Broken Shovel Alert!

flowerbug said:
my trusty companion of many hours of digging has finally gone beyone the small crack to where it is going to end up parting of the ways metallically. so today while i was out running errands i was shopping for a new flat short shovel. one was $35 and i didn't like the design of it, another was $20 and it looked like it might barely last the 5yrs of the warranty period. so i went to another place and checked out what they had. they didn't. not many places had a short square shovel like the one i've had for all these years. i have a few more places to check the next few weeks as i won't likely be using this shovel a lot anyways, i won't really need it until this fall.

the question becomes can i use another shovel that i already have and not get a replacement? possibly, but i really like having this size of shovel for almost all my garden digging since i'm not digging that deeply and most of what i do is trenching i like the flat bottom and edges the shorter square shovel makes. hmm... i guess we'll see what happens next when i get there... :)
Click to expand...
Might I suggest an A M Leonard square point / transfer shovel?
 
SprigOfTheLivingDead said:
Might I suggest an A M Leonard square point / transfer shovel?
Click to expand...

i don't want raised edges. what i'd like is a flat blade, square, reinforced enough that it won't break too easy. the one that's about to break all the way across is a RIGID, but it doesn't look like they make them any longer.

i may just end up getting the $20 version and not use it for trying to lift heavy clods of dry clay. that's what did the current shovel in for sure. breaking dry clay ground and trying to pry those clods out of the ground. instead i will use a different shovel for that in the future. i have a long handled all metal shovel that will work for that or i will break the soil into smaller pieces (i should be doing that anyways because my body isn't going to get any better at this as i get older so i should learn to change my ways before it gets hurt from doing it the hard way). i do usually have enough time for most of my garden tasks where i can do this, i just need to be smarter about it. :(

welcome back, i hope things have been going well for you there? :)
 
flowerbug said:
i don't want raised edges. what i'd like is a flat blade, square, reinforced enough that it won't break too easy. the one that's about to break all the way across is a RIGID, but it doesn't look like they make them any longer.

i may just end up getting the $20 version and not use it for trying to lift heavy clods of dry clay. that's what did the current shovel in for sure. breaking dry clay ground and trying to pry those clods out of the ground. instead i will use a different shovel for that in the future. i have a long handled all metal shovel that will work for that or i will break the soil into smaller pieces (i should be doing that anyways because my body isn't going to get any better at this as i get older so i should learn to change my ways before it gets hurt from doing it the hard way). i do usually have enough time for most of my garden tasks where i can do this, i just need to be smarter about it. :(

welcome back, i hope things have been going well for you there? :)
Click to expand...

Good and bad. Have spend the last few months coaching softball for one of my kids but am also going through a divorce that's amicable but is going to throw some serious turmoil into life :/
 
flowerbug said:
my trusty companion of many hours of digging has finally gone beyone the small crack to where it is going to end up parting of the ways metallically. so today while i was out running errands i was shopping for a new flat short shovel. one was $35 and i didn't like the design of it, another was $20 and it looked like it might barely last the 5yrs of the warranty period. so i went to another place and checked out what they had. they didn't. not many places had a short square shovel like the one i've had for all these years. i have a few more places to check the next few weeks as i won't likely be using this shovel a lot anyways, i won't really need it until this fall.

the question becomes can i use another shovel that i already have and not get a replacement? possibly, but i really like having this size of shovel for almost all my garden digging since i'm not digging that deeply and most of what i do is trenching i like the flat bottom and edges the shorter square shovel makes. hmm... i guess we'll see what happens next when i get there... :)
Click to expand...
Go find a muffler repair shop and let them weld up the old shovel? Then polish and paint it, and oil stain and seal the wood handle. Then put up a picture so we can make pithy comments?
 
today checked a few more places, one didn't have any square shovels at all the other place had one and it was decent enough that i bought it for about $18. now that i know i need to be more gentle with prying stuff with them i hope i can get plenty of use out of this new one and not crack it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Sister Sites

BackYardChickens.com
BackYardHerds.com
SufficientSelf.com
Back
Top