Now that's a fork!

[scottg]

Hey there farm, yard cleanup and gardening fans!

 So, in the recent past, I dunno, maybe a couple/3 months ago? I found a fork head.
Not like anything I ever saw, I had to drag it home.
 Well it sat behind the shed and I started looking.
  But, I couldn't find a suitable handle for it anywhere!
A regular shovel handle would look like a pimple on an elephants backside.

 We had some pretty serious storm damage in the yard this winter.
  It snowed, and then it rained. Except the snow didn't go away.
 Then it snowed some more (30") and then it rained, and rained, and rained. Until that snow got so heavy things just started to break.
Eventually it began to sound like a war zone outside. Boom, crack, crash... all around. It went on for one whole day and then some.

 We were really lucky. 4 oak trees decided to merely "lean" against the house. Didn't break or fall, just leaned over until they got support and stayed there for the duration. Eventually standing most of the way back up.
 Others in the valley were nowhere near so lucky. It was at least 48 straight hours of total pandemonium. We had no power for a week. But that first couple days we had so many emergency between fire and ambulance, calls we couldn't  have answered them all if were 4 times the size. Power lines down, wrecks, injuries, property disasters, on and on.  Eventually emergency services became a road hazard in ourselves.

 Then my neighbors house caught fire 2 days later, and that took another long long day. We sorta saved it. About 50% saved and no serious department injuries (everybody gets out alive)

  I had a lot of cleanup to do around my own place. I am only just finally done this week.
 I saved the best branches. You knew I would...

 When I decided couldn't get a handle for my fork no matter what, I broke down and carved one today.
 I am not sure if its a walnut, ash or maple branch, but it was pretty straight and beefy, and should be strong enough to do the job.
It still needs more work.
 But then so do I.       heeheheheeheheheheheehh





 yours Scott

[johnsironsanctuary]

Scott, I have seen that fork used to clean the bedding in horse stalls. They usually have a short shovel handle like a ditching shovel. The close together tines are for sifting out horse apples from the straw.

From my 1931 Shadbolt and Boyd Catalog.

[Branson]

I always called them manure forks or mucking forks.  But you got it, John.

[nick]

how about Silage fork,used one many times when younger?

[johnsironsanctuary]

Sorry to her that Happy Camp took such an ass woopin this winter. Hope this summer makes up for it.

[mrchuck]

Long handles are great for scraping, but become difficult for lifting something heavy on the tines,,,due to the length.
Give it a try.
Beautiful vintage 10 tine fork.

[Bus]

Ensilage or Silage fork. Can also be used as a personal body heater. Climb up the silo on a freezing cold morning before sunrise and start forking five bunks full of silage and by the time you're none you will be down to a tee shirt.

[HeelSpur]

Always heard em called silage forks, forgot this one was in the back of a shed.

[Lostmind]

At the local flea market those are hot items. Vendors brag to each other how much they sold it for.
I try to avoid anything with a long handle on it, hard work !

[rusty]

I try to avoid anything that causes dealers to brag about how much they sold it for ;P

[rustcollector]

Always heard em called silage forks, forgot this one was in the back of a shed.

This one looks more like a railroad coal fork to me.