Forks and shovels for digging land in the garden

Shovel with oval holes

This tool is pretty easy to use. It is used for digging up garden plots - digging and loosening the soil.

How does it work

The shovel with oval holes has a small bucket, the size of which is 210 by 280 mm. The device has four narrow oval slots, thanks to which the soil does not stick to the shovel in lumps. The tool picks up large stones and plant roots well.

Advantages:

• Facilitates garden work. During digging, there is no need to constantly bend over to manually remove the stuck earth or what is in it;
• The shovel is lightweight, so the summer resident will be able to carry out long work without feeling tired.

About the device of a potato digger for a walk-behind tractor

As mentioned earlier, the walk-behind tractor is a fairly universal tool to facilitate the work of the farmer, but without additional attachments, it will simply gather dust in the garage until the next loosening of the earth, because the manufacturers of walk-behind tractors add only a cutter to the set of attachments. In order to use your unit to the maximum, you will have to buy additional equipment.

A walk-behind tractor equipped with various devices will be able to replace most manual labor tools, including digging up potatoes.

In the vastness of the Ukrainian lands, you can find factory-made diggers and do-it-yourself potato diggers (homemade). Despite the fact that the latter are more practical to our real conditions, because the "kulibins" know better the necessary requirements from a potato digger, but quite often "garage" models of mass production come across. Such diggers do not differ in the quality of assembly or metal, this is due to an attempt to reduce manufacturing costs. As a result, the joy from the low price very quickly turns into disappointment from the breakdown, while you will have to finish the digging with your own hands.

Due to close cooperation with dealers and users, factory diggers are becoming more and more perfect each time, while the service life has significantly increased, in contrast to the "garage" production.

You can choose one of two types of potato diggers:

The first type is an improved plow, along the edges of which there are special rods. Thanks to the rods that are spread apart on the sides, the potatoes are cleared of the ground and evenly laid on the soil surface. It should be remembered that the distance between the rods must necessarily be less than small potatoes.

The last version of diggers is capable of grabbing a wide strip of soil at a time, and unlike the lycopod tool, the tubers are not sprinkled, therefore such devices (potato diggers in the form of a cart) are widely used on walk-behind tractors: Kipor, Weima, Kama, Forte, Zirka, Zubr, Motor -Sich, MTZ, Neva, Centaur and other motoblocks from well-known manufacturers.

Potato diggers for heavy motoblocks (with water cooling) deserve special attention. Depending on the power of the walk-behind tractor, you can choose a digger with a working width from 300 to 600 mm, while the digging depth can be from 180 to 250 mm. Potato diggers showed themselves very well when digging tubers that were planted using a device for planting potatoes.

In our store "Agromekhanika" you will find various potato diggers for motoblocks, which will certainly suit your needs.We strongly do not recommend using handicraft, or non-certified tools, in order to avoid premature failure of your walk-behind tractor. We will always help you find the right model that will last a long time.

Shovel with oval holes

This device with holes is a convenient tool for working both in the garden and in personal plots. This device is used in the process of digging up potatoes and digging up the soil, loosening certain areas of the soil.

This unit is interesting in that it is equipped with a pointed bucket measuring 210 x 280 mm with narrow oval holes drilled in it. Due to these holes, clods of earth do not stick to the bucket, and when digging, large stones and roots are retained in it.

These features of the device significantly facilitate the work, since it is not necessary to often bend over and manually remove everything stuck from the bucket. In addition, due to the holes, the device has less weight, so when digging in large areas, the worker will be less tired.

Such a unit is convenient for digging a site with any kind of soil, since it simultaneously digs up and loosens the soil. The tool is made of hardened steel and has a protective anti-corrosion layer.

How to make a miracle shovel?

