Content
To cultivate a plot of land, gardeners use not only a walk-behind tractor, but also primitive devices. Previously, they were made independently, but now you can find factory-made options. One of these tools is a miracle shovel called Plowman. In appearance, these are double forks that form a soil ripper. During work, raising a layer of earth with a miracle shovel Plowman occurs due to the lever from the effort of the hands, and not the back.
How to use the tool
The principle of using a shovel is simple. Digging of the earth occurs with a step back of about 10–20 cm. To make it clearer, a person moves forward with his back, dragging the tool behind him. After installing the shovel on the ground, press the working forks. To do this, step on a special stop with your foot.
When loosening the soil with a Plowman shovel, pressure can also be applied to the upper bridge of the working forks. At first, this method may seem inconvenient due to the distant location of this element. In addition, out of habit, your foot will cling to the stop. However, the developer initially envisioned exactly this way of working.Over time, after several training sessions, a person realizes that this is the most convenient and easiest option. After all, pressing the fork into the ground does not come from the force of the leg, but from the weight of the body. A person only needs to move his body forward a little.
This mode of operation will not cause pain in the hip joint after processing 1–2 acres of vegetable garden. With the acquisition of skills, the leg intuitively moves past the stop to stand on the crossbar of the working forks. The Plowman also has its drawbacks, but the tool is still easier to work with than an ordinary shovel.
The video demonstrates the work of a miracle shovel on hard ground:
Plowman shovel device
Before you consider miracle tool drawing, you need to understand the principle of its operation. The shovel consists of two forks. One part is stationary and the other is movable. When the working forks lift a layer of soil, it passes through the teeth of the stationary part and the clods of earth are crushed. Thus, loosening occurs to a depth of 15–20 cm.
The plowman is available in several modifications, differing in size. However, according to reviews, the Plowman miracle shovel is more in demand with a frame width of 35 cm. The tool weighs about 4.5 kg. At the same time, the length of the frame is 78 cm, and the length of the working forks is 23 cm. The shovel has 5 teeth and is usually sold without a handle. The diagram shows the main components of the tool.
From the drawing it can be seen that the device of the miracle shovel is simple. In addition, it does not pose a risk for a person to be injured during operation. The working part is a wide fork. They are secured to the common frame by two stops, ensuring the mobility of the element.Teeth are welded to the stationary frame inside. At the front there is a stop made of two elements. It is a continuation of the frame. The Plowman's back stop is shaped like the letter T.
The frame itself is made of hollow pipe. This ensures the lightness of the tool. The teeth are made of hardened steel. To operate the miracle shovel, place it on a wooden handle.
Miracle Shovel Abilities
The tool is designed to facilitate manual labor associated with loosening the soil. Compared to the traditional bayonet version, this device allows you to process about two acres of land in 1 hour. At the same time, labor costs are reduced to a minimum.
Depending on the size of the shovel, in one pass you get a strip prepared for the bed up to 43 cm wide. If necessary, you can loosen to the full depth of up to 23 cm or superficially, without completely driving the forks into the ground. During digging, the roots rise with teeth weed to the surface, but do not break into pieces. This prevents their further reproduction.
How is a Plowman better than a regular shovel?
The main advantage of the Plowman is the need to apply less effort. After working with a bayonet shovel for a couple of hours, a person feels severe back fatigue, as well as pain in the hip joint. The plowman saves you from this trouble.
As for tillage, after using a bayonet shovel you have to break up the clods and level the ground with a rake. After the Plowman passes, he is left with a bed ready for planting. With the tool you can even quickly dig up a small garden for planting potatoes.
Another advantage of the Plowman is the pitchfork. The solid cutting blade of a bayonet shovel not only separates weed roots, but also cuts down earthworms.The forks have narrow teeth that are in no way capable of harming the beneficial inhabitants of the earth.
How is Plowman better than a walk-behind tractor?
Of course, a cultivator or walk-behind tractor is many times more productive than hand tools. However, here you can find the benefits of a miracle shovel. Let's start with efficiency. The plowman does not require refilling oil and fuel, purchasing consumables and spare parts for repairs.
With a walk-behind tractor, it is not always possible to get into hard-to-reach areas of the garden. In addition, the unit has an impressive weight and tends to bounce on hard ground during cultivation with a cutter. After several hours of such work, a person feels severe fatigue in his arms and back.
Making a Plowman with your own hands
Of course, it’s easier to buy this tool, but if you have metal and welding at home, then why not make a Plowman yourself. There is nothing complicated about this. You just need to carefully read the diagram.
The width of a homemade Plowman depends only on your desires. As this indicator increases, the work process accelerates, but at the same time fatigue accelerates. Usually it is optimal to make a tool with a width of 35 to 50 cm, but no more.
The principle of assembling the structure is as follows:
- To make fork teeth, hardened steel rods are selected. Flat products up to 20 mm wide or reinforcement are suitable. The number of bayonets depends on the width of the frame. They are welded, maintaining a minimum pitch of 100 mm.
- In order for the fork teeth to easily enter the ground, they need to be sharpened. To do this, use a grinder to make cuts at an angle of approximately 30O. For chernozem, the cutting angle can be reduced to 15O, but such bayonets will become dull faster.
- Next, they make a supporting bar. Here you can use reinforcement, but then the weight of the shovel will increase. It is better to give preference to a square pipe of at least 10 mm.
- The base for the handle is welded from a piece of round steel pipe 50 mm thick.
- The thrust bar is bent with an arc made of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 5 mm. At the point of bending, it is welded to the base for the handle, and the opposite two ends are then secured to the bar of the stationary frame.
When all the elements are welded, you will get a working moving part of the miracle shovel. Next, you need to make the second stationary half. It is made in the same way, but there is no need to sharpen the teeth. The frame is bent from a square pipe so that two stops are formed in front. A T-shaped stop is welded at the back of the shovel. The connection between the two parts of the shovel is made movable. To do this, eyes are welded to the supporting bar and the stationary frame, after which the two elements are connected with a bolt or pin. The final work is the installation of a wooden handle.
Reviews
Instead of summing up, let's take a look at the reviews of gardeners about the miracle shovel Plowman.
