Heck, I didn't even know there that many different kinds of spades!

I use a regular old spade for digging holes around the farm, not so much composting. Have a long handle and short handle, inherited them from dear ole Dad (rest his soul).

I use a 7 or 8 tine fork for composting, can't remember where the heck I got it from, but I think it was used to muck out stalls back in the old days.

I also use a flat shovel, wheelbarrow and a rake a lot around the compost area. Tried a pitchfork, not enough tines. Might try something like this but I don't know how strong those tines are.

But of course the big stuff is done with the hydraulic levers on the tractor.

I guess it depends on what it is you are trying to get done.

Lloyd

I would be ordering the digging spade and fork for general gardening work. I have a 7 tine fork for composting and the like.

I was wondering about the durability, workmanship and such. Lee Valley is a Canoodlian company, and since yer a canuck (:>o ) although not a Newfie, I thought I'd ask how you feel/think about their tools/equipment and such.

Sorry to have not been more clear with the original posting.

Ah. I see.

I have not purchased, used, nor know of anyone who has.

Sorry

You still in the municipal refuse collection business?

Lloyd

P.S. did I mention it's pretty dang cold up here right now! -25C/-13F with windchill -39C/-38F, now doesn't everybody feel sorry for me...whine, whimper.

Yeppers, I'm still throwin' trash to make a living.

P.S. Supposed to be 33F tommorrow and rain all bloody day. With wind. Think of a poor bedraggled dog, with big sad eyes, begging for a warm, dry place to lay his head. That would be me.

P.S.S. Hopefully, by this time next year, I'll have my company in the commercial composting business. I'm trying.

Lloyd as all the big toys that we'd all love to have. I've always heard good things about LVT, if that makes any difference.

Good luck in your endeavor fbg! They say if you do what you love, you'll never work another day in your life. I believe that's true. You're the type of guy I love to stalk.. you get first dibs on all the good stuff that people think are trash.

FBG...more intrigue, can you give me Readers Digest version of what you have planned? I have been doing searches for small town organics collection just to see how others are doing it.

Both from a collection point of view and the composting process (in-vessel, windrow, bunker, ???)

Lloyd

I tend to drool over Lee Valley's woodworking tools. Their planes are beautiful. I think the reason they are kept behind the glass at Woodcraft is because drool wipes off glass easily. Of course, with excellent craftsmanship you face a fair price. Don't know about their gardening tools, but their woodworking tools under the veritas name are the envy of many.

I don't mean to butt into this conversation but I do have some experience with LVT. Their hand tools are of very good quality and the company stands behind them. That said, I can't speak directly for the shovels, spades, etc. since I don't own any from them. DH & I tend to buy less expensive shovels since our crew is murder on all tools and also sometimes loses them. Not many shovels would stand up to being run over by a backhoe! And even though we have pry bars for leverage, you know how it is, the tool in hand is the one you use. Shovels were never made for prying up really heavy stuff!

Sandy

I'll join Sandy in butting into the conversation. I agree that LVT's stands behind their product.
I haven't purchased any shovels, etc, but I did buy an edger. But some time later I received a letter from LVT asking me to return the edger. They had determined that the weld wasn't up to their standards and were recalling the whole batch. They were offering a refund or exchange.

In another case I had ordered a water alarm. Again, much later, I just received a cheque in the mail. They said the alarm used its battery power too quickly and were just sending out refunds to anyone who'd purchased them. I don't know of any other company that does things like that.

FBG...more intrigue, can you give me Readers Digest version of what you have planned? I have been doing searches for small town organics collection just to see how others are doing it.
Both from a collection point of view and the composting process (in-vessel, windrow, bunker, ???)

Lloyd

Well my friend, (if I may be so bold)

I visited Portland, Oregon in October to see the newest grandson. Portland has a trash/recyling/composting program that is very close to world class. The company I work for is a participant in this public/private partnership. I'm reading and modifying contracts and such to suit the locale. Having been formally in sales, I intend to pitch this idea to county, municipality, and the company I work for. The absolute worst that can be said is no.

I have presented outlines of plans already that would start a composting site of the magnitude I think needed, and have requested a capital investment of $10 million dollars for land aquisition, buildings, equipment purchase, and the first years labor costs.

This would be thermophilic composting in windrows with forced air to increase the oxygen levels deep in the windrows.

I have also been reading about remediation of contaminated soils using similar methods. There seem to be many branches of this tree that can be applied commercially, if only I can get corporate backing.

I've been told I'm being very bold for an employee with less than 1 years tenure. I am also preparing a proposal to use the methane gas produced by our local landfill(s) to produce electricity to power our local offices. Currently, it is just burned off.

I was told at orientation to think green.

'They' may come to regret that.

I wish to thank the others that have 'butted in'. please continue to do so.

OK, I'll butt in too about this LV stuff.

Although I have purchased shovels and possess their reel mower and love it, my experience with this company comes from a simple garden marker. I do a lot of winter sowing and need labels which are going to withstand the freeze of winter, wet of spring, and sun of summer and do so for at least a couple of seasons. I purchased one of their UV resistant garden markers about 4 years ago. It lived up to it's reputation and some labels are still strong after even 3 years. I needed to replace it since it had run out and purchased another. In a week, I noticed it wasn't as strong as my old one in terms of good solid bold printing, so I brought it back. They immediately replaced it with a new one. I am impressed. A company that stands by it's products in such a strong manner deserves credit. To me it wasn't just a little marker. It was as important as any other tool in my gardens if not more important.

They also have great workshops too. We attended a free one on taking care of the reel mower and I was impressed by the simplicity of explanation. (Some of us are not as mechanically inclined and do need simplicity. :O)

I too drool over their catalogue. Given the choice when in high school, industrial arts would have been my choice vs home economics!

"I am also preparing a proposal to use the methane gas produced by our local landfill(s) to produce electricity to power our local offices."

Hmm.

Have you considered combining your two ideas? If you composted anaerobically, you could generate methane from the composting, too. I looked into that a little more than 30 years ago for a college engineering project. I don't remember many details and we never implemented it, but I remember that the project was to come up with some approach to help reduce landfill waste and one of the options we researched was anaerobic composting with methane as one of the byproducts.