Making garden tools is often discussed on the forums of gardeners. All discussions boil down to the fact that you first need to make the main work surface. In the future, additional details are attached to it, which facilitate the work of the grower. It is suggested to study the following scheme:

• the width of the working surface of the shovel is 430 mm;
• blade length 300 mm;
• frame length 380 mm, rounded edges, at right angles to the sides;
• side length 800 mm;
• the frame is made from a corner or from a tube with a diameter of 40 mm;
• the height of the cutting depends on the height of the person;
• hinges are provided for attaching the frame to the handle; they are positioned 200 mm from the bottom edge.

It is proposed to start with the manufacture of the frame. Some adjust the handlebars of a bicycle for her. You can take a corner and bend it with the letter "P". At the bottom, a working canvas is attached to it.

For its manufacture, you will need a corner to which metal rods are joined by welding. Rod length 300 mm. The pitch between the rods is 50 mm. The result should be a wide pitchfork. They are fixed on the frame.

A stalk is attached to the main structure. It is better to provide loops for him to make the tool movable. Loops are attached at the base of the handle for an emphasis. A tube with a diameter of 50 mm and a length of 200 mm can serve as an emphasis.

A splitter frame can be attached to the main tool, on top of the working blade, to sift the soil. Before work, all connections are cleaned, lubricated. The rods can be sharpened to be able to work on the ground of any hardness.

To facilitate the work of the gardener, inventors are offering new tools. They are made on the basis of forks or shovels, which have a working surface in the form of a grid. Potato diggers are equipped with stops, soil breakers, a frame with which it is easy to control the operation of the shovel.

Equipment can be bought or made by hand, but this requires certain skills. Store inventory in a dry place. For him, it is recommended to provide vertical racks with hangers.

Forks with shovel tips

This tool resembles a pitchfork, but in addition to the located teeth, there is a bayonet on the edge of the tool. The last tooth is wide and quite sharp.

How does it work

The tool is popular for digging up heavy types of soil. The design of the device is made in such a way that when using it in the garden, a person does not need to make a lot of effort.Thanks to the last sharp bayonet, it easily enters the ground, missing all the other teeth of the functional tool.

Advantages:

• It is convenient to dig potatoes. While digging up a vegetable, the shovel retains it on itself, and passes the earth back into the hole. When working with such a pitchfork, there is absolutely no need to bend over in order to collect the crop and shovel off the adhering soil from it. Due to the correct design, the shovel performs this function by itself;
• Doesn't damage vegetables. Correct implementation of the structure, the risk of damaging the fruits growing in the ground, reduces to zero;
• A great option for the elderly. Quite often, pensioners work in the garden plots, who do not always have good health, and any summer cottage work cannot do without digging a garden. With a shovel-tip forks, you don't have to bend over or sit down. During work, only arms and shoulders are involved, the back is completely resting. For such people, this will be the best option, because you can easily perform a large amount of work, with the slightest fatigue.

Another device from the same series as "Mole", "Excavator" and "Plowman". In essence, these are also extended and hardened forks, but in this case also with support. Convenient for the elderly. Loosening occurs. Also suitable for digging up potatoes.

Appointment

Most of the purpose of the shovels is described above, but there are some models that are worth considering.

Trench shovel

The device is equipped with a rectangular blade with a pointed tip. With this design, you can easily clear the walls of a trench, well, cesspool and other similar structures without damaging them. An alternative method of application is uprooting plants with a large root system.

Bayonet shovel (or digging)

The main purpose of such a tool is to dig up soil. With such a device, the canvas can be formed in the shape of a square or be slightly curved, with a sharp tip. A tool with a flat blade in the shape of a square is used to dig in dense layers of earth. The curved shape is used for the same tasks as a garden shovel. The pointed tip is well suited for loose soil or planting.

Soviet shovel

The blade has a shape similar to that of a scoop, bent at a certain angle relative to the handle. Has folded edges for easy cleaning of pits. Suitable for additional work when using technology, mixing solutions.

Garden shovel

Serves as a bayonet and shovels. Excellent for digging medium-density soils, as well as for processing large areas of land.

