Tools and Equipment Used in Landscaping Hand Tools

Tools and Equipment Used in Landscaping

Hand Tools • Are just as important as power tools • Should be used for their designed purposes • Buy good quality hand tools

Hand Tools

Shovels, Spades & Scoops • Versatile tools used for digging & scooping • Shovels have long handles & are round- or square -pointed • Spades have longer blades • Scoops are flat with high sides

Shovels, Spades & Scoops

Hoes • Garden hoe: Only the • Weeding hoe: Has two sharp prongs on top of bottom edge of the blade is sharpened

Hoes (cont’d. ) • Grubbing hoe: Has two narrow, sharpened, flat ends

Forks • Spading Fork: Effective in breaking up soil clods • Pitchfork: Used to move coarse, lightweight materials

Rakes Lawn rake: Used for clippings, leaves, & other light debris • Metal bow rake: Used for heavy duty raking

Pruners • Anvil pruner: Top blade is sharp & cuts against an anvil-shaped bottom blade • Bypass pruner: Cuts in a scissor-like manner with two cutting blades

Shears • Lopping shears: Used to prune larger limbs, has 2 smaller blades with long handles • Hedge shears: Used to prune & shape hedges; has 2 scissor-like blades

Knives • Multi-purpose knife: Has a smooth but sharp cutting edge • Pruning knife: Have a curved blade, used to remove small stems

Pruning Saws • Bow saw: Prunes medium-sized branches • Curved blade saw: Prunes large branches

Pole Pruner • Used to remove tree branches that cannot safely be reached from the ground • Operator pulls on a rope to cut Video

Seed/Fertilizer Spreaders • Three types: – Hand Crank Spreaders – Broadcast Spreaders – Drop Spreaders

Hand Crank Spreaders • Used for small areas • The hopper contains seed or fertilizer that is broadcast by turning the hand crank Video

Broadcast Spreaders • Have wheel-driven gears that turn a propeller to spread seed or fertilizer

Drop Spreaders • Have wheel-driven gears • One wheel drives the roller than pushes the seeds or fertilizers through the hopper’s bottom • Video

Sprayers • Used to apply pesticides & fertilizer solutions • Hand held sprayers use compressed air to spray solutions

Carts & Wheelbarrows • Lawn/Utility Carts are ideal carriers for equipment & materials • Wheelbarrows carry soil, mulch, or rocks

Specialty Tools • Grass shears: Used to trip grass in areas inaccessible to a mower • Weed cutter: Cuts weeds & grasses in uncultivated areas

Specialty Tools (cont’d. ) • Trowel: Used to dig & mix soil & plant bulbs • Weeder: Cuts roots of weeds below the soil surface • Cultivator: Has 3 -4 tines used to break up hard soil around plants

Other Shop Tools • • • Chisels Files Hammers Pliers Screwdrivers Wrenches

Maintaining & Storing Hand Tools • • • Clean tools to remove soil & other debris Check tools for bent or dull blades Check tools for broken handles Replace broken equipment Store tools indoors

Small Power Tools • Essential to increase work efficiency • Two categories: – Electric Motor Powered Tools – Gasoline Engine Powered Tools

Electric Motor Powered Tools • Power is supplied by an electric current • Two types: – Direct-drive powered – Pulley-drive powered

Direct-drive Powered • Power is applied directly to the power head • Example: – Hedge shears

Pulley-drive Powered • Power is applied directly to a drive pulley which is connected to the power head by a belt or chain • Examples: – Edgers – Mower decks

Gasoline Engine Powered Tools • Power is supplied by an internal combustion engine • Two types: – 2 -cycle engines – 4 -cycle engines Video

2 -Cycle Engines • The intake, compression, power, & exhaust cycles are completed in two strokes • Equipment examples: – Trimmer/Weeder – Leaf Blower – Chain Saw Two Stroke Animation

4 -Cycle Engines • Completes intake, compression, power, & exhaust cycles in four strokes • Equipment examples: – Lawn mowers – Rototiller – Grass edger – Aerators Four Stroke Animation

Before Using Power Equipment: • Inspect the equipment to see if it is mechanically safe to start • Check the area in which the tool will be used for hazards • Review steps to starting, using & stopping equipment • Warn others around when you are about to begin work

Maintaining & Storing Small Power Tools • Use basic maintenance & storage procedures • See operation manual for each type of equipment

Maintaining & Storing Small Power Tools (cont’d. ) • Clean equipment of dirt & debris after each use • Clean off any moisture on the exterior of the equipment • Store in clean & dry cabinets • Do not wrap power cords around equipment

Large Power Equipment • Greatly increase the efficiency of work • Examples: – Cutting Equipment – Soil Digging Equipment – Soil Moving Equipment – Tillage Equipment – Tractors – Transport Equipment

Cutting Equipment • Used to cut materials into small pieces & maintain grasses • Examples: – Grinders – Mowers – Shredders

Soil Digging Equipment • Examples: – Backhoes – Posthole Augers – Trenchers

Soil Moving Equipment • • Dozers Dump Trucks Front-end loaders Graders

Tillage Equipment • Used to prepare seedbeds, to aerate soils, & to free soil of weeds • Examples: Cultivator & Rototiller

Tractors • Often used to operate other types of equipment • Uses: – Mowing – Tilling – Raking

Transport Equipment • Used to move materials from one place to another • Examples: – Trucks – Forklifts – Trailers – Tree spades

Maintaining & Storing Large Power Equipment • Check equipment systems regularly to keep them in proper working order • Should be stored in a safe & protected manner to prevent injury & malfunctioning

References: • Biondo, Ronald J. and Charles B. Schroeder. Introduction to Landscaping Design, Construction, and Maintenance. (2003). Interstate Publishers, Inc. : Danville, IL. • Ingels, Jack E. Ornamental Horticulture: Principles & Practices. (1985). Delmar Publishers Inc. : Albany, New York. • Introduction to Ornamental Horticulture. (1986). Catalog No. 115 B. Instructional Materials Service: College Station, Texas. • Ornamental Horticulture. (1982). Department of Vocational Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources Education and Washington State Commission for Vocational Education: Olympia, Washington. • Richardson, William B. and Gary E. Moore. Working in Horticulture. (1980). Mc. Graw-Hill, Inc. , Dallas, Texas.