The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: arobwk on November 18, 2017, 05:29:34 pm
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Hoeing in anything other than well tended, loose soil is a real back-breaker right?! So I decided to try an oscillating hoe (Kent & Stowe branded, found on ebay at a really good price - turned out to be a very nicely finished tool). Really digs in easily on the pull stroke, but not so happy achieving a good push stroke. Achieving equal "bite" on the push stroke requires a very upright body posture to get a good angle-of-attack for the blade (and I'm near 6' tall) which means greater "arm effort" rather than whole-body effort (hopefully you will get what I mean). OK, so I'm half-way to a very good hoe for more consolidated soil, but wondering about any other members' experiences with oscillating hoes and, in particular, any other brands (accepting that branded tools often come from the same factory these days).
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Hi Arobwk, can you put a picture up of it?
Thanks
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I have considered an oscillating hoe but couldn't see any advantages to it. I mostly use two Wolf hoes, one horizontal straight blade, single attachment in the middle, with all edges sharpened, so it cuts forwards, backwards and sideways. The other is attached at both ends and has two waveny edges, but only cuts on both push and pull, but not sideways - the double attachment protects plants from accidental chopping, as I think the oscillating hoe does :garden:
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You know, this thread really wasn't what I was expecting! :-[
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You know, this thread really wasn't what I was expecting! :-[
What were you expecting?
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You know, this thread really wasn't what I was expecting! :-[
What were you expecting?
I'm curious as well, can't think what even Womble could turn this into LOl
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A 'ho' is a not very nice name that many gangs, esp in US, use to describe women.
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A 'ho' is a not very nice name that many gangs, esp in US, use to describe women.
:(
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Apologies - I haven't got a dirty mind, but sometimes it's just on a different wavelength. I have the same problem with the thread about "DIY Internal Goat Partitions".
To get back on topic though, I've never actually used a hoe (of either variety), so what's it actually for? Is it just to break up lumps of soil, or are you also using it to cut up weeds etc?
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I attach a pic of K&S oscillating hoe (OH) as requested by Still playing with tractors: the blade pivots back and forth to give a deep hoeing cut in both directions. I believe it would be better if the fixed angle of the head, relative to the handle, was a little slacker or the blade swiveled a bit more. Unfortunately there isn't enough of a gap to file down the pivot "stop bars" to increase the amount of swivel. It's awesome on the pull stroke though, even in consolidated soil. It can be equally awesome on the push stroke, but, as I said, only with a more upright body stance to get the forward blade edge at a good angle (= more effort). I'm using it to "weed" close up to young willow and apple stock: the design helps prevent stem damage. Just wondered whether anyone had found another brand/different design in the UK: there are many other OH designs, but UK options very limited from what I can tell. (I guess I shall just have to hoe more frequently to keep the soil loose - whereupon, the 170mm bladed option might be added to the inventory!)
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I have one of those! Really useful if used regularly when the weeds are still small and the soil is soft and not compacted. Good for no dig gardens too.
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Whatever hoe I use, I can only use it in the polytunnel. The ground outside here is very rarely dry enough even in high summer, and even with a newly sharpened hoe, to cut off the weed seedlings, so they just get ploughed under and regrow. The slugs love it though.
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Thanks Arobwk, I've never seen one before, it looks really well made
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The ground outside here is very rarely dry enough even in high summer ... even with a newly sharpened hoe, to cut off the weed seedlings ....
Since I only bought/tried my osc' hoe a few weeks ago, I guess the soil it was tested on could be described as well moist (albeit moorland type soil, i.e. not clay). Maybe you should try on osc' hoe!? Digs in well below surface when the angles are right.
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The ground outside here is very rarely dry enough even in high summer ... even with a newly sharpened hoe, to cut off the weed seedlings ....
Since I only bought/tried my osc' hoe a few weeks ago, I guess the soil it was tested on could be described as well moist (albeit moorland type soil, i.e. not clay). Maybe you should try on osc' hoe!? Digs in well below surface when the angles are right.
I'm only 5' 4" so if you struggle with it so would I even more :garden:
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You might be right on that point Fleecewife.
An adjustable OH head is what is needed - gonna have a think about that!
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Quick update: used the osc' hoe in well-loose, but quite weedy loamy soil today. Achieved good deep root-cutting strokes on both push & pull with no great effort - I'm starting to really like this hoe!
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Well, I think I have found my perfect hoeing combination!
Lidl recently had a long-handle 3-tined hoe in store for the un-princely sum of £6! Looked well made so I thought I'd give one a try. Excellent - requires little effort to rake through consolidated soil and it dislodges all but the most persistent long-rooted weeds. So in comes the oscillating hoe to mop up.
OK, so that's 2 goings-over, BUT I reckon it took me no longer to hoe a planting row in two sweeps (tined hoe to loosen, then oscillating hoe) than it did to achieve same result using only the oscillating hoe over cosolidated soil AND so so much less effort!