Designed to perform work related to bulk materials.

Snow shovel

Has an enlarged bayonet. Products made from light types of materials (mainly plastic) are suitable for removing loose snow. For clearing wet or packed snow, specimens with an aluminum bayonet are suitable.

Pitchfork

Multipurpose version with angled teeth and a downward center of gravity. Thanks to this, the forks lie comfortably in the hands when carrying loads. They allow you to do almost any garden work, for example, loosening the soil for fertilizing.

Hand drill

A device made of two interconnected canvases. Suitable for digging holes for posts.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the so-called miracle shovels. These are tools with the function of loosening the earth. Due to the peculiarity of the structure, such devices, while digging, break clods of earth in parallel. The position of the handle is much higher, which allows digging while standing, thus making it easier to work with the tool.

These shovels are great for working in the garden. There are several of their modifications.

Potato digger - similar in shape to a pitchfork, but the principle of operation is slightly different.The tool makes the process easier and increases the digging speed. Such a device can be used to dig up various root crops (potatoes, carrots), seedlings.

Views

Miracle shovels 1-Plowman 2-Mole

Hand openers are classified according to the depth of ripping and the complexity of the mechanism. In the simplest models, there are only a pitchfork and a stop - you can make them yourself. But models with additional parts perform more complex work and the requirements for them are slightly different.

Conventional ones consist of working forks with a stop. They are able to somewhat facilitate labor on the ground, but one should not expect much from them. They will plow already well-groomed soil well, take some of the load off the worker, but will not be able to break up clods of earth, since they do not have a second segment with teeth. Nor should they hope that they will cope with the virgin lands. The soil will have to be loosened with a rake.

"Plowman" - well dig up and loosen the soil, piercing it to a depth of 15 cm. They do not require a lot of worker weight. This model already has a second segment of working forks, however, it will not cope with the virgin soil.

"Mole" - remove all the load from the back, which falls on the hands when pressing the handle of the shovel and on the legs when turning the ground. The penetration depth of the teeth is at least 25 cm. Working with this model is difficult at first, but it copes well with plowing. Can work on virgin soil.

Miracle shovels are produced by different manufacturers, so you need to choose a model made of high-quality material, designed for a long service life. Properly sharpened alloy steel forks is desirable, which are attached to the shovel by welding or hinges - the thread quickly looses.

If the model does not have a front stop, then the rear, replacing it, is attached to the second working forks, and in the model with a front stop, the handle is adjusted to the worker's height. The stop is movable and attached to the product frame.

When choosing a hand cultivator, you need to decide on its characteristics: the front stop adds weight and stability to the model. The width of the forks should not exceed 60 cm - the digging will lose its quality. The length of the teeth should fit into an interval of 2-3 cm, and the distance between them should not be more than 80 mm. Before purchasing a thing, you need to make sure that the fasteners are strong.

What should be a shovel for digging potatoes

Experienced gardeners prefer products, the canvas of which is not made of a solid sheet of metal, but with gaps, holes and slots.

Main parameters:

• bucket size - 210x280 mm;
• four oval or oblong slits.

Advantages:

• such a shovel is lighter, and therefore working with it requires less effort;
• there is no need to regularly clean the blade from adhering lumps of soil and weed roots;
• it is a multifunctional device that performs several tasks at the same time.

Working blades in such products are made of high quality steel treated with special anti-corrosion agents.

Functions

The tool performs several important functions at once:

• digging up the earth, digging tubers;
• loosening the soil;
• separation of the root system, stones;
• cleaning tubers from soil;
• suitable for digging carrots, beets and other root crops.

Some farmers use a combination shovel-fork. The upper part of the blade (from the handle to the middle) consists of teeth, and the lower part is the tip of the shovel. The unusual design is easy to use and has functionality similar to lightweight shovels.

