Digging shovel for tall guys?

[AKMac]

I'm just curious if anyone on the taller side has found a digging shovel (or square mouth) that fit's taller guys?

I'm 6'4" and most shovels give me a lower back ache after a while. If I could just get a shovel with perhaps a 68"-72" over all length, I would be much more comfortable.

I've searched high and low and can't find anything. I'm half tempted to buy a lathe and start making them!

 

[cburnscrx]

I'm just curious if anyone on the taller side has found a digging shovel (or square mouth) that fit's taller guys?

I'm 6'4" and most shovels give me a lower back ache after a while. If I could just get a shovel with perhaps a 68"-72" over all length, I would be much more comfortable.

I've searched high and low and can't find anything. I'm half tempted to buy a lathe and start making them!

I am subscribing to this thread...I am 6'3.

 

[Jose G]

you could try a regular shovel, (no D handle)

not working as good as D handle one tho...

 

[bczygan]

6'3" too.

I have found the longest handles on used shovels at garage sales. Got a variety of shapes for different soils and digging materials.

Don't know if they make them like that now.

http://www.gemplers.com/product/171342/8-ft-Telegraph-Shovel

Handle house has 60" handles.
http://www.househandle.com/products-2.html#straight

 

[96snma]

Don't know where you are. I'm 6'3" and found one that works well for me. Its the Rona brand shovels here in Canada. Dont know who makes them for originally but they're tall and work well

 

[jeremy v]

I haven't found any yet, and I have been casually keeping an eye out for some, or for some good wood pieces to make my own. I almost bought some very long handled shovels off of Craigslist about 2 months ago. The guy said he used them for hand digging wells and they had almost 10 foot long handles. I couldn't see much use in a shovel with a handle quite that long (seems it would be pretty awkward to use to me), but i was thinking of cutting them down to about a foot longer than normal and using them myself as regular shovels. I passed on them, because he had 6 and he wanted $300 for the lot and he wouldn't sell them individually. They were also pretty well used.

I am 6'2" and you are right it would be nice to have longer handles, especially when the hole you are digging is more than 8 inches or so deep. Even having 6" more would make a huge difference. Oh, no, Oh, no, don't even think of posting what you are all thinking. I know I gave you the perfect setup, but you will all have to contain yourselves.

 

[Hiball]

The trick is to find a shovel that fits someone else's hand..

 

[BK13]

Huh, 6'6" here, I always just thought I was a wuss when I got a sore back, never thought of blaming shovel handle ergos...

 

[AKMac]

Haha, maybe I am a wuss and I'm blaming the shovel! Although, last fall I was shoveling a flat bed trailer full of dirt and thought how much better my back would feel if I wasn't bent over at a 30 degree angle the whole time!

I've looked at Lowes and Home Depot for shovels and can only find what is considered "normal" size. If I was 5'4" they would be perfect

The house handle link that bczygan posted looks the most promising. A 60" handle would be just about right. A 8' telegraph shovel would be too tall for me.

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm a head shorter than you guys, and a longer handle ain't going to stop the aching back after digging, but stopping digging usually will after some drugs and a few hours...

 

[Criss]

Longer handles would be nice, shovels, rakes, and for the push mower. Although for me the absolute worst is the weed wacker, being hunched over kills my back. A few good gin and tonics helps power through it.

 

[jeremy v]

Amen on the push mower, I forgot about that. I think every push mower, shopping cart, and stroller I have ever used has had a handle about 2-4 inches too low and one that also does not stick out horizontally enough from the main part of the structure, so I am always bent over just a few degrees and/or accidentally hitting the tips of my feet against the bottom corners of the cart, stroller, etc. whenever I walk at faster than a snail's pace.

 

[jeremy v]

Longer handles would be nice, shovels, rakes, and for the push mower. Although for me the absolute worst is the weed wacker, being hunched over kills my back. A few good gin and tonics helps power through it.

Yeah you are right, string trimmers too. They would be absolutely perfect as they are if I wanted everything I was whacking to end up 8" tall.

