Trying to find a good Garden fork.
Not going to get a Cheap one rather spend a bit more on one that will last myself awhile Longer. Any good Brands or ones not to go near, I’ll check here before work to gather some Info.

veg gardener said:

Trying to find a good Garden fork.
Not going to get a Cheap one rather spend a bit more on one that will last myself awhile Longer. Any good Brands or ones not to go near, I’ll check here before work to gather some Info.

I’ve got a beauty, it started off life with a wooden handle but my late father welded a pipe handle on to the tynes and a smaller pipe for the “T” on top of the handle…quite light, not a speck of rust and tough as all get out…

I’ve broken a couple of stainless steel ones :(

I think the brand I go for in forks, spades etc is called Trojan. Seems good so far.

stand on ‘em in the shop, if they look like they’re gonna flex there, then don’t buy it.

Forks are rarely used correctly i reckon. That’s why they break. I know. I have broken my share.
They are for use in good light soil. Not as a lever to break new ground. If you want a lever, use a spade.
The Trojans are fine. Pick one with no knots in the timber handle.
Use it for light work only.

I have my Mum’s and I love it. No visible brands anymore though.

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

Happy Potter said:

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

is that to replace the one you left at my place?

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

is that to replace the one you left at my place?

Yes :) Is it still going ok ? That one was hubbys mums old garden fork. It had been used for many years when I got my hands on it.

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

is that to replace the one you left at my place?

Yes :) Is it still going ok ? That one was hubbys mums old garden fork. It had been used for many years when I got my hands on it.

yep, it’s still unbroken. lol!

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

is that to replace the one you left at my place?

Yes :) Is it still going ok ? That one was hubbys mums old garden fork. It had been used for many years when I got my hands on it.

yep, it’s still unbroken. lol!

Good :D It’s what your kids and I used to lever up the heavy weedy carpet! If it was going to break, that would have done it! lol.

I bought my garden spade and fork from mitre10, we dont have bunnings here, and they are all metal with yelow handles, no brand on them and they have been great, i have had them for about 5yrs and they are still in fantastic condition, thay also only cost about 15 dollars each, which has turned out to be a good deal …

Happy Potter said:

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

Yes, that’s a good point – I probably wouldn’t tire as quickly if I had lighter tools. Still, we chose them thinking that Mr Bon would use them too.. rolls eyes :D

Longy said:

Forks are rarely used correctly i reckon. That’s why they break. I know. I have broken my share.
They are for use in good light soil. Not as a lever to break new ground. If you want a lever, use a spade.
The Trojans are fine. Pick one with no knots in the timber handle.
Use it for light work only.

Good post Longy.. but not entirely correct.

“If you want a lever, use a spade.

nup

picks and mattocks and crowbars are designed to be good levers and breakers of new ground.. A spade is also for light soil with a good tilth. Even a shovel is. You need to break stuff, you need a jackhammer.

Why does one tine break off the garden fork? Because even though you thought you had built up a good soil tilth where a fork could be vigorously used.. you forgot that trees have roots.

bluegreen said:

I’ve broken a couple of stainless steel ones :(

The pipe ones were galvanised iron…

bon008 said:

Happy Potter said:

I bought a cyclone to suit my strength and weight, eg: not the heaviest fork. I have put it through it’s paces and it’s very good.

Yes, that’s a good point – I probably wouldn’t tire as quickly if I had lighter tools. Still, we chose them thinking that Mr Bon would use them too.. rolls eyes :D

nice eye roll LOL.

ms pepe had a ‘womens’ fork. it was a small thing and well used – in fact i used it as well. it’s not with us anymore – busted, broken or summin. some of those professional looking english s.s. forks (that cost the earth) are about the size of ‘women’s’ forks.

roughbarked said:

Longy said:

Forks are rarely used correctly i reckon. That’s why they break. I know. I have broken my share.
They are for use in good light soil. Not as a lever to break new ground. If you want a lever, use a spade.
The Trojans are fine. Pick one with no knots in the timber handle.
Use it for light work only.

Good post Longy.. but not entirely correct.

“If you want a lever, use a spade.

nup

picks and mattocks and crowbars are designed to be good levers and breakers of new ground.. A spade is also for light soil with a good tilth. Even a shovel is. You need to break stuff, you need a jackhammer.

Yes a fair point noted RB. However, i guess i am talking about over torqueing a fork. I use my posthole shovel for most breaking work, (not a spade as such but i use it as one), then a fork to turn well cultivated soil. If i have to break virgin ground here, (for i dare not call it soil), then i would also use a mattock or similar. Point being, a fork is a light worker.

that’s what happens to the spade around here..

it rusts away in the background.

that’s what happens to the spade around here..

it rusts away in the background.

+++++++++++++
LOL. Yes but it does so with such style!
My posthole shovel is easily the most used tool in my armoury.
My soil is rarely dry enough to require a mattock, pick or crowbar.
I can push a spade in full depth with one or two wriggles of the handle.
Then i hit the rubbish white/yellow clay. Rockhard when dry, puggy when wet. Yay.

roughbarked said:

that’s what happens to the spade around here..

it rusts away in the background.

