Our Origins

Tools Design for Farm Efficiency

The Twine Ripper was originally designed by a Canadian prairie farmer in the early 1990’s who needed a tool to efficiently feed hay to their livestock throughout the winter. After many prototypes and trials, the Twine Ripper was born. This great bale knife has been a staple in our family’s chore tractors since the mid 90’s and used weekly in the winter months to feed our cattle hay and straw.

From feeding your cattle, llama, or horses to bedding your pigs and chickens, this knife performs effectively on twine, sisal, net wrap and plastic wrap. It boasts a durable, lightweight handle, bright plastic slide and replaceable blades.

We're the home of the Twine Ripper.

Meet the Team

Jessica Carlyon

I’m the current owner and maker of the twine ripper and am working on expanding Hired Hand Hardware’s lineup to include more tools to increase efficiency on farms.

I was born and raised on a mixed farm near Westlock, AB with cattle, horses and chickens. From hot summers baling hay to chipping ice off frozen bales, I’ve just about done it all. When I am not at my day job as an Agrologist, I enjoy participating in many sports, and many outdoor pursuits. I find connecting and building relationships with farmers from across the prairies very rewarding and invigorating. I love sharing stories and learning how other farmers overcome or tackle the challenges of farming.

My family has been using the twine ripper for as long as I can remember. As all teenagers are, I was a little rebellious and thought I could find better ways to do things and sometimes I was right. Except in this case - I always come back to my handy twine ripper. My favourite selling feature? The auto-retractable blade, because safety shouldn’t hurt.