Garden ripper "Mole"

This is perhaps the most famous invention of recent years. We have already written about the mole shovel on the site. So you can read in more detail about the device and technology of digging there. In the meantime, I advise you to watch the video "Mole" in action, at least a threefold gain in time and quality. But they already wrote to me that this invention is not suitable for all types of soil, and besides, the weight of the device is not for everyone.

The Miracle Ripper "Digger" consists of two shank pitchforks and a ripper. The ripper is equipped with a foot support. The two cuttings at the top are connected to each other and allow you to adjust the height of the cuttings to suit your growth. The double handle allows the unit driven into the soil to simply pull towards itself, without spending the efforts of the back muscles on lifting and dumping the soil.

Miracle shovels "Krot" and "Krot-B", "Plowman" differ from the "Excavator" in individual details - the device and type of handle (metal, solid, rounded), the width of the grasp of the soil (25-40 cm), the depth of digging 15- 30 cm), but have the same advantages. They all work on the principle of double pitchforks moving through one another. They loosen the soil without turning the layer.

Miracle shovels "Legkokop" and "Digger" are options for digging up light crumbly soils. They have a wider working part, it is forked with a working width of up to 60 cm, fixed on the handle. On the top of the bayonet there is a crossbar for resting on the bayonet with both hands. When you press on the bar with your foot, the double forks move towards each other and break up lumps, which easily crumble under the pressure of the foot.

Varieties of shovels for digging land in the garden and in the garden

A bayonet shovel is intended for digging the ground, which is a tray (bayonet) attached to the handle at an angle of 180 °. The range of these garden tools is quite wide, they differ in several parameters.

The land in the garden and in the garden is usually dug with a bayonet shovel

Blade material

The working part of the shovel (bayonet, blade, blade, tray) can be made of various materials:

• Low carbon steel. The most common and inexpensive option, very much in demand among gardeners. The steel blade has a lot of weight, low bending resistance, rusts a lot and therefore is not durable. Easy to sharpen. The tool is strong enough and suitable for all soils, especially for heavy ones, but damp earth adheres well to it.

• Teflon coated steel, painted or galvanized. A more expensive modification of the previous material, on which wet soil sticks less. The coating reduces friction but is not durable.

• Stainless steel. The blade is more resistant to fracture, does not corrode, and is durable. It weighs a little less than an ordinary steel tool, but quite often you come across a low-quality product (stainless steel is thin and soft), which is not suitable for serious loads. It is inexpensive.

• Titanium and its alloys with aluminum. Lightweight, high strength and absolutely stainless steel tool. The earth almost does not stick to it, but the blade does not bend at all and breaks with serious exertion. More suitable for digging already worked areas (not virgin lands). It's hard to sharpen. A significant disadvantage is the high price.

• Rail (spring) steel. High alloy steel is strong, flexible and resilient. The blade is capable of carrying heavy loads, ideal for working with heavy, dense soils. The disadvantages include the high cost and high weight.

From personal experience, I can say that titanium shovels are the most convenient, but also expensive. It is impossible to leave such a tool unattended for a long time, since it attracts various lovers to rummage around in summer cottages and household plots.

To reduce weight, holes are cut in the bayonet

Video: choosing a shovel by sound

Blade shape

The shape of the working part of the shovels are:

• classic rounded blade, suitable for clay and hard soils;

• rectangular blade suitable for sandy and loose soil;

• a specialized repeatedly sharpened blade with teeth, visually resembling a saw - for virgin lands and earth densely penetrated by plant roots;

• pointed (triangular) shovel with sharply sharpened blade edges - suitable for any soil.

The American shovel is a cross between a pick-up shovel and a bayonet shovel.

Handle material

The shovel holder, that is, the handle, can be made from the following materials:

• Wood. Various types of wood are used (pine, ash, birch, aspen, etc.). Lightweight, easy to work and sandable material, but not very durable. Wood cuttings are sometimes painted or varnished.

• Aluminum. The non-corrosive, lightweight and durable aluminum handle is expensive.