Fantastic “good morning” picture, RoughBarked… :)

Dinetta said:

Fantastic “good morning” picture, RoughBarked… :)

Thanks :)

Longy said:

that’s what happens to the spade around here..

it rusts away in the background.

+++++++++++++
LOL. Yes but it does so with such style!
My posthole shovel is easily the most used tool in my armoury.
My soil is rarely dry enough to require a mattock, pick or crowbar.
I can push a spade in full depth with one or two wriggles of the handle.
Then i hit the rubbish white/yellow clay. Rockhard when dry, puggy when wet. Yay.

Yep I use a post hole shovel with a fibreglass handle.. but my main tool is the mattock.. I’d just punch a hole to plant a native with two hits of the mattock.. dig a circular ditch with the same tool fill with water and walk to the next one. I’ve split mattock blades and rolled one side up like a sardine can.. When you move on from breaking shovel handles or fork tines to peeling mattocks back.. you know you have been doing some digging.

If I want to plant broad beans or corn say.. in fact many such .. I run a line with the mattock and chuck my seed in. That’s as much digging as I do.

Ended up with a Cyclone Garden fork, Wont be using it that often in the Garden, Just when I need it.

veg gardener said:

Ended up with a Cyclone Garden fork, Wont be using it that often in the Garden, Just when I need it.

We gave a newly married couple, who had yet to buy their own house, a garden set (fork, spade, shovel, hoses) and they put in lawns and shrubs…what a waste…

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Ended up with a Cyclone Garden fork, Wont be using it that often in the Garden, Just when I need it.

We gave a newly married couple, who had yet to buy their own house, a garden set (fork, spade, shovel, hoses) and they put in lawns and shrubs…what a waste…

They might use the fork to make air holes in the Lawns.

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

They might use the fork to make air holes in the Lawns.

They probably hire somebody to do that…the way they’re situated now…

I’ve been trying to get Sonny Joe to do that out the front, the lawn is fairly compacted…

It looks like the quotes are linked to the relevant quote???

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

They might use the fork to make air holes in the Lawns.

They probably hire somebody to do that…the way they’re situated now…

I’ve been trying to get Sonny Joe to do that out the front, the lawn is fairly compacted…

Where not doing ours, Take to Long to get the whole lawn done.

The front yard bit is only 5 metres by 5 metres…heavily used tho’…

Dinetta said:

The front yard bit is only 5 metres by 5 metres…heavily used tho’…

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

The front yard bit is only 5 metres by 5 metres…heavily used tho’…

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

The front yard bit is only 5 metres by 5 metres…heavily used tho’…

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

Would be Lawn, or Just Paddock Grass?

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

The front yard bit is only 5 metres by 5 metres…heavily used tho’…

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

…in the non-traffic areas…

Big front yard if you have a skidsteer and need a ride-on mower!

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

Would be Lawn, or Just Paddock Grass?

It’s all grass, it’s really only “lawn” during the wet…but yes, some of the non-traffic areas are paddock grass…some buffel and some native pasture…part of the “lawn” exists in the non-traffic area as well…for show, I think!

Dinetta said:

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

That’s Alright then. Ours just has a Skidsteer and ride on Mower going over it, or the tractor sometimes.

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

…in the non-traffic areas…

Big front yard if you have a skidsteer and need a ride-on mower!

Yep, takes about just over two hours to do the Mowing Out the back and front of the House, and thats with out using the Whipper sniper. be at least 50m+ wide and at least 100m+

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Dinetta said:

The parts of our yard that have been used for children’s play etc over the years, are compacted…there’s a big difference between those areas and the areas that have little traffic…the soil is much easier to work with for one thing…

Would be Lawn, or Just Paddock Grass?

It’s all grass, it’s really only “lawn” during the wet…but yes, some of the non-traffic areas are paddock grass…some buffel and some native pasture…part of the “lawn” exists in the non-traffic area as well…for show, I think!

Most of its here is just Grass, Only a bit of seed turf around the House.

veg gardener said:

Yep, takes about just over two hours to do the Mowing Out the back and front of the House, and thats with out using the Whipper sniper. be at least 50m+ wide and at least 100m+

That would keep the snakes away from the house…

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Yep, takes about just over two hours to do the Mowing Out the back and front of the House, and thats with out using the Whipper sniper. be at least 50m+ wide and at least 100m+

That would keep the snakes away from the house…

Only gardens are around the pool, and one out the front, Veggies are down past the pool, So we just mow right up close to the Paths.

My two small patches of lawn are probably still bigger than a lot of people’s back yards but they only take a few minutes to mow. I’m not a fan of weeding edging mowing a bit of wasted garden space, so I keep my lawns to bare minimum. I deliberately chose lawn species that don’t need maintenance for at least half the year.

Yes *

this is a good use for a garden fork: aeration of the soil.

Dinetta said:

veg gardener said:

Ended up with a Cyclone Garden fork, Wont be using it that often in the Garden, Just when I need it.

We gave a newly married couple, who had yet to buy their own house, a garden set (fork, spade, shovel, hoses) and they put in lawns and shrubs…what a waste…

Great minds etc etc……

We gave my cousin a garden fork for a wedding present.