Alternative digging Tools

Fred's guide to unusual and rare digging tools

Updated 14th April 2013

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Its back! - The Terrex Spade Returns!

The obsolete Wolf Terrex Autospade has a replacement from a new company and has been improved with stronger components and the availability of a fork head AND Stainless steel spade head!

After many years absence the incredible autospade has been revived and is available now for UK delivery

The new version  is known as the backsaver (for obvious reasons)  and is available with a carbon steel or a stainless steel spade head. It also has stronger springs than the original Wolf Terex Autospade

 

 

 

 

 

This excellent tool is used for digging over open soil and enables larger areas to be dug without the user having to bend or strain.

It was developed around 40 years ago and was very popular with allotment holders and vegetable growers. Although it is a spade it is not suitable for digging planting holes or shovelling.

A special technique is used which requires a shallow trench to be dug first across the width of your plot. Then you start behind the trench and flip the soil into the trench using the lever and spring to do the hard work. As you work backwards you will also be digging the next trench.

TOP TIP FOR BACKSAVER AND TERREX AUTOSPADE USERS!

 

 

 

 

To prolong the lifespan of the small spring it is necessary to unhook it when you store the spade to prevent it weakening. This job can be difficult on your fingers and they can get trapped.

Fredshed reader Phil Clements came up with this great idea of using 2 cable ties to pull the spring on and off. He leaves it in place and ready to go. If you have any clever ideas you want to share with others please mail them in.

 

 

BUY A BACKSAVER SPADE - BEST PRICES

Please use links below for paypal or cards via paypal.

Please mail me if you prefer to send a cheque or pay by bacs

 

Carbon Steel backsaver (autospade )

with free fork - was £96 inc mainland UK delivery

Please remember to include a contact number and any special instructions regarding delivery

mail me separately if necessary as this info is required before dispatch

fred@fredshed.com

 

 

Stainless Spade Backsaver

with free carbon steel fork

& UK mainland delivery

£106

Please remember to include a contact number and any special instructions regarding delivery

mail me separately if necessary as this info is required before dispatch

Please remember to include a contact number and any special instructions regarding delivery

fred@fredshed.com

 

 

I sell 2 versions of this spade

Stainless steel (as shown)

or  carbon steel

My friend John Smith - the redeveloper of the new autospade

(STAINLESS STEEL VERSION SHOWN)

John and I have now sold hundreds of these new spades over the last 2 years and I am pleased to say they are performing as well as the old model and apart from one split plastic grip and a badly drilled bolt hole there have been no quality issues with this product.

Autospade Tip

Remember to release the small spring when you store your spade as this will make it last longer!

 

Backaver Garden Tool and

Wolf Terrex Autospade Spares

The main problem with an old autospade is likely to be broken springs which are more likely to occur if you dig into the soil without making a trench first.

The good news is that the parts for the new version  also fit the original version

Terrex Autospade spares - mail sales@backsavergardentools.co.uk   for details and say you came from Fredshed

 

 

 

 MAIL ME  FOR ALL AUTOSPADE SPARES

 

 

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Solar Garden Lights

 

Top Tips This Month

Buy Seeds and Plants Online

Garden centres have huge overheads and consequently are relatively expensive places to buy plants compared to the internet.

You do have the advantage of being able to see the plants first but this is often outweighed by the fact you will likely come home with some other expensive tat you didn't really want - like candles, pickled walnuts and a plastic eagle owl.

Use the links below to check the price of plants and seeds from my partner sites. These people are the best on the net and have to be well organised to retain their reputation.

 It will all be delivered to your door, well packaged and ready for planting!"

 Click here to find, plants, trees and shrubs to buy online

find any flower seed online

click to buy any vegetable seed online

 

 

Mattocks, Picks and Azadas

Best Tools For Digging Stony Ground and Removing Roots

Most people will use a fork or spade to try to remove large roots or rocks from soil and the most likely result of this is a broken tool. Over the last 10 years I have received hundreds of e-mails from readers who have broken their tools by using them inappropriately. Forks and spades were actually designed for digging SOIL and even the strongest of these tools can be broken if you lever it against an immovable object.

There are much better tools than forks and spades for removing roots, stumps and rocks. Also they are relatively cheap and will save you a fortune in broken tools and time and effort too.

The Mattock is an incredibly strong tool that uses gravity to break into the soil. It origins go back thousands of years when primitive man used animal bones to dig and variations have been found through all ages and parts of the world.

Apart from digging holes, and moving soil this tool is fantastic at clearing weeds and removing smaller root systems.

Available in a range of sizes and qualities from many manufacturers. .

