds Now

A natural source for heritage seeds with hundreds of varieties in stock!

Amazon

This is one of the larges stores so it must be included. We prefer to support small companies when possible. However there are many times where Amazon’s fast shipping is super handy for a fast project. They do let individuals sell products on their website but as soon as someone starts to make money off a product Amazon goes and undercuts them.

eBay

eBay is the main online store we use. It started out as an auction site but now is mostly buy it now like Amazon. They have increased their fees for sellers but they are still quite reasonable. Most importantly they do not compete with the sellers on their platform. This allows us to support small businesses by purchasing on eBay. They have a huge selection of supplies but there are some specialty products that really should be purchased elsewhere.

Coupon: SAVINGSFORMOM Offer Details: 15% off select purchases, $200 max discount, 2x use; Starts: 4/25/22 at 5:00 am PT; Ends: 5/1/22 at 11:59 pm PT

Milwaukee Tools on Ebay. Use this coupon to get up to 65% off! Expires 3-21-23

Up to 50% off Apple Products + Free Shipping. Expires 11-1-22

Shop Supplies & Equipment 12-31-22

Up to 30% off Cameras & Accessories 12-31-22

Up to 50% off refurbished Samsung 9-28-24

Up to 50% off direct from Lenovo 2-1-23

Up to 40% off Lenovo 6-21-22

Home & Garden Tools under $200 6-1-22

Refurbished Tech plus 1 year warranty 7-31-25

Personal Electronics up to 40% off 1-1-23

Up to 30% off Dell 1-1-23

Up to 40% off Tools and Equipment 1-1-23

Up to 60% off like new electronics with 2 year warranty. 5-31-26

Up to 30% off kitchenware 1-1-23

Up to 60% off tools 5-1-22

Ebay Refurbished Acer 5-30-25

Tractor Supply:

This is one of the 2 local farm stores we use through the year. They have a basic array of supplies and parts available right in the store. Animal feed & medicine, fencing supplies, hand tools, and basic farm equipment maintenance. They have reasonable prices on their nuts and bolts as well.

Fleet Farm & Blains Farm & Fleet:

This is another local farm store. Great place to purchase small quantities of feed for the hobby farmer. They also have livestock supplies, medicines, tools, fencing & construction supplies. Pretty much a larger version of Tractor Supply with a much larger variety of supplies.

Lehmans:

Lehmans has been a great source for specialty homesteading equipment & supplies. Especially for those old fashion style tools.

Home Depot:

A great source of quality tools and construction supplies. I really like the Rigid & Milwaukie battery powered tool sets.

Harbor Freight:

Excellent variety of tools and gadgets every guy would like around the house with excellent prices. Some of them aren’t the greatest quality but they have a great exchange/return policy to make up for it.

25% off coupon: Expires 5-5-22

Harbor Freight Coupons

Northern Tool:

More quality and higher prices. If it is something you are going to use really heavily this is the place to go.









Note: When you click links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission.

Solar Generator Kits

Solar Generator Kits

Want to be prepared anything? The world runs on Energy and it only takes one thing going wrong to put a monkey wrench in everyone’s life. It could be an electric crisis like in Texas or a fuel crisis due to Russia or a natural disaster. Here are two kits that will ensure you always have a source of energy to run your furnace, freezers and lights as well as much much more.

Heating Our Farm Store in Minnesota

Minnesota winters can get rather cold. It isn’t uncommon to go below -20F where we live in Isanti, MN. Yet with all the farm products in our store we needed some kind of economical heater to keep things from freezing. Eventually we settled on a diesel heater. After the terrible problems TX had with the power shortage we decided to purchase a few extra just in case. That way if we lose power we can still keep the house from freezing with these portable heaters.

Milk Safety, Our Dairy Testing System!

Milk Safety, Our Dairy Testing System!

Like the idea of natural raw milk but want to be sure it is safe? You are not alone. When we started our micro-dairy farm the first step was setting up a small milk testing lab. This helped us determine the optimal cleaning process and make sure we had eliminated sources of contamination. If you wish to enjoy raw dairy with piece of mind I recommend setting up your own lab and making sure your processes are sufficient too.

5 Tasty Treats Made With Maple Syrup

5 Tasty Treats Made With Maple Syrup

Cooking healthy for picky kids is tough. Try a husband with a sweet tooth! When we began making maple syrup a few years ago, I started looking for ways to substitute sugar in recipes. And guess what! Maple syrup is more than a topping for pancakes or Dad’s vanilla ice cream. Some of these recipes have become my regular go-to’s. Even picky dads enjoy these maple syrup recipes!

Babies on the Farm

Babies on the Farm

Spring is full of new life and is certainly a busy season on the farm. There’s lots of planting, growing, and birthing going on. This means that there are lots of cute farm babies to look at! And one simply can’t let all this cuteness go un-shared! So, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!