 

[sselander]

See if these guys have something. If not, contact them and let them know there is a market for them. These are 100% US made outdoor tools.
I have the ice scraper/chopper and it puts the store bought ones to shame.
Much heavier/beefier and solid construction.

http://www.bullytools.com/

4 Technology Drive • Steubenville, OH 43952
Phone: 800-469-5522 • Fax: 800-550-0996
8:00-4:30 Monday - Friday
Email: [email protected]

 

[bacpacker]

My back is messed up, so I always just thought the back ache was me. I did find some garden hoes that had longer handles available, excellent metal in the blade and all Made is the USA. They weren't cheap, but I am certain, I will never have to replace them.

http://www.prohoe.com/about.html

 

[ClickClickBoom]

I too had that problem being 6'4", here was my solution:

 

[cburnscrx]

See if these guys have something. If not, contact them and let them know there is a market for them. These are 100% US made outdoor tools.
I have the ice scraper/chopper and it puts the store bought ones to shame.
Much heavier/beefier and solid construction.

http://www.bullytools.com/

4 Technology Drive • Steubenville, OH 43952
Phone: 800-469-5522 • Fax: 800-550-0996
8:00-4:30 Monday - Friday
Email: [email protected]

Thanks! That looks like it might be what all of us are looking for. When I can shovel at the proper height, my back doesn't hurt...go figure!

 

[Texican]

I am 6'5, my solution was to take a post hole digger handle and use that on my shovel. The handles on my post hole digger are steel and about 6' long.

 

[jeremy v]

I looked at the bully shovels and they look nice and heavy duty, but the longest handled shovel I saw was only 59" total length. My existing shovels are all around 57-1/2" long, so that is not enough of a difference to make it worth replacing my existing shovels. Ideally I would like something in the 66-72" total length range for digging holes any deeper than 6-8". It is the 8"-2' deep trenching type tasks that really wear out my back over time.

The best solution for me would be to just find longer handles and use the shovel heads I have, because I have shovels with differently pitched blade angles for different tasks and i really like that part of them as they are.

I do think that ClickClickBoom might have the best of all solutions. That is a pretty neat little setup, and it looks like it would be a lot cheaper than buying a used micro excavator, which seems to be about the only other viable alternative for many situations.

 

[justgurn]

Oshkosh has post hole diggers with handles ranging in length from 6' to 14' long. I have a set with 10' handles. Much easier on the back.

http://www.oshkoshtools.com/products/postholediggers/post_hole_diggers.htm

 

[dgarage]

I'm 6'4" and feel your pain...

 

[jeremy v]

I too had that problem being 6'4", here was my solution:

How well does that dig ground that would need to be picked first if dug by hand? Could you get at least the equivalent of a hand shovel full of dirt with each scrape of the bucket, or is progress pretty slow since the whole machine is so light?

 

[ClickClickBoom]

How well does that dig ground that would need to be picked first if dug by hand? Could you get at least the equivalent of a hand shovel full of dirt with each scrape of the bucket, or is progress pretty slow since the whole machine is so light?

To be honest I've never actually used it. I bought it as you see, the tractor was trashed. I have an old Cub 1650 that i'm putting it on. My spring project. The hoe is getting re-engineered to sit closer to the mower.

As it sits that whole setup weighs probably about 2,000 lbs.

I'm mainly going to use it to spread fill dirt and mulch. got a few gutter burial/ dry well projects in mind for the hoe.

The bucket loader is an actual sears unit manufactured by a company called Kwikway. Lots of video on youtube of similar setups if you search garden tractor loader.

The hoe is a homebuilt with plans from caddigger:
http://www.cadplans.com/3pointhitch.htm#508

It's rated to dig 4 feet, and the consensus is it'll dig pretty much anything but concrete.

 

[Outlawmws]

I too had that problem being 6'4", here was my solution:

I like that. did you buy it or make it?

 

[jeremy v]

ClickClickBoom,

Thanks for all the info. I think I will look into that for fun a little bit and see if eventually owning something like that quickly becomes a personal obsession and perceived need for my future continued success in life.

The digging power might not be too bad after all, I didn't expect it to weight that much. I would have guessed about 900-1000lbs total for that so I thought it might just get tossed around like crazy when digging.

 

[supra90turbo]

Sounds like you need a telephone pole hole shovel. They are usually 8'-12' long...
Sometimes called a 'Peavey Spoon' from what I just saw trying to find a picture, all I could come up with was this crappy one that's all stretched out.
From back when men used to dig telephone pole holes by hand...