Trail tools... Where do you get em?

[chadalex78]

Where do you get good trail tools such as a Mcleod type rake/hoe?... Trying to get some work done aroune here!

[Trail Ninja]

I bought mine directly from Corona.
Corona Tools: Quality Garden and Landscape Tools

[twright205]

Ben Meadows - Forestry Supplies, Wildland Firefighting Gear and more

[mtn.skratch]

I've been able to find what I need here:

Forestry Suppliers, Inc. 800-647-5368

[GatorB]

Rogue Hoe: The Best Hoes for Farm and Garden


I hate stickys but this forum should have a sticky for trail supplies, tools and resources.

[crux]

Ben Meadows - Forestry Supplies, Wildland Firefighting Gear and more

+1 for Ben Meadows

[TrailYoda]

Rogue Hoe: The Best Hoes for Farm and Garden


I hate stickys but this forum should have a sticky for trail supplies, tools and resources.

Every tool has a purpose, and needs very by region and topography but Rogue Hoe should be your first tool.

[Trail Ninja]

Rogue Hoe: The Best Hoes for Farm and Garden


I hate stickys but this forum should have a sticky for trail supplies, tools and resources.

Good idea for a sticky. PM sent to Vis.

[JDM]

Same as above: order rogue hoes from the manufacturer and McLeods and fire rakes from Ben meadows. We also have a few $30 yellow handle pulaskis from home depot. They are holding up well.

[twright205]

ben meadows had rogue hoes on sale a month ago, I am guessing they will be back on sale soon. for me the nupla mcleod is the first necessity a bit heavier that rogue hoes but you need something out there for tamping and the curved, smaller head of the rogue, not going to do it.

[HypNoTic]

I prefer Corona McLeod over Nupla's since the head is way, way stronger. They are also have a better balance (with the wood handle) for day-long use. I get mine either from Forestry Suppliers (on sales) or directly from the manufacturer.

Nupla pulaski w/ fiberglass handle. You can have them via Fastenal, which have store virtually everywhere.

Council fire rake are another great tool, depending on your soil conditions. From Forestry Suppliers too.

Rogue hoe, directly from the manufacturer in the States, or I sell them in Canada.

Suunto clinometer are the reference. Can be found dirty cheap on eBay sometimes, or via Ben Meadows | Forestry Suppliers |*Dendrotik

GPS, we mostly use Garmin. The new 62 serie is more than enough for most trailwork. For more advanced stuff, Trimble is the reference.

Topo map source vary a lot by region. Locally, I use TopoNav maps at 1:20,000 based on the natural ressources ministry data. I know a lot of places in the States have free 1:50 to 1:12 maps available on the net.

GIS software:
- ArcView is the industry reference. If you're serious, you need to learn it.
- Quantum GIS is the free (open-source) equivalent of Arc, which is awesome but a bit more advanced than what most users will actually need
- Touratech QV6 is a great intermediate package
- Garmin MapSource is the entry-level package which can be pretty useful sometimes
- Google Earth Pro is a great tool

For bike park projects, many builders now use Google Sketch-It (Pro). Very easy to use and plenty powerful to give a good VIS of the project. Serious project still use Autocad since its the industry standard for technical drawing.

Specialized trailbuilding mechanized equipement:
- Sutter (or Sweco) trail dozer
- Singletrack SK240
- Rokon Trailbreaker is a 2WD off-road moto
- Canycom, Morooko, Kubota and Yanmar offer various size of tracked wheelbarrow up to full-on tracked transporter
- Ditch Witch (SK650, SK755), Bobcat (MT55) and Toro offer tracked tool carrier (think a walk-behind or stand-on Bobcat) that are great tool with a 6way blade or bucket attached to it
- DR Mower offer great ATV-towable brush cutter out of VT
- Helac have probably the best tilt-head for excavator on the market
- Engcon have probably the best roto-tilt head for excavator on the market

[TrailYoda]

ben meadows had rogue hoes on sale a month ago, I am guessing they will be back on sale soon. for me the nupla mcleod is the first necessity a bit heavier that rogue hoes but you need something out there for tamping and the curved, smaller head of the rogue, not going to do it.

The rogue hoe RH80 can tamp as well the nupla and out cut it 2 to 1, only down side is when raking duff the handle is shorter.

[GeauxTime9]

Good luck!

[shredjekyll]

Amazon has a lot of tools from the brands discussed above. I personally got a rogue hoe, truper rake, and true temper pulaski axe off of there.

[Berkeley Mike]

The BTCEB is going to buy a fair number of tools with a grant. It was nice to come here and find good info.

[danielcoyle]

Logging and forestry supply. Some local hardware stores have hazel hoes.

[rednova75]

Just bought the Rogue Hoe FB70H and it has been the best $56 spent in a long time!!!!!

[splitter_66]

Here is a new site. These guys are just getting going on the webstore. Should be a great resource.

TOOLS for TRAILS, A supplier for quality hand tools and supplies for trail building - McCleod, Pulaski, Hoes, Pick Mattock

[suggg]

I have bought my pick, shovel, and McLeod from Zac® Tools - "The Strongest Shovels on Earth". Their tools are tough - fiberglass handles with strong reinforcement to the actual tool/cutting edge. - Gus

[bsieb]

I have bought my pick, shovel, and McLeod from Zac® Tools - "The Strongest Shovels on Earth". Their tools are tough - fiberglass handles with strong reinforcement to the actual tool/cutting edge. - Gus

The Zac round point shovel with an ash handle and sharpened edges is my favorite trail building tool for digging, cutting scrub oak roots, levering rocks. If you haven't used one you are in for a treat, there is no shovel like it that I know of. Be aware that the extra HD models are SUPER beefy and VERY heavy. I personally prefer the ash handles (better balance, lighter) but the super HD tools can definitely take more abuse. The HD bow rake is great for raking out a tread through small embedded rock fields, it's much beefier than a McLeod.

Best to buy in club quantities (over $250 our last order) from Zac Tools for reasonable shipping fees.

[proxy]

I have thoroughly abused my Lamberton Rakes, building single track in DG and boulder riddled areas. They have held up very well over the past 7 years. The large Lamberton also is a better cutter / digger into steep slopes than my McLeod.

The Lamberton Rake

[dburatti]

I second Zac Tools. (BuyZacTools.com)

The McLeod heads are well made and sturdy with no nut on the bottom, which allows for wet dirt to cling to & hampers packing. The fiber glass handles are solid yet light weight. The little black cap on the open end of the handle always comes off and eventually was lost. Without that cap, I have noticed the fiber glass cracking a little. It's a minor concern at this point, and I wear gloves when I work, so i'm not experiencing shards or slivers.

I just bought six of these McLeods, three square point wooden handled shovels, and two wooden handle pulaskis and received them in about week. They even included a seventh McLeod as a promotional item!

I haven't unwrapped them yet, as I'm having a shed built and will just take them in there to be stored.

As far as other tools, I do like the Rogue hoes by Pro Hoe and the 7" or 8" folding razor saw by Corona. The saw blade is a bit flimsy but cuts very well with little effort.

D