If you are removing large roots or breaking stony soil buy a proper pickaxe, or the specialist root digger shown below. So many people try to lever out roots and stones with their fork or spade which will most likely cause it to bend or break. The big red metal bar shown right is the best tool for levering out roots and stones. However, if you have not cut the roots properly even this wont work so make sure you have all the roots cuts before you lever. Having the right tool for the right job makes work more enjoyable and saves time too.

 

A wooden pick axe handle should last years but if you want the ultimate strength and a material not effected by heat and moisture

then buy the roughneck fibreglass handled Mattock axe using the link in the box above.

 

The Faithfull digging bar or pry bar will save your fork and spade from destruction.

The Silverline digging bar has a flat end for your hand and tamping down

Use a root digger and pry bar for deep work when removing stumps and large roots

( the Silverline root digger could be a bit sharper so you might want to put a grinder or stone over it)

 

 

 

 

A Mattock like this is the best tool to move roots and rocks

a pry bar and root digger may help too.

Pick axe, Pry Bar and Root Digger

 

 

 

Another Option for a lightweight mattock 

The Pull Spork is seriously mean to weeds but kind to your back. It was invented by my friend from Oxford, Robert Todd and is manufactured in Holland by DeWit tools who also make my Stealth weeder.

Also known as the long handled Mattock Spork

Buy Spork Garden Tools from Fred's recommended supplier

The small Mattock below is very light and has great reviews from many readers.

The head is not fixed in the handle but this is normal for tools of this type.

 

 

 

Stainless steel Mattock & Fork

 

This new hand forged tool from Holland has to be the Rolls Royce of Mattocks. Using the skills developed by their grandfather, the Sneeboer family have crafted this impressive tool from high quality stainless steel and ash.

As you can imagine it is not cheap but will be the pride of your shed and in my opinion is also a work of art!

click here for more details of the Sneeboer mattock&fork

(This tool costs over £50)

 

total length 59 inches (very long)

 

 

 Powerful - Low Cost Electric Cultivator

This simple and well made Rotovator was designed by my friend John to make working your allotment or large vegetable patch easier.

Petrol powered rotovators can be hard to manage and difficult to start and up to now their electric cousins were the lacking power to tackle larger areas.

10 years ago I tested the AL-KO electric tiller which was ok for light work in small areas of good soil. If your soil contained stones or any small roots it would struggle and its small blades could only till a depth of 4 inches.

The Sherpa has a 1300w motor and is simple to use and maintain. it comes with a 33ft cable and can dig down to 10 inches with its 4 large blades.

It is ideal for people who have an already established cultivated area but find it difficult to dig it over. Electric tillers are not suitable for clearing overgrown land to make a growing area. for that you will require a much more powerful petrol driven rotovator.

Sherpa Electric Tiller/Rotovator

Special introductory offer

£98 inc UK delivery (mainland UK only)

delivery by Fed-Ex

payment by cheque or bacs only - mail me for details

fred@fredshed.com

 

 

 

Small  Electric Soil Cultivator

 

If you have a small area to till then this cheap 280w machine has been developed from the now obsolete AL-KO cultivator.

(it has only 23% of the power of the Sherpa Tiller shown above)

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

If you found my advice helpful you can support my work by returning to this page and using my links when purchasing your secateurs. Also any products bought from Amazon using the links below will produce a small commission that helps cover my hosting costs. thanks, Fred

         

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More Old fashioned Digging Tools

Irish Spades, Cornish Spades and West Country Shovels

 

Long handled Irish Spade, also known as

Celtic Spade

Cornish spade

Irish Spade

West Country Shovel

 

WEST COUNTRY SHOVEL

Known to some people as the Cornish Spade this tool is slightly wider and flatter than the Irish Spade and although strictly speaking it is a shovel it can be used for digging in hard ground.

This is a large tool with a 54" wooden handle (you could cut it down easily). The head is 10.5" wide and 11.5" long.

 

The Bulldog shovel is British made, the Faithful open socket shovel is the cheaper option and spare handles are available too.

Sizes are approximately the same and the tools weight about 2kg.

 

 

This tool is superb for digging holes and can also be used like a shovel.

The sharp nose, or round point of the metal blade penetrates the soil easier than a traditional spade.

 

 

Irish Spades and Irish Shovels

Bulldog have been making these traditional tools since 1780 and they have been used on some of the worlds greatest construction projects.

The Irish Shovel is similar to the West Country Shovel but is not as wide.

To make things clear a spade is designed for digging soil and a shovel for moving material. However a very strong shovel can be used to dig sand and soil too, especially if it has a pointed end.

The T handled Irish Spades are one of my favourite tools and come in 2 sizes. They are superb for digging planting holes, and of course trenching. The full size version has a strapped head which is a special design that makes the strongest tool possible.

The quality and design of these tools have not changed for over 100 years and I have seen how they are made in the Wigan factory.

