Swinging “Disk Hoe” Better Than A Shovel

Swinging “Disk Hoe” Better Than A Shovel FARM HOME Miscellaneous An old disk coulter can be used to make a low cost “disk hoe” digging tool says Charles Taylor of Stockton New Jersey He bolted a 17-in dia disk coulter onto the end of a large 45-in hickory handle that he fashioned out of a small tree “My disk hoe looks somewhat like a pick but the handle is a lot longer and you swing it back and forth I came up with the idea years ago to backfill soil after pouring a concrete basement ” says Taylor “To move the dirt I just pull backward on the hoe and also swing it back and forth It works better than a shovel because I don’t have to do any lifting or pushing ” The handle is flared out at one end to match the curvature of the disk The bottom of the handle is 2 3/4 in thick by 4 3/4 in high The disk is mounted with a 5/8 by 3-in bolt and washers with a square nut in a hole drilled into the side of the wood about 3 in up from the bottom “I squared out the corners of the cross hole so I could slip the nut into it Lets me tighten the disk if it ever comes loose ” says Taylor “I could have used a lag screw but I was afraid it might strip or split the wood ” The top of the handle is also flared out “Using the disk hoe requires a lot of pulling so having a flared end makes the handle easier to grip ” Taylor recently used his disk hoe to make a wide shallow ditch that drains water away from a pond “The handle sets at a 20-degree angle to the disk and by rotating the tool I can adjust how deep it digs and how much dirt it moves The disk is heavy and stays sharp ” he notes Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charles Taylor 43 Lambert Rd Stockton New Jersey 08559 ph 908 268-2857; cstaylor@syneon com

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