Posted: 10/10/2009 3:24:10 PM EDT
This is without a doubt a niche product. Nonetheless there are some folks here who might find it of interest. The Quick Spade slides onto the front of standard size pallet tines (make sure your tines aren't wider than 4 1/2 inches!) and is secured to the carrier with a length of chain (not included!) There's also a model that will attach to a loader bucket. For some reason I can't get enthusiastic about sticking this spade on the front of a bucket, YMMV. I was a little skeptical about it, but it actually works well. It hard to tell from the pic below but that hole is about 2' X 3' and 2' deep. This is a fairly heavy, rocky clay soil which SUCKS to dig with a shovel. Dug the hole below in literally about 2 minutes. I think one of the reviewers on Northern Tool said it was "4-5 times faster" than a man with a shovel. I found it much faster than that. It would be faster yet, I think, if it was mounted on a skid steer. Depending on how you look at it, you can consider this thing the "rich man's power shovel" or the "poor man's backhoe." In any case, for $150 this tool will save me a lot of time and a bit of backache.        |
