Thank you ever so much for sharing your knowledge of pitchforks. This year I created 40 square yards of garden beds (which I had never done before) for my wife, and I have been truly amazed at how wonderful the pitchfork is as a garden tool. We have very clay soil so I have used the pitchfork to break up the ground, shovel it into a wheelbarrow, and then sieve the soil of rocks on a half inch screen. Before replacing the soil I used the pitchfork to break up the ground to the depth of the pitchfork before replacing the screened soil back on the ground. This allows the clay soil to be broken up to at least two pitchfork depths before planting the beds. Once I replaced the soil, I then amended the soil with gypsum, compost, wood chips and a mixture of biochar, hay and rabbit manure at the top, wile tilling the various layers. This was all made so much easier with the pitchfork!
I too like a longer handle, but it's for the longer reach (less bending) not the leverage. The leverage in this instance gets worse with length because the pivot point is wherever your back hand is and the front hand does the lifting; while the weight being lifted is further away putting the Lifter at a mechanical power disadvantage from the short handle - but that also means you don't have to move your arms as far - so in that respect it's an ADVANTAGE - so long as it's not excessively heavy material.
So the ensilage rake is best for moving triple shredded MULCH from a pile delivered onto my driveway? Wolverine brand?!? I went to U of M, Go blue!!! :)
