Simple Root Cutter Is Quick, Easy To Use

Simple Root Cutter Is Quick, Easy To Use WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 25-1-13 If you've ever had to dig around trees for any reason, you know what a problem their roots can be. You can cut the roots with an axe or saw, but it's hard on hand tools. Cliff Brandenburger, Beecher City, Illinois, has a simple idea that works faster and more accurately than either a saw or an axe. He made a root cutter by cutting up an 11-in. section of leaf spring from an old truck. He notched a 1-1/2 by 6-in. threaded pipe nipple so one end fits over the section of leaf spring. Then he welded them together and sharpened the other end of the spring. For a handle, he uses a 4 ft. length of 1 1/2 in. galvanized pipe. When he sharpened the steel blade, he rounded the corners a little. "You could put a spade or shovel handle on it, but the weight of the pipe handle helps in cutting through roots," he explains. "The heavier it is, the easier it will cut through roots." The spring Brandenburger used was 4 in. wide, but he says you could use any width of spring you could find. He used a spring rather than just any piece of scrap steel because spring steel is hardened so it holds the sharp edge better. "This will cut through roots you wouldn't try to cut with a spade. It's easier to use than an axe because you can aim it better. Swinging an axe isn't possible in some cases, either," he says. Once you've cut the root, finished your task, and refilled the hole, you may want to pack the dirt back in. To do this, Branden-burger made a hand tamper that uses the same handle as the root cutter by welding a 1 1/2-in. pipe coupling in the center of a 6-in. square piece of 1-in. thick steel plate. "It's pretty simple, but it really does a good job of packing soil," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cliff Branden-burger, RR 2, Box 42, Beecher City, Ill. 62414-9310 (ph 618 487-5247).

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