ideal shovel spec 2.0

[newforest]

OK, so I derailed that thread last year. I love my BushPro shovel, for planting plugs at least. Haven't found a situation for it with bare-roots yet though. Terra Tech has a new plug shovel designed here in the States, but I haven't even seen a picture of it yet.

But I noticed across a range of planting tools, there is perhaps a single ideal spec. My BushPro was expertly modified by a nice experienced pro named Brendan. He suggested that when holding a planting shovel at your side, hanging down naturally in your hand, the tip of the blade should just touch the ground.

This has worked out great for me. After learning that, I have noticed that many planters I have worked with over the years have modified their planting tool in exactly that manner. Every planter is a different height, so perhaps every planting tool should be a different length to match the planter using it.

Is this a good idea universally?

[Scooter]

That's exactly what I suggested in my rookie training video a decade ago.

Many planters these days seem to want shorter (lighter) shovels than that. There is certainly a benefit to having a shorter shovel, because if you're lifting it a couple thousand times a day, you want to be lifting less weight. Easier on the arm.

The advantage of having one that is long enough to touch the ground is that there are hundreds of times per day when it ends up resting on the ground briefly, instead of you having to hold it, because it's long enough to touch the ground.

Which is the better approach? I don't know. But I would lean towards shorter shovels. When you have a large group of people (say 10,000 tree planters each summer) of whom the majority are switching techniques, chances are that it's not a blind follow-the-herd mentality, but rather something that actually works better. Evolution at work.

[newforest]

I use most any planting tool to help walk across difficult terrain so much that I wouldn't want a shorter one....the small weight savings wouldn't be worth it I don't think.

[sghyselincks]

I have two shovels:

A 10" D-handle with the grip layer removed (smaller grip on it). It has a Workwizer kickerless 8.5" blade that has been cut down to 7" and thinned in a taper from the top to bottom of the blade. The 7" blades aren't thick enough to handle hitting rocks and the 8.5" are a bit to thick. I use this shovel for anything that I can get away with not using a kicker for. I put a clockwise twist in the handle to work with more of a punching technique (right palm facing a bit to the left and down punching forward) as a shovel throw. The shovel is designed for softer ground: the short length means staying a bit hunched over and not being able to open holes while fully upright.

I also have a 13" standard D-handle with a single kicker 8.5" blade that I cut down to 7" and left at the standard thickness. I have a counter-clockwise twist in the handle and use a more traditional and ergonomic shovel throw with the right palm facing the ground and moving downward. I use this shovel to handle hard clay and rockier ground. The slower speed and harder to find micro-sites make staying hunched over not an option, so the shovel is longer and the throw I use is less strenuous on the wrist.

I think it's hard to get that one perfect all-around shovel unless you had an adjustable length and twist that you could change on the go.