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Even primitive people in ancient times used the primitive types of the first shovels. Now there are many of them, and our task in this article is to understand the most popular types of tools for working in the garden and in the garden. In what variants is a shortened shovel presented on the market, how to choose the right equipment, how to correctly choose the right handle?
Types of shovels
In our age of automation and mechanization, the owners of garden plots and vegetable gardens still cannot do without a reliable high-quality shovel. It is used in cases where it is irrational to use motorized equipment. If you want to dig up the ground in a small area, in a hard-to-reach or limited area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe garden or vegetable garden. Over the years of life and improvement of the tool, he had many relatives – bayonet, sovkovy, garden, stove, sapper, infantry, for snow removal, working with grain, fire, large, reinforced, folding.
All these types, designed to perform various works on the site, combine the same components. The tray (aka bayonet, cutter, blade) is the main working part, which is designed for digging, carrying cargo. The handle is the handle of the tool. The main distinguishing feature that a shovel has is a larger tray, which has edges bent on both sides. It got its name from the scoop, familiar to all of us from childhood – it is a small prototype of the modern soviet unit.
The functional purpose of this tool is loading and unloading, mixing solutions, garbage collection, moving bulk cargo from place to place. Experienced gardeners and gardeners over the years of gaining experience have managed to adapt even special types of tools for work on sites – such as fire and sapper. Although, for example, the fire department is narrow-profile, but with its help you can perform some work on your site.
Types of shovels are divided into three large classes – they are gardening, construction and handling. Gardening includes digging, digging, universal. For construction – digging pointed, picking faceted, digging rectangular, picking, mortar. Loading and unloading facilities include sand scoops, grain scoops, metallurgical, snow removal, rock, coal. There are bayonet and sovkovye. Unlike the bayonet, which is used only for digging the soil, the scoops can have lateral flat or raised edges for greater capture of bulk fractions.
Let us dwell on the most popular shovels among the owners of garden plots and vegetable gardens and their brief description. Pick-up, also known as sand or LSP, is a type of tool that you cannot do without if you decide to bag, move or reload coal, crushed stone, sand, grain, organic additives. LSP will be needed to remove the earth from the bottom of the trench, to spread or knead the cement mortar, to clean up debris or snow. LSP has a panel measuring 275 by 235 mm. LSP is necessary for every gardener or gardener. The sand shovel has been popular for many years and should be in every household.
A sand shovel will allow you to perform many types of work on your own site. But experienced gardeners and gardeners know that they should also purchase a universal shovel, which is also called the “American”. Outwardly and in terms of functional features, it combines the best qualities of bayonet and pick-up shovels. Its metal tray is pointed and somewhat bent, reminiscent of a spoon. When performing earth digging work, it can cope with very hard ground. With its help, you can easily perform loading and unloading operations, you can clear the territory. Design features make it possible to minimize the load on the back of a person.
Snow – required for cleaning sidewalks, paths and roadways. Its types are made from materials such as aluminum, rail steel, plastic, wood, plywood. The shape of the tray can also vary – from the classic with curved edges to the usual flat canvas. Such a large shovel is also called a scraper. The dimensions of its tray, thought out specifically for clearing sidewalks and paths from snow, are very wide. Such a large shovel has a special convenient holder. A shovel with a rounded blade is perfect for working on loose soil. An earthmoving shovel, thanks to its long blade and its pointed shape, will be useful when digging holes and trenches in areas with rocky, clay and hard ground.
There is also a bread shovel – for placing products in the oven, and a potato shovel – with its help, it is really quick to carry out an overload of potatoes. The dustpan is a tool with a short handle, designed for quick garbage collection. The handle in the design is located across the tray. And this is not all types of shovels that will become your faithful assistants in performing various types of work on your own site.
Video “Option with two handles”
Main selection criteria
There are basic features of choice when buying any type of shovel that you should consider when going to the store and buying any type of shovel. Pay attention to the fastening of the handle. Experts advise purchasing inventory with a spring clip, and not with a nail or screw. So it is more reliable, and the stalk will last longer. The place of attachment of the cutting is also important. It must be reinforced. In bayonet spades, the wave-like shape of the blade at the fastener site gives high strength. Manufacturers of shovels sometimes do not pay due attention to the place of attachment, and as a result, it is possible to get a breakage in this place during the work.
The material from which your inventory for the garden or vegetable garden will be made is also important. Rail steel, titanium, plastic, wood are different types of material, the choice of which depends on the purpose for which you plan to use the tool. If an increased load is expected, then models from rail steel, titanium and other similar shovels should be chosen.
Rail steel inventory is a great option for country work. Shovels made of steel are coated with a protective coating – bituminous varnish. There is a reinforced shovel. This is the name of a tool equipped with stiffeners. In the manufacture of a reinforced shovel, the metal is subjected to heat treatment, during which longitudinal protrusions appear. They increase the degree of strength of the tool and extend its life. Aluminum ones are not suitable for working with sand or gravel, they are recommended to carry garbage, clear snow, and loosen the soil.
The shape of the handle matters – even or curved. Smooth is the most common. Some prefer curved ones, motivating their choice by the fact that it is easier to dig with it. The choice of cutting is a personal matter. Shanks are made of aluminum, wood, plastic. A tool with a wooden handle is a more budget option. Plastic cuttings are stronger, but do not withstand severe frosts. Metal is durable, but in the presence of high temperatures it is not particularly convenient, even in the rubberized version – there is a possibility of frostbite on the skin.
Shovel handles have different shapes. They make the job easier and can be removed if desired. The tool must be selected according to height. Here, when choosing, such a criterion as the length of the handle is important.
We are not talking about a folding shovel. A folding titanium shovel is offered by manufacturers with a short handle. In folding titanium, it can be easily removed. Unlike a conventional titanium shovel, it is not folding, where the handle must be selected according to growth. The handle should not be too long or too short. In both cases, it will be inconvenient to work with such a tool.
Cutting selection
A shovel without a handle is not the best choice, according to experts. In this case, you will have to make it yourself, and here you can not do without special skills. It is better to purchase it immediately with him, and not in parts. It is important to choose a handle that will not only support the weight of the materials, but will also be properly fitted. Plastic is well suited for snow removal, but may not pull earthworks. If you plan to work with bulk materials, choose a tray with high sides to increase the volume of the shovel. The steel tray is suitable for performing work in the garden or vegetable garden of any kind and degree of complexity.
A titanium shovel will become a lightweight and durable tool. The same criteria are relevant when choosing a handle – made of wood, plastic or aluminum. Wood that has been proven over the years must be perfectly sanded, free of knots and irregularities. Before use, a wooden handle can be walked with sandpaper. The classic size of the length of the handle, made of any modern material – up to the middle of the forearm. The experience of many gardeners and gardeners indicates that it is easier to work with a transverse handle at the end of the handle. A shovel with a handle, selected according to your height, will become an indispensable assistant in the garden or vegetable garden.
Video “Shovel made of rail steel”
From the video you will learn about all the features of this device, its application and functionality.
