On Friday, April 2, 1999 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, Peter Maughan wrote:
Esteemed URGlers,

I've been doing rather a lot of hoeing on my allotment recently because
it is a bit overgrown. I find that the ordinary long-handled hoe isn't
powerful enough and I have been using a border spade, which has more
weight and width than a hoe. To use the spade I have to crouch down, so
that the blade is flat on the gound, and make forward thrusting
movements, cutting off the weeds just below the surface of the soil.
It's hard work.

With this on my mind, I awoke from sleeping at about 3 a.m. one morning
with a brilliant idea. Why not attach the spade to the old hand-push
lawnmower that is lying neglected at the bottom of the allotment? This
would make a fine wheeled hoe which could be pushed along from a
standing position, taking the strain off my back.

Unfortunately, down on the allotment next morning, I found that the
technical difficulties of constructing a wheeled hoe were just too
great, considering that my resources were limited to a border spade, a
broken-down hand-push lawn mower and a piece of string.

A friend on a neighbouring allotment then told me that it is possible to
buy a such wheeled hoe. He said it has a single wheel on the end of a
long handle and two sythe-like cutters attached at the front. So much
for my dreams of taking out a money-making patent on a brilliant new
invention!!

Does anyone know where such a wheeled hoe may be obtained? I think my
friend said it is called a "Low-hoe", or similar.
--
Peter Maughan
St.Leonards-on-Sea, E.Sussex

You will find lots of these handy little tools on ebay, varying from £30 to £200 , I use one regularly with a variety of attachments , it's a bit heavier duty than a jalo or a planet junior , being all iron , it gets used after the mattock in clearing rough ground , as well as for allotment work

"David" wrote in message
...
On 14/11/2014 22:24, wrote:
On Friday, April 2, 1999 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, Peter Maughan wrote:
Esteemed URGlers,

I've been doing rather a lot of hoeing on my allotment recently because
it is a bit overgrown. I find that the ordinary long-handled hoe isn't
powerful enough and I have been using a border spade, which has more
weight and width than a hoe. To use the spade I have to crouch down, so
that the blade is flat on the gound, and make forward thrusting
movements, cutting off the weeds just below the surface of the soil.
It's hard work.

With this on my mind, I awoke from sleeping at about 3 a.m. one morning
with a brilliant idea. Why not attach the spade to the old hand-push
lawnmower that is lying neglected at the bottom of the allotment? This
would make a fine wheeled hoe which could be pushed along from a
standing position, taking the strain off my back.

Unfortunately, down on the allotment next morning, I found that the
technical difficulties of constructing a wheeled hoe were just too
great, considering that my resources were limited to a border spade, a
broken-down hand-push lawn mower and a piece of string.

A friend on a neighbouring allotment then told me that it is possible to
buy a such wheeled hoe. He said it has a single wheel on the end of a
long handle and two sythe-like cutters attached at the front. So much
for my dreams of taking out a money-making patent on a brilliant new
invention!!

Does anyone know where such a wheeled hoe may be obtained? I think my
friend said it is called a "Low-hoe", or similar.
--
Peter Maughan
St.Leonards-on-Sea, E.Sussex

You will find lots of these handy little tools on ebay, varying from £30
to £200 , I use one regularly with a variety of attachments , it's a bit
heavier duty than a jalo or a planet junior , being all iron , it gets
used after the mattock in clearing rough ground , as well as for
allotment work .



So now posts from the last century.
I have a Jalo ans it's fine on soft soil, but once it sets hard it's not
so good.

I have a Jalo too, with plough attachments etc but as you say it's fine on
soft soil but not so good on clay, which I have. I don't think you can get
Jalos now. However I'd suggest that wheeled hoes are great if you have a
well tilled soil already or a soft soil and not if you haven't.

This might sound like advertising but Chillington tools (Wolverhampton) make and sell a range of digging hoes which are a lot easier to use than spades, and easier on the back. They work at right angles to the normal spade. They do a small one which a blade one side and two prongs the other. Ideal for cutting under weeds, and if the soil is soft very easy to use. They have a small digging hoe which would cut under heavier weeds, and can also be used instead of a spade. Takes a little bit of getting used to, and there is a different technique for digging a large area, but makes a hell of a difference to back ache.