Dump shovel

It would seem that a shovel is such a simple tool that changing or improving its design is hardly possible. A handle and a blade—that’s the whole device. Nevertheless, there are many variations of this rather ancient farming (and not only!) implement. And the search for its modernization continues. Including by our readers, as evidenced by the letter below.

To those who have to pick up a shovel often, I’d like to offer a tip dedicated to our eternal “unpaid” holiday of dacha labor. But first—a short backstory.

While at the dacha and resignedly digging the notorious 6 sotkas, and with a bad back to boot, I was ready to curse everything. Then I suddenly came up with what I think is a fine way out. An ordinary rope loop did the trick. It turned out that if you tie it to the handle near the blade and wrap it a half-turn around the handle, you can turn heavy but voluntary dacha physical work into something useful and pleasant, comparable to bodybuilding.

For example, you take this loop in your left hand, make one turn around the handle counterclockwise, and grip the very top of the handle with your right hand. Now after the usual thrust into the ground you push the handle to the right with your right hand, pull the rope with your left, and when the shovel with soil comes up—simply relax your right-hand grip. Under the weight of the clod and the half-turn of the rope loop, the shovel will flip over by itself and dump the soil. The half-turn is restored by rotating the handle 180° with your right hand.

If you have a shovel with a D-handle, working with the half-turn is trickier, but the loop will still do good service by freeing you from having to bend after each thrust.

The method is especially recommended for people with back problems, as it eliminates any bending.

Yes! When you dig—be sure to wear canvas mittens—you don’t always dig for long, and it doesn’t take much to get calluses.

Half in jest, I shared with you experience that is quite serious.

«Modelist-Konstruktor» No. 12’2011, A. DZISKO