FEL (quick attach) Tree Spade

[swmich42]

Interested in opinions on the quick attach tree spade. This would be the FEL mounted "shovel", I am looking at to move small trees, and bushes. I have approx. 50 trees, all under 15 feet, (1" dia) ready to be transplanted and or sold. Some will go into our property, remaining will be sold. Our soil is sandy loam. (easy digging) I planned to purchase EA's tree spade, to save my body from what I know is hard labor in moving these trees by hand. (ie hand shovel) Has anyone used this FEL (Quck Attach 36") tree spade, to do this type of work, before I purchase.

 

[jeff9366]

I have had a Bucket Solutions " Universal Quick Attach Bucket Spade " since February 14, 2012. I thought about attaching a bow and giving it to my wife as her Valentine's Day gift, but reconsidered. I bought her flowers and took her to lunch instead. The Bucket Spade cost was $369 delivered from the factory in Colorado to Florida.

Bucket Forks, Tractor Forks, Loader Forks by Bucket Solutions

This is a high quality, heavy tool, probably around 100 pounds. It is shaped like your garden spade (duh), it is sharp, it attaches and stays secured to your bucket with a crescent wrench and I am sure the weight helps considerably to make it effective piercing dirt. I soon learned to store it on a Tractor Supply garden wagon so I could move it to the bucket and maneuver it onto the bucket easily. (I am 64 years old.)

I have excavated two holes: one 4' diameter X 3' deep, the second 4' diameter X 4' deep in Florida sandy-loam containing Water Oak roots. There is a learning curve here....much of the time the spade is hidden behind your bucket so the first hole went pretty slow. By excavation #2 I learned instinctively where the spade was positioned and the second hole went 50% faster.

The first time I removed the spade a little (aluminum?) screw which fastens the pad to the securing bolt fell out onto the driveway. I rubbed a little beeswax on the screw-threads and replaced it. I doubt this screw will fall out again. Either beeswax or Loctite should be applied to the right and left side pad securing screws at the factory.

I think this implement would serve your need well. I am attaching several photos. Unfortunately my camera battery died in the driveway before I photographed the excavations....always the way......

Bucket Spade is mounted on bucket of my Kubota B3300SU Compact Tractor/Loader package. (33 horsepower)

The Customer Service at Bucket Solutions is courteous, helpful and accurate.
Delivered on the day promised when ordered.

 

[jeff9366]

Additional Bucket Spade pictures April 1, 2012.

Garden spade in photo #2 is also in photo #4, positioned vertically in hole for scale.

Hole took less than two minutes to excavate in Florida loam laced with grape vine roots and Water Oak roots.

jeff9366

 

[k0ua]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/189604-shovel-ready-project.html


I built a version of that if you want to go thru that thread above, you can read my trials and tribulations and eventual success. with it. I have maybe 20 bucks in it. But I had some of the steel as scrap lying around.

James K0UA

 

[jeff9366]

SWMICH42:

Did you acquire a bucket spade in the last six months?

 

[PhysAssist]

SWMICH42:

Did you acquire a bucket spade in the last six months?

FWIW, the Paumco combo-spade was the first non-kubota implement we purchsed, but i think if I could go back, and do it over, I wouldn't buy it again.

It's a chainon version of those above- about 2 feet long by 20" wide.

Don't get me wrong, it can be useful, but mainly for more selectively picking up rock or logs.
What we wanted it for and were led to believe it would work for on our Kubota B2320 was to dig up stumps-and I believe we were sold a bill of goods by Paumco's owner, who told me that it would be able to do that on our tractor...

 

[swmich42]

I did. I went through EA; and am very happy with their product. (

 

[jgayman]

What we wanted it for and were led to believe it would work for on our Kubota B2320 was to dig up stumps-and I believe we were sold a bill of goods by Paumco's owner, who told me that it would be able to do that on our tractor...

What did you find was the biggest shortcoming of the Paumco unit?

 

[jgayman]

I did. I went through EA; and am very happy with their product. (

Which EA product did you purchase? I could not find any bucket spades on their site.

 

[jeff9366]

Here is a recent photo of a hole I excavated about 54" deep.

Without R4 (or R1) knobby tires and without a counter-balance, tractor would have slid into the hole.

 

[AchingBack]

What did you find was the biggest shortcoming of the Paumco unit?

I don't see any shortcomings in my Paumco spade. I have the model which slips over the end of my FEL forks. If I had it to do over, I would purchase the model which also connects to the lower bucket lip, as well.

