The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Small Plot Big Ideas on September 06, 2013, 08:05:30 am

Title: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: Small Plot Big Ideas on September 06, 2013, 08:05:30 am: I found this rusty old implement the other day and I'm trying to find out what it was used for.... does anyone have an idea?

It might be a specialised tool for some task that I can't figure out or I suppose it could be a home-made conversion of a "normal" garden fork to make it more suitable for another purpose?

There is no handle attached (that was long gone!), all I have is just the bit you can see in the picture
Title: Re: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: Scotsdumpy on September 06, 2013, 08:26:26 am: I've got a couple of theses and I believe they were used for pulling off manure from a cart as the horse walkes acrss the field. The fore runner of a muck spreader.
Title: Re: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: Simon O on September 06, 2013, 08:32:21 am: Before I saw the second post I was imagining it might have been used for forking round the outside of some invasive perennial to cut its roots and stop spread, or for other types of root pruning - might be easier to use than a spade in that situation as less friction from the blade (!??)
Title: Re: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: hexhammeasure on September 06, 2013, 08:43:46 am: yep muck spreaders, they hold the muck as you pull the fork back out and then (in theory) it crumbles through
Title: Re: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: Simon O on September 06, 2013, 08:48:16 am: ...oh well bang goes my theory!
Title: Re: Help needed to identify this old garden implement
Post by: doganjo on September 06, 2013, 11:21:14 am: I thought it was for digging up tatties so you didn't cut them in half when you speared them :roflanim: