# My homemade tree spade.



## Nailsbeats

Here it is.







Use it to dig a hole.






Spade out a tree.






A few all done.






I moved 6 today and never got out of the machine. It has proven to be a very useful tool.


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## treemandan

You are way to cool. My homemade spade consisits of 6 mexicans fighting for the same shovel. yo, save save tree work for the rest of us.


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## Nailsbeats

I believe proper terminology would be Mexican drag line or banjo. I am just trying to do my part like John Denver taught me.

You think you could hook the Dingo up with one?


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## treemandan

It would be small but sure. There are some that have manual slide hammers that will go right on, even to a atv or truck hitch or hand truck... even.
Do you have any down force apllied to yours or is it more of a scoop? We are in the neighborhood of 4000 so far with this stuff. We will see who wants to pay for moving trees.


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## Nailsbeats

Yeah, I push down on it to see how far it will go in, then I run it at more of a 45 degree angle and push through to the other side, tilt back and you have yourself a tree.


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## motoroilmccall

Are you having someone cut the steel for you? Looks like a flowjet or laser or even a plasma cut. A good steady hand and a torch just can't get cuts that nice. With a jig you might be able to cut them like that with a plasma cutter. I don't know why I'm talking out loud here (so to speak). Stop me whenever you deem necessary.


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## Nailsbeats

I cut the steel myself, I work at my family owned fab shop. Cuts were made with a shear, bandsaw, and grinder with cutting wheel. We also have 2 plasma cutters which I don't think I used on this project.


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## clearance

Very cool.


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## Nailsbeats

Thanks Clearance.


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## dancan

How did you create the cutting edge ?


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## Mike Cantolina

clearance said:


> Very cool.



+1

Mike


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## Nailsbeats

dancan said:


> How did you create the cutting edge ?



I gauged and cut each individual piece then clamped them on, weded them together and to the bucket itself.


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## 820wards

Nailsbeats said:


> Here it is.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Use it to dig a hole.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spade out a tree.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A few all done.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I moved 6 today and never got out of the machine. It has proven to be a very useful tool.



I'm trying to find out how to post threads with photos that show up when you open a thread. I have tried searching for 'posting photos' and cannot seem to locate any information. I see that your post opens with the photos attached. Can you tell me how this is done or steer me where I can find this information? TIA
jerry-


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## Mike Van

Nails, nice job! It's great there's others that don't have to 'buy from the factory' to get the job done -  Jerry, I use photobucket to host pics, under each pic are 4 choices for posting them, the second one down, right click on it, then on the little menu above this box, click the one that says 'insert image' and paste the copied code there. Preview your post, it'll either be there or not -


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## 820wards

Mike Van said:


> Nails, nice job! It's great there's others that don't have to 'buy from the factory' to get the job done -  Jerry, I use photobucket to host pics, under each pic are 4 choices for posting them, the second one down, right click on it, then on the little menu above this box, click the one that says 'insert image' and paste the copied code there. Preview your post, it'll either be there or not -



Mike,

I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
jerry-


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## LTREES

Nails, 2 questions. 

1. do you have to cut the roots on the other side to keep the ball in one piece?

2. how big of a tree can you dig w/ it, and how big is the skid?

Look great though :yourock:


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## Nailsbeats

LTREES said:


> Nails, 2 questions.
> 
> 1. do you have to cut the roots on the other side to keep the ball in one piece?
> 
> 2. how big of a tree can you dig w/ it, and how big is the skid?
> 
> Look great though :yourock:




1. You can take them out from one side, the one in spade was done that way, they come out perfect root balls. If you are trying to take a big one out you can come from both sides, which I have done.

2. I would say about 10' trees would be max. The diameter of the spade is around 30" at the top, so figure the root ball you have to get without damaging the tree. Different species have different root systems.


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## LTREES

:Eye: 

Looks good,
thanks

LT...


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## huskys rule

*nice*

nice looks a lot like the factory design. I got lucky and work at a place that actually builds them and got mine for the price to build it. along with a 54" tiller for a skid steer. your design looks real good.


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