However, for digging stumps, as PhysAssist tried to do, the bucket will actually be in the way. You put the Paumco on your forks, and you can do a lot of stump digging, with ease.

 

[daugen]

I've been considering the Paumco spade to add to my bucket for transplanting a number of small trees and shrubs i need to move. I have a phd to use for planting, but does the Paumco spade actually dig a hole like the videos say? How about in rocks?...
thanks
ETA has another one, made by Long, for much more money. It is clearly built like a tank compared to the Paumco unit, but the price reflects that.

so for those of you who have bought the Paumco unit, for the bucket, have you used the spade for tree work, or just stumps?

thanks

 

[iplumb]

FWIW, the Paumco combo-spade was the first non-kubota implement we purchsed, but i think if I could go back, and do it over, I wouldn't buy it again.

It's a chainon version of those above- about 2 feet long by 20" wide.

Don't get me wrong, it can be useful, but mainly for more selectively picking up rock or logs.
What we wanted it for and were led to believe it would work for on our Kubota B2320 was to dig up stumps-and I believe we were sold a bill of goods by Paumco's owner, who told me that it would be able to do that on our tractor...

Not enough weight in your tractor? Did it do any damage to your bucket?

 

[PhysAssist]

Not enough weight in your tractor? Did it do any damage to your bucket?

Well, having loaded our rears and using our greater than Kubota recommended weight ballast box has helped, but since all weight is in back, it hasn't helped that much.
I really think that it is a weight and power issue.
It had not damaged the bucket until last fall- mostly because it is chained around the whole thing.
Unfortunately, last fall while we were digging drainage trenches, we found a boulder, and as we were digging it out, the turn buckle/chain tensioner [lever type, not ratchet] opened up without us noticing it, and our bucket lip turned into a grin...

 

[k0ua]

Well, having loaded our rears and using our greater than Kubota recommended weight ballast box has helped, but since all weight is in back, it hasn't helped that much.
I really think that it is a weight and power issue.
It had not damaged the bucket until last fall- mostly because it is chained around the whole thing.
Unfortunately, last fall while we were digging drainage trenches, we found a boulder, and as we were digging it out, the turn buckle/chain tensioner [lever type, not ratchet] opened up without us noticing it, and our bucket lip turned into a grin...

You can fix that grin with a hydraulic jack and a chain. Jack it slightly past grin, into the frown territory and let it spring back to straight.

 

[PhysAssist]

You can fix that grin with a hydraulic jack and a chain. Jack it slightly past grin, into the frown territory and let it spring back to straight.

Hi James,
Thanks- I used your links to search out bent bucket lip posts, and found quite a few that also suggested that.
I'm leaning towards putting spade back on, resting it on top of another boulder, and bouncing up and down on it, or jacking on it as you suggested.

 

[daugen]

simply for fyi, I bought the WR Long tree scoop almost four years ago and two things were obvious. It's physically large, and I bet it would take 200hp to bend the thing, massively built. My L Kubota does not have the power to use it properly, will not push down into ground far enough. It does, however, work well making short ditches for water drainage and it works awesomely for ripping out stumps.

 

[PhysAssist]

simply for fyi, I bought the WR Long tree scoop almost four years ago and two things were obvious. It's physically large, and I bet it would take 200hp to bend the thing, massively built. My L Kubota does not have the power to use it properly, will not push down into ground far enough. It does, however, work well making short ditches for water drainage and it works awesomely for ripping out stumps.

The Paumco combo-spade is likewise bullet-proof, in fact, another reason, I think it has worked better recently is that since I first posted, I have spent several sessions with my angle grinder sharpening the rather blunted "cutting" [more like bludgeoning] edge that it shipped with.

If I had a skid steer, or telehandler, I doubt it would have even been an issue, but with my little tractor, every edge I can get helps [intended].

 

[Fallon]

The Paumco combo-spade is likewise bullet-proof, in fact, another reason, I think it has worked better recently is that since I first posted, I have spent several sessions with my angle grinder sharpening the rather blunted "cutting" [more like bludgeoning] edge that it shipped with.

If I had a skid steer, or telehandler, I doubt it would have even been an issue, but with my little tractor, every edge I can get helps [intended].

My bucket spade (well pallet fork spade) from them has held up on my L3200 & now much beefier L4060. Not that useful, but way beats a shovel when I can't be bothered to blow half a day or more to go borrow a backhoe from a friend. Planted a number of live xmas trees with mine & replaced a few burried downspouts. Not a great tool, but a good economical one.