[radiohead]

Last spring whilst merrily forking over my plot I must have got a bit over enthusiastic and snapped the handle at the join to the steel....It wasnt a top quality tool so rather than a new handle I bought what I considered was a quality fork...(bulldog)....only to find last weekend that the handle appears on the verge of breaking again ........ok,maybe I am a bit hard on it but then I want to really put my back into it and not have to worry about the fork breaking......can anyone recommend a tool that will take a lifetime of lottie abuse?
Thanks!

[arugula]

Hi Radiohead,

I've moved this to Equipment shed as its rather more about tools than actual growing. We've just had the same problem with a trusty Draper Expert tool which has lasted years! You're right, Bulldog is supposed to be a reasonable make it isn't that cheap after all. Your bulldog tool isn't still covered by any guarantee is it?

[min200]

I work with the same enthusiasm and I got my fork from Wilkinson.  Its the stainless steel type with a wooden handle and so far has taken all I have thrown at it .

Cost was around £15.

[rachelr]

we got a stainless steel one from wickes many years ago and swear by it.

[muckshifter]

Try a fibreglass handled contractors fork, they usually have tines twice as thick as a garden fork,and as for the handles they come in fibreglass,steel or some kind of super tough plastic.
I've had a fibreglass handled spade for 20 years that I use for digging out the tracks on the earthmoving machines,force it in to the packed solid mud horizontally,stand on it then jump up and down on it till the mud breaks out,can't seem to break it.

[Gwiz]

if you want to give some serious abuse, you can buy forks with all metal shafts.
Mind you, it helps to be a weight lifter to use them.

[Junie]

I went through 2 forks in 3 years !
I bought a lovely Spear and Jackson, with a wooden handle, said lifetime guarantee on it, phoned my OH to check what this meant in the website, couldn't find it so phoned to check ( It was £10 more expensive than the others!) If it breaks, take a photo and they will send a voucher for you to replace it.  Sounded like a no brainer to me ( if they stick to their word!) but it certainly feels much more sturdy and easier to use than the cheaper counterpart!

[Kleftiwallah]

I'll not have anything derogatory said against Bolldog forks ! ! !         ! ! !  Although I have replaced the handle once, it has been in use since I left the mob (crowfoot brand for the crabfats who know) in 1979.    Cheers,    Tony.

[Junie]

I'll not have anything derogatory said against Bolldog forks ! ! !         ! ! !  Although I have replaced the handle once, it has been in use since I left the mob (crowfoot brand for the crabfats who know) in 1979.    Cheers,    Tony.

Changed the handle once and the forks twice?? - Sorry reminded me of Trigger in only fools and horses with his 17(?) year old broom!

[Paul Plots]

I'll not have anything derogatory said against Bolldog forks ! ! !         ! ! !  Although I have replaced the handle once, it has been in use since I left the mob (crowfoot brand for the crabfats who know) in 1979.    Cheers,    Tony.

Not what I'd call a bargain  :blink: I have my dad's fork. He used it for more than 50 years on his plot and, before that, was told he could take it with him when he'd finished working at the local cemetery. It’s still a brilliant tool. Not a 'Bulldog'… but there again it’s got the original handle!! 

[radiohead]

LOL.... .Big thanks to all for taking the time to reply,some great info....I think I'll check out the contractors fork and fibreglass handled jobbie, especially as I've kinda lost faith in the wooden handled tools.....I may also take the bulldog back to the shop and see what they say,it does feel a quality fork I have to say,and I'd like to keep it going......but somehow I have a feeling that the join where the wooden handle meets the steel shaft will be a weak point on any fork,no matter what quality.

[Paul Plots]

Maybe you should use your spade and keep the fork as a back-up for slightlly lighter jobs?

[radiohead]

Maybe you should use your spade and keep the fork as a back-up for slightlly lighter jobs?

You may well be right....but I prefer to use a fork and think a good one should be capable of heavy digging without breaking.

[savbo]

the point where the shaft meets the handle is obviously one of intense stress - but does it also matter that it's a region where linseed oil is least likely to penetrate? I've had a couple of spades/forks fail here and they've looked very dry...

[Paul Plots]

Maybe you should use your spade and keep the fork as a back-up for slightlly lighter jobs?

You may well be right....but I prefer to use a fork and think a good one should be capable of heavy digging without breaking.

Not meaning any offence but......

I wonder if you might be a little like my son? (He's 6'5" and moves mountains without noticing).
 
For several years things tended to end up in more pieces than they were meant to be whenever he got hold of them... quite by accident handles would be in his hand rather than where they should be for example.  

Might I respectfully suggest that you bear in mind that fork handles snap so when you are digging with your new / repacement model you keep an eye on the shaft for signs that it's not keeping up with you?

I'm pretty sure I could have busted my dad's old fork had I kept going when it would rather not.  

Gently does it.  

PS Which general area of Sussex are you in? We do have some hefty clay around here!!