Trail building tool?

I’ve usually found Silverline stuff to be lesser quality and so liable to break. This is as pool tools for a volunteer group though.

This months MBR mentioned BTR in UK were doing a limited run of McLeods. Think they were about £70.

http://www.btr-fabrications.com/product/trail-tool/

Actually £75 plus £15 delivery. Ouch!

IMO plenty of quality tool combos I’d rather have for that sort of money. Each to their own 😎

But it has an integrated

BTR stencil for trailside tagging

. How is that not worth the extreme premium?

Mattock & rake.

To replace all the functions of a McLeod you;d also need a tamper http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p77668?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=cxP1lrFd&pcrid=46297888583&gclid=CMHV6aqL9cICFQMYwwod9mwARw

I prefer using other tools but then that’s given the choice of a full range of tools which out group have available.

I find a mattock better for cutting and a garden rake better for shaping and grading a trail tread. The McLeod however is versatile and if you only have one tool to take out then it’s a good option. It is after all a take on a fairly old fire fighting tool and in that context it works well.

Our McLeods cost us 20 quid each for the head and we supplied our own timber handles. This was a subsidised price as a favour to our then fledgling group.

The BTR ones look good and in fairness if they are hand made and take more than 2 hours each then whilst the price seems high the cost is understandable.

On the subject of Chillington we have a lot of the digging hoes http://www.chillingtontoolsonline.co.uk/trenching-hoe-head-only-p2 and whilst the head is great we’ve struggled getting a good solid fit between the wooden handle and the head. I’m hoping that the Rogue Hoes which we’ve now ordered will deal with this.

Just broke my silverline after 2 1/2 months without seemingly putting it under much strain. Amazon are refunding me though so I’ll be putting that towards a better one.

Dan, I’m waiting on a quote from a local fabrication shop who have laser cutting equipment for them to price me up a couple of the one I posted up there ^

I’ll give you a shout if it’s a goer price wise.

Interested, how much are we looking at NBF? email in profile 🙂

I dunno yet, I’ll let you know when they get back to me, hopefully tomorrow.

nice one, will they be proper toughened steel like the original ones?

First ones will be prototyoes, to see what they’re like, then we’re how we go.

USA based, here. Rogue Hoe 55H (hickory handle) is the best digging tool that I have come cross, by far! So I’d say that chillington hoe would probably be similar. I usually break up the dirt with the 55H then use a long handled round point shovel to scoop up the loose dirt and throw it distance away.

I have a pulaski that I keep sharp and use only for cutting roots (not digging). I’ve never tried the Rogue Pulaski and I’m not sure that it would be heavy enough to cut roots.

Rogue 55H way outdigs a mattock, either the 5lb version or the 3.5 lb garden mattock IME.

Mcleouds don’t dig well at all in my area; there are too many roots. Even small roots stop them cold. They are good for final grading, scraping the flat edge along in a pulling motion. They can also be used for deberming the same way.

YMMV depending on the what the soil is like in your area.

I do like the holes in the BTR mcleoud for locking the tools up. I think that the cut logo might just make it easier for dirt to clump on when tamping, though.

I’ve had some of the Rogue 55s delivered this week and they look good, I’ll hopefully be able to give one a quick test tomorrow.

The rogues keep an edge better than any other digging to that I’ve ever used. They’re very sharp when new and they cut through small roots quite easily. Of course, if you use them to try to cut rocks…

Once dull, impossible to sharpen by hand, though. Use a mini angle grinder and sanding (not grinding) disc, 80 grit IIRC.

I’ve never seen a broken hickory handle, either. They’re trail monkey proof, apparently.

Mcleouds don’t dig well at all in my area; there are too many roots. Even small roots stop them cold. They are good for final grading, scraping the flat edge along in a pulling motion. They can also be used for deberming the same way.

Agree with that.

If replacing Chillingtons / Silverline versions this site does a wide variety of azadas:

Get Digging

Also does some other tools. Has been know to offer a discount to trailbuilders if buying in larger numbers. You could try mentioning SingletrAction but I make no guarantees 😉

A friend of a friend up in Dalby has made some heads recently along the lines of the Rogue hoes. Will see how they turn out when they land.

Had a go with the Rougue 55 yesterday that ST ordered, it wont dig into a hard pebbly surface like a mattock or corner of a spade but ST made a nice berm out of an existing rutted corner.