Bulldog Irish Spade

Handle length 36"

Head size 11.5" * 7.5"

Total length 47.5"

Bulldog Boys Irish Spade

Handle length 30"

Head size 11." * 6"

Total length  41"

(the boys Irish spade is slightly longer than a border size fork or spade)

 

 

From left to right

The round point Irish shovel

The Long handled digging spade

The Larger Irish spade ( grey)

The smaller (boys) Irish spade

 

 

The Spork garden tool

Another great digging tool, is again now available.

Even Stronger AND Lighter!

The  Spork is an advanced and extremely strong fork that covers some of the functions of a trowel and hoe.  I have used one for many years and have worked with the inventor Robert Todd. Sporks are made from the best Swedish boron steel and German ash.

Designed by an Englishman and made by a Dutchman, this is a premium quality garden tool combining the latest design and materials with time tested craftsmanship.

 

See my new page

www.fredshed.co.uk/sporkgardentools.htm

 

Buy the large, T handled digging Spork from Fred's recommended supplier

 

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Collecting Leaves

 

Other Easy Digging Tools

Bulldog T handled Rabbiting or Planting Spade

 

Bulldog is one of the most famous brands of British digging tool and I have had enquiries from around the world for them.  I used Bulldog tools as a kid and my dad used them too, (in fact I still have one from that time).

The tools are hand forged in England and are about as solid and reliable as you can get.

Bulldog tools are known as Clarington Forge in the USA and although they were very popular and have a good following they can be very hard to get.

 

 

 

 

New Bulldog Shrubbery Fork and Spade

These shorter and lighter tools are suitable for people of a similar stature and are popular amongst ladies and older folk

If you would like to know more or buy Bulldog tools see my page special page for Bulldog Tools

www.fredshed.co.uk/bulldogtools.htm

Also if you are a bit short and want even lighter weight forks and spades then it is worth considering the Joseph Bentley children's range which are cheaper and made of stainless steel.

see the Joseph Bentley small forks and spades

HOW TO BUY BULLDOG AND CLARINGTON FORGE TOOLS ONLINE (UK)

see the Bulldog website for prices and specs - then

 - E-mail fred@fredshed.com

 

 

HOW TO BUY BULLDOG AND CLARINGTON FORGE TOOLS ONLINE (USA)

 click here for my new page on forks and spades in the USA including True Temper Tools

 

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FIXING BROKEN FORKS & SPADES

Sadly we now live in the throw away society to spare parts like handles are not generally available for most of the garden forks and spades that are sold in garden centres and DIY superstores

Most of these tools are made in China or India.

If you have an old tool that was made in the UK many years ago and the handle has snapped then the best advice I can give you is to either try to make the spare ones on the links below fit or contact a local woodworker or blacksmith type person to see if they can help.

Apart form these links below I do not supply or know anyone who supplies wooden handles for garden forks and spades.


 

 

 

Rabbiting Spades for the USA

If you need to dig out that pesky varmit and don't have access to a bunker busting bomb then this traditional style rabbiting spade is the one for you.

It is also great for digging small deep planting holes.

Made to old fashioned British standards with a 25year guarantee backed by Spear & Jackson who are US based. Please use link opposite.

Mattocks & Azada Digging tools in USA

Freds Onion Hoe in the USA

 

 

 

Soil Cultivating Tiller

The tool on the right is the Wolf soil Miller. It is a well made German tool that has been in production for at least 25 years. It is ideal for re-cultivating large areas of soil without the need to dig or bend. It will not clear away large weeds as they will get caught in the spiked wheels that are designed for breaking down the soil.

The rear of the tool has a swinging blade that cuts down to 4 inches in the soil. It is used in a backwards and forwards motion to enable the spiked wheels to break down the soil dug up by the swinging blade.

I have used this fantastic tool for over 15 years and recommend it to people who have good soil and regularly prepare open soil for vegetable planting.

The Wolf Soil Miller is part of the excellent Wolf Multichange system where around 50 tools and handles are interchangeable.

Many manufacturers have introduced this type of tool system but none have lasted as long as Wolf or made them to the same quality or had the consistency of distribution in the UK.

Price approx £50 with handle (sold separately)

Ridging Tool

Another superb attachment to go with Soil Miller is the plough shaped ridger which is a popular tool for allotment and small holders who grow a lot of plants in lines.

Wolf Multi-change handles

As far as I can tell there are currently 12 different handles available in a range of lengths, including telescopic and D handles. Also the superb add-on handle is coming back and will be featured here soon. Wolf XO-02

I have Wolf handles in my shed over 10 years old that are used regularly and are in perfect working order. The ability to be able to change handles is particularly useful for saving space and accommodating different size users.

 

 

Push-Pull Hand Plough for soil cultivation

 

 

 

 

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   Still can't find the tool you are looking for?

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FRED-IN-THE-SHED

 

         

 

 

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