• Carbon fiber. The fiberglass shank is expensive, but very strong, durable and lightweight.

• Plastic. Lightweight, but fragile and fragile material.

• Steel. A hollow metal tube that has a decent weight and heats up in sub-zero temperatures.

Telescopic handles are not too durable

dimensions

The dimensions of the working blade can vary in the following ranges:

• width - 180-210 mm;
• length - 335–405 mm.

The shovel bayonet can be of different sizes

The height of the cutting is most often from 110 to 160 cm.

Alternative tools

Alternative tools for digging potatoes have been developed based on standard tools. They are called potato diggers. They are a cross between a shovel and a pitchfork.

It is proposed to consider an instrument created by a group of scientists led by Boris Kozmenko. A shovel for digging potatoes is the following scheme:

• the handle is attached to the working blade;
• the canvas is a lattice; the rods are located at a certain pitch;
• the lower part is a small, wide bayonet made with a wedge;
• at the base of the working blade there is an emphasis, which is a simple structure; a metal triangle at right angles to the handle and a tube that is perpendicular to the triangle.

The shovel Kozmenko is recommended to be used for soil of any hardness. The working blade is placed from the stem at a distance of 30 cm, push it with the foot until it stops. The handle is moved towards itself, lifting the potato tubers. Raise the roots and lay them on the surface of the beds.

A grate on a shovel sifts the ground. Only tubers, tops and grass, if any, remain on the working surface. Potato digger Kozmenko facilitates work in the garden, reduces the time for harvesting root crops. During work, the load on the back is significantly reduced.

Some potato diggers are called miracle shovels. They increasingly began to be purchased in specialized stores. Experienced gardeners make tools with their own hands. What is a miracle shovel:

The miracle shovel has many advantages. It allows you to dig out potatoes, regardless of the hardness of the soil. The tool saves time, reduces stress on the worker's back. It is used not only for digging root crops, but also for preparing the soil in the autumn, for loosening the soil.

The miracle shovel has various modifications. Attachments for digging potatoes are attached to the main structure, which facilitate the work of the gardener. One such device is a mesh frame. It sits on top of the work surface. The miracle shovel was named "Plowman". How to use it:

1. have a working canvas near the bush;
2. pushed into the ground with your foot. At the same time, the frame with the net remains on the ground surface;
3. the emphasis does not allow the shovel to go too deep into the soil;
4. using a frame that moves away from the working surface, they get the tubers;
5. the mesh on the ground traps the ground.Only tubers rise to the surface of the bed.

When working, they use one more tool - a rotary pitchfork. With their help, they dig out not only potatoes, but also other root crops, loosen the soil, and carry out hilling. In this case, a little effort is expended, the load on the back is minimal. What is the tool:

• the pitchfork has a wide blade;
• the handle is attached to the side, not centered like a standard working tool;
• the pitchfork can be rotated;
• use them for any soil. The pitchfork is pushed into the ground. They pull the handle towards themselves to get the tubers, raise the tool, turning the potatoes onto the surface of the garden. In this case, the entire earth is sieved. Only tubers with tops remain on the garden bed, but it is recommended to cut it off.

Tools are offered in many specialized stores in Moscow and other cities. Their cost is from 800 rubles. Alternative potato diggers cost from 1.2 thousand rubles. Some gardeners prefer to make their own tools.

Views

The design of the miracle shovel for digging and loosening the earth can be different. For example, not all models are equipped with a front stop. On the one hand, this is good, since this type of structure is less bulky and its weight is reduced. But on the other hand, the absence of a front stop ensures the stability of the tool.

Conventionally, the models can be classified into ordinary ones, the options "Plowman" and "Mole". As a rule, most modifications of the first type are performed at home. It is these varieties that do not have a front stop. The disadvantages of products of this type include the need for frequent tillage, since they do not solve the problem with heaps of land. Such tools are suitable mainly for black soil.

