What is a Shovel?
You might be thinking, everyone knows what a shovel is, but not everyone knows the different types of shovels or that there are shovels specifically designed for irrigation purposes. The most common shovel that almost everyone will have is a garden spade, or round point shovel which features the typical “triangle” shaped blade. Every shovel consists of a handle, either straight or with a D grip, and a shaped blade. Most are used for digging, others are used for clearing debris such as snow.
Shovels for Irrigation
When it comes to installing irrigation around someone’s property, there is normally a lot of digging or trenching that must happen to lay pipe, connecting the water source to the designated watering zone. Irrigation installers will use two types of shovels specifically designed for irrigation trenching.
- Trenching Shovel. A trenching shovel is a thin bladed shovel, 4” or 5”, (in width not in strength) that allows smaller trenches to be dug, just wide enough to lay pipe. These shovels make it easier to dig, due to their narrower blade and creates less of a disturbance to a lawn or garden. It is complete with a forward turned boot saver (flat lip on top of the shovel blade) for digging leverage and the pointed blade tip digs into the ground better than your normal garden spade.
- Cleanout Shovel. A cleanout shovel is very similar to a trenching shovel. It is available in only a 4” wide blade, however it has a bigger bend to the neck of the shovel blade. The larger bend allows the shovel to lie flatter along the bottom of the trench. This makes it significantly easier to clean debris and loose dirt from the bottom of a trench or to make the trench deeper. It is complete with a forward turned boot saver (flat lip on top of the shovel blade) for digging leverage and the pointed blade tip digs into the ground better than your normal garden spade.
Check out the video below for a side-to-side comparison of irrigation shovels:
Benefit of Structron Shovels
The brand that we carry at Wes-Tech is the Structron brand from Seymour Midwest. They are made to last, they are durable and they are super high quality. The feature fiberglass handles and molded steel blades. All the Structron shovels available in-store and through our website come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Other Structron Shovel Options
For more Structron tool options, browse our full range Seymour Midwest products here.