Monday, May 15, 2017

A Fork For Everyone

Just one more day to enter the Foal Pool, then the wait begins. Fortunately for Castleberry Welsh Cobs, the wait is over for the long awaited Bay filly. Ember's new sister and Roscoe's cousin made her appearance right on time a few days ago. Little girls are always so cute!
PC: Lisa Brezina, Baby Girl E 2017

PC: Lisa Brezina, Ember 2016


Unfortunately for us the rain has reappeared and the arena is sloppy. I still made Comrade work, but it does not make for great writing. So I am going to talk about forks.


Manure forks, apple pickers, picks, what ever you call them are an essential part to having horses. And if you are anything like me, you have one you prefer. Due to market changes we are sometimes forced to try new ones. Here are the three I have used recently, Future Fork, Farm Fork, and Noble Outfitters Wave Fork.

Farm Fork
This fork my sister got us from Big Dee's for $25 (head only) and my Dad put handles on. The design is suppose to make it virtually indestructible. So far ours still survive. Mom uses this pick daily. I am picky and think the tines are too pointy, but overall the tine spacing and weight allow for good use. They also sell an adjustable handle to go with the head.
Round head


Noble Outfitters Wave Fork
I have been interested in this fork since it came out and finally decided to buy one for just under $50. Wave fork parts are all replaceable, making breaking a tine less painful. They let you pick tine colors, for those with specific barn colors, and have a two piece handle.  The fork is very lightweight which pleases Peggy. The only cons are that the tines are spaced slightly wider, hard to pick small pieces, not as see sturdy feeling and the handle occasionally twists open. I really like that the nut/bolt assembly to attach the head and handle have a rubber coating to allow for a tight connection. I seriously cannot stand a wobbly fork.




Future Fork
As nice as the other two are, I stick with the old Future Fork. The angle works, tines spaced well and they are about  $13.  Larry and I both use these forks, though his is wobbly. We also have the small version in the trailer.

We have a fine tine fork in the hay stall. It is too heavy for normal use. Same goes for the Wonder Fork. The Super Fork, we gave away since none of us could stand the awkward angle. And finally,  the trusty metal pitch fork is there for the tough jobs.

Anyone else picky about forks?

4 comments:

  1. I have the wave fork and love it. But I hear you on the smaller pieces.

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  2. A friend of mine posted a pic on facebook of her manure fork with a broken tine. The outpouring of sad emojis and condolences made me realize just how many of my friends are crazy horse girls lol Also, I want a cob foal pretty much more than anything right now, love seeing the pics :)

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  3. ooo i like the color of the fork

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  4. i'm definitely picky about my pitchforks haha- i prefer the old school plain style that's light weight. a wobbly fork will absolutely drive me batty lol. one that i really liked at my last barn was the standard plain pitchfork head, but it had a lightweight aluminum handle with a slight angle in it near the handle. at first i didn't like it, but then got really oddly attached to it lol

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