What's your favourite digging tool? I've just found mine!

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Roy Morton
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

10 years ago

After a long search and a post on here some years ago, I've finally managed to get hold of a 'Pelican'
A friend was having a shed clear out presented me with this one.
Apparently these tools are used in the china clay industry and are called something like ‘Grubbers’ or ‘Gubbers’
But these are the ultimate in digging tools whether you’re in wet or dry ground, the amount of stuff you can shift with one of these is phenomenal. I've used everything from mattocks to folding shovels, and for Clearing adits or draining levels, there’s no equal.
What’s your favourite implement?

Here's some pictures

🔗100361[linkphoto]100361[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗100362[linkphoto]100362[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗100363[linkphoto]100363[/linkphoto][/link]

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

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crickleymal
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

I use one of the mini mattocks you can get from Amazon along with a mini shovel. Where I'm digging there's not enough space for anything larger.

Malc.
Rusted and ropey, Dog eared old copy
Vintage and classic or just plain Jurassic
All words to describe me.

Yorkshireman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/169084-5/Lisianthus_Vehicles20070002.jpg

;D;D;D

lozz
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

If you want to sink a hole fast for posts etc with a shovel or shift stuff without wearing yourself out then this one takes some beating, great balance, standard army issue for Landrovers, mine is 42 years old, as is the Landrover it came off, still with the original shaft, done miles of fencing with it, tried 'em all, this ones the biz, the Mexican drag line.

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/product/strapped-shovels/strapped-square-mouth-no2-shovel

Lozz.

Morlock
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

Modified Acme pick now that it has a new shaft!
[photo]57063[/photo]

rikj
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

"Roy Morton" wrote:

Apparently these tools are used in the china clay industry and are called something like ‘Grubbers’ or ‘Gubbers’

Presumably because they are in the style of a grub hoe. Very useful I should think.

royfellows
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

From my personal experience the most useless thing in the world is a conventional shovel.
I have moved tons of stuff with a gardening trowel, its a lot more effective than you would think and can be used either way, to dig or to scoop.
I have used one of those micro shovels that appeared everywhere for about £15 to good effect, also a trenching tool which can be used flat or folded to 90 degrees.

I am using a trowel at Goginan, at the last Parc dig it was a trenching tool to scoop stuff onto a plastic sheet and then pull out.

Roy M, your pelican looks V good, but I have reservations about the length of the handle.

My avatar is a poor likeness.

Roy Morton
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

10 years ago

I admit the shaft is a little long for confined digs, but it's useful when clearing ahead when falls of ground are likely.
Likewise, the tool is wonderful for trenching to get rid of water, or pulling away ochre dams and the like.
They say that there is a separate tool for each job, but this one is as close to ticking all the boxes as I've found so far. Along with my mini shovel with 3 foot handle, one person can shift tons in a couple of hours.
btw I like the link from Yorkshireman. The bucket looks like an old Blake jaw crusher :lol:

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

Tamarmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

If you need to shift a lot of dirt and you've got the room pelican picks are the business. However if I could only pick one tool as a universal digging tool it would certainly be a swan necked wrecking / crow bar.

lozz
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#10

When I worked underground at Crofty the banjo shovel reigned supreme, we used to hand muck two blast rounds in granite per shift in sub level inter's using a wheelbarrow and the said banjo and drill and blast two rounds, all wheeled back and dumped down the raise, that's in the days when men were men, the shaft handle is about the same length as the shovel shown in the link I posted but the blade was a bit wider and longer but still pointed, more of a blunt point after mucking out a few rounds. 🙂

Graigfawr
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#11

No one's mentioned a shovelling board as being important!

My vote is for the humble 3ft x 2ft steel sheet.

royfellows
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#12

"Graigfawr" wrote:
No one's mentioned a shovelling board as being important!

My vote is for the humble 3ft x 2ft steel sheet.

Piece of off cut from a pond liner, you know, the leftover. Really tough and great for small digs for dragging the muck out.

My avatar is a poor likeness.

Blober
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#13

I use the old MK 1 hands :lol:

FILTH - Think this is a playground? Think again...

ebgb
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#14

current favourite digging tools (apart from myself) go by the name of Colin and Mark (aka horsemaddad and legendrider) 😉

3x3 dexion shelf makes and ace shovelling board. The difference it makes to getting stuff moved is phenomenal. Twice the muck for half the effort!

http://bf494.co.uk

Roy Morton
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

10 years ago

#15

Yup I've got a couple of banjos in the arsenal and a shovelling board, or as we tend to call them, shammeling board is essential, steel plate is great.
for confined digs we have used 5 gallon plastic jerry cans with the side cut out for dragging stuff away.
At Rosevale Mine down at Zennor, they have utilised metal beer kegs as kibbles.

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

legendrider
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#16

;D

for shifting spoil we use 11 litre 2-handled rubber trug buckets (available from ponykit.co.uk) cost about a tenner each.

[photo]100367[/photo]

They hold about 15kg level load, are easy to drag, lift and empty and are almost indestructible.

with six buckets on the project, three are filled whilst three are tipped.

A couple of years ago we had a big project moving a mountain of soft shale, for which I built this:

[photo]100368[/photo]

needless to say it worked like a charm!

MARK

festina lente[i]

AdM Michael
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#17

A bit similar to the Pelican.

It's a traditional mining tool in Germany called Kratze (scraper).
[photo]100381[/photo]
[photo]100382[/photo]
It is a really effective tool which is still available. I've exported a few to the UK in recent years.

SRJ underwater mining
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#18

All of our digging so far has been done with either a poll pick or a mattock and a banjo shovel. For clearing out we've found old plastic fish boxes are best, length of rope tide through one end to drag them behind you with, can get a decent amount of dirt in each one and if you can get abit of water/slimes beneath it they glide along nicely

angieweekender
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#19

4"WHS Drop forged trowel

I make pottery from tailings and slimes 🅱[center]

lozz
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#20

A similar pattern gizmo to what was posted being used in a clean down operation during putting up a transfer raise, there are more videos in that series showing drilling and also cribbing the raise.

Lozz.