These things have been invaluable for our latest project with 2 35' bridges. Sturdy, low center of gravity and narrow enough for most single track. Made moving 35' 6x18" glu-lams possible with relatively few people. Ours were provided by a volunteer who does HVAC work, if you ask around you might find one to borrow. Great for moving lumber and other heavy long things. We made a rack for it and put 25 or so wet roughcut 3x8 5' decking pieces on it. View attachment 801557
I bought mine at the local Farm and Home store but Walmart has the same hoe on their website. $20 for the head and another $20 for the handle.
My terrain is low desert sand/gravel/rock. Nearly all of my work is deberming and outsloping existing trail. This is working well for me.
The head has an eye so I can carry the head in my pack and the handle secured to the side of my pack. The cast iron head has a certain heft, but is still light enough to carry in my pack without drama.
The point digs in easily most of the time, but the long, stout handle can handle a full swing when the ground is hardened and more force is needed. Once broken up, the side of the tool works well for pulling material off the trail and leveling.
My experience is limited, and this is the only job-specific tool I have used. Previous to this, I used a Lowe's hoe and garden rake and an entrenching tool, perhaps I am not the best judge. That said, the more I use this the more I love this tool.
Agree that it outperforms using Mcleod 95% of the time. My favorite tool in the quiver for sure! Great in clay and loam soils! Allows you to do an amazing amount of bench cutting by hand in a short time. If you have rocky soil you are still going to need a old school Pick Mattock. Otherwise the RH80 https://roguehoe.com/product/80r/ and the "Beast" Pulaski https://roguehoe.com/product/55hx-the-beast/ are the two tools folks should own. I wish they existed 20 years ago!
and cheap! Only $19 at Home Depot as of November 2017.
It's far superior to a Pulaski as a prying tool. The handle is much beefier and drops in through the top of the head. The horizontal blade is tough enough to bash into rocks and thin enough to root out saplings. It doesn't work well as an axe though.
I think these are the best tool to hand to a trail construction newbie who doesn't know any better than to spoil a good cutting edge. We do work days where a people show up for their first and only time as a trail builder. Why give them a Rogue with a sweet sharp edge to wreck when you can hand them something bullet proof on both ends?
Edit/ I forgot to add this important information: if you've been turned off to pick-mattock type tools due to their weight, as I was, the 2.5 lb version is much easier to work with than the standard 5-lb version. The big guy will wear you out in no time. I can work for hours with the smaller one. Night-and-day difference in usefulness.
But no, I had to spend 45 min. on the grinder. What an idiot!
Edit/
Rereading this, I come across as a bit of a d**k. It was not my intention, but I let my frustration with tool damage from well-meaning newbs get the better of me.
FWIW, a coarse 10" metal file is a great tool for restoring an edge to Pulaskis, axes, Rogue Hoes and other trail tools. In my experience however, even a coarse file won't remove metal fast enough to be practical for restoring an axe bit that has been hammered directly into rock using a full overhead swing. The job is lengthy, even with a grinder.
A fairly important point that only became clear to me very recently is that the metal used for Rogue Hoes will harden if it's overheated on a grinder (metal turns blue). I don't know exactly how hard it gets, but it's hard enough to ruin an expensive Simmons file. Not sure if the same applies to Pulaski heads.
/Edit
Metal vary from one batch of Rogue Hoe to another because it's recycled AG disc. Carbon content change a LOT from one batch to another. The tempering effect work on high carbon mix only. And usually, blue mean overheated and temper is affected so most of the time, the edge won't stay sharp as long and the metal get more brittle.
Before getting a grinder on that pulaski, I would suggest cold-forging the metal back into place with a hammer. Then you restore the edge with a grinder/mill/file or whatever you prefer. DON'T HEAT THE METAL. That's the key to keeping a strong edge. Also, don't over sharpen the edge like most people do : under 30deg and it's too thin.
We couldn't get by without many rock bars. Besides that, I prefer a pick mattock and a square shovel. Can't see the use for a round shovel for trail building. Semi tire chains and a pair of 6' to 8' steel pipe for carrying fairly large rocks are handy.
Metal vary from one batch of Rogue Hoe to another because it's recycled AG disc. Carbon content change a LOT from one batch to another. The tempering effect work on high carbon mix only. And usually, blue mean overheated and temper is affected so most of the time, the edge won't stay sharp as long and the metal get more brittle.
Before getting a grinder on that pulaski, I would suggest cold-forging the metal back into place with a hammer. Then you restore the edge with a grinder/mill/file or whatever you prefer. DON'T HEAT THE METAL. That's the key to keeping a strong edge. Also, don't over sharpen the edge like most people do : under 30deg and it's too thin.
Have looked around in the US for wide flat shovel as seen in the UK: I gave up, then saw a Seth's video showing trail builders using exactly what I was looking for here (ffwd to about 4:00):
I should add that I am the trail maintenance director for a local club, in charge of about 28 miles of single track, as well as a pump track. I wish to have the best tools for myself as well as other volunteers.
That wide, flat bottomed shovel really appeals to me. There are numerous makers with a trapezoidal-shaped shovel, or open-back models that trap dirt in the socket tunnel. That's what I wish to avoid
Old skool collapsible bow saw. These things are cheap, adaptable to longer blades without adding much weight, and they're easy to make, remake or repair in the field.
You can skip the wood-geek chisel work with a drill press.
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