The Plowman modifications were developed with the option of loosening the soil. The bayonet length range on average varies from 10 to 15 cm. This is convenient because it allows you to work on different types of soil. The bayonet slides into the ground with ease, regardless of the user's weight.

The Mole variants are characterized by a longer bayonet length. It is about 25 cm long and is designed for deep digging of the earth. The potholes can be used immediately for planting garden crops. However, some effort is already required to work with this tool. This will be especially noticeable if you have to cultivate fairly compacted soil or alumina.

It is possible to use such devices for digging up land for planting potatoes only in regions of the country where the soil is black earth and freezes by no more than 5-10 cm. For a more severe climate, such a bayonet length is not enough. Therefore, the shovel will not be able to process the soil with high quality, which is bad for high-quality soil renewal and ensuring a good harvest.

Regarding the mountings, it is worth noting: for modifications without a front stop, the back stop is welded to the comb of the second forks. In modifications of "diggers" the handle is adjusted. It is attached with two bolts, and you need to select the height for the height of a particular person. The stop for such models is movable, attached to the frame. Easy-digging analogs are distinguished by the roundness of the stops and the arched unregulated handle.

As for the miracle snow shovels, such models are designs with an oval-type auger. They come in one and two stages. One-stage modifications have a screw operating in constant frequency mode. Two-stage analogs function with the capture of snow by the auger and its ejection through a special device driven by a rotor.

Electrical devices

An inexperienced person may be surprised how a shovel can be electric, and what is common between an electric and an ordinary device.

If we talk about appearance, then there is practically no commonality between a typical snow shovel and an electric unit, if you do not take into account the long telescopic handle (a similar option can be found with a hand scoop).This holder allows you to work without leaning too much. However, the difference is big.

It is difficult to find a shovel, the working surface of which is not a plane, but an auger, which could be replaced with a brush for cleaning tiled paths from dust and dirt in warm weather. To some extent, it can also be considered the working plane of a shovel, at least, its purpose is the same - to throw snow aside, but the performance of automation is incomparable with muscle strength.

The shovel with an electric motor is capable of throwing snow from private paths at a distance of up to ten meters, while the cleaning speed reaches 136 kg / min. As you can see, even the most agile and strong person cannot bring such results.

In conclusion, we note that on the modern market there are a variety of shovels for digging the ground, as well as other solutions to facilitate the work of gardeners and gardeners:

• electrical;
• mechanical;
• manual;
• prefabricated;
• homemade;
• cheap;
• expensive.

In any case, our contemporaries - lovers of garden land work - will in no case be left without tools that would greatly facilitate their work. Anyone can choose a tool for themselves both for their intended purpose and for their pocket.

A hand-held cultivator that saves you hard work

The miracle shovel is a combination of the ripper and the most common forks.

The components of this ingenious tool are extremely simple:

• A handle that controls a shovel.
• Front and back stops for stability.

• Fasteners connecting all parts.
• Forks for loosening.
• Digging pitchfork.

The forks are connected in such a way as to move towards each other and close like a lock, and there are stop mechanisms on the sides. The simple device of the novelty of technology allows you to easily break up clods of earth, greatly simplifying and facilitating work in the garden. The emphasis is placed on the forks of the tool, which perform the main function.

The miracle shovel plows the ground shallowly (up to 20 cm), which makes it simply an irreplaceable device. With its help, you can take care of both large and small areas, even complex soil is subject to it. She does not have a conventional bayonet shovel, which means that monotonous digging in a bent position is excluded. Moreover, the handle of the tool is generally at shoulder height and does not provide for inclinations in principle.

The hand-held cultivator not only loosens and breaks the soil, but also pulls out the roots of the weeds. With it, roots and potatoes are easily removed without damaging their integrity.

Expert opinion
Vasily Kuznetsov

The miracle shovel was invented and patented in our country. It is believed that one priest invented it, and businessman A.N. Bessonov. These products are manufactured in Chelyabinsk, at the Mezon plant, and Volber developed the Krota.