Pitchforks?

[Able_walker]

I ask because I was in a Collectibles shop the other day and there was a nice sturdy Made in USA smaller garden pitchfork with a nice vintage look to it...only $15.00. Any collector interest in Pitchforks or is it simply a tool that will never be more than a few bucks?

 

[Lieblad]

Who knows, Folks will collect anythung...
Btw, pitchfork is sort of a broad term.
As far as forks, there are hayforks of two & more prongs, manure forks, digging forks & surely others.
I mow alot of grass & weeds, My favourite is Arvika 4 prong hayfork on a 60" haft.

 

[Able_walker]

Who knows, Folks will collect anythung...
Btw, pitchfork is sort of a broad term.
As far as forks, there are hayforks of two & more prongs, manure forks, digging forks & surely others.
I mow alot of grass & weeds, My favourite is Arvika 4 prong hayfork on a 60" haft.

Yeah I realized they call the one I saw a "Spading Fork" or digging fork....4 tynes with a D-handle and not very long.

 

[300Six]

I have heard folks lament the current availability and the quality of hay forks.

 

[BG_Farmer]

I use them for hay and other tasks, not a collector! The old hayforks are unsurpassed in design and weight. Probably same for old digging forks. What is usually in stores these days is a manure fork, too heavy and wrong for hay, too light for good digging.

I'd pay $15 in a heartbeat for a good old hay fork, and likely for a digging fork if I thought I might ever have a use for it.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Virtually all antique forks stand head and shoulders above modern ones. To most people they are a thoroughly "unsexy" tool, but if you use one of any sort for long you come to cherish the good ones and curse the lack of their ready availability on the market today. Most old forks had smooth, tapered tines that both aid in balance and weight reduction as well as greatly aiding in the release and penetration of material. Makes a huge difference. They're not collectible at this point in time, and the market price they command is low, but their value is immeasurable.

 

[jake pogg]

Entirely in agreement with the gentleman above.Couldn't have put it better.
Many of the old ones were forged out of a large solid billet,by making cuts in it,and then straightening the partially cut-through parts,and forging them into tines.
Often it was done for the US market by small Alpine forges in Austria and Switzerland,all this steeply-falling water moving those Medieval helve-hammers...Ancient scenes,those...

 

[Lieblad]

Eddie Albert knew what a good hayfork was !
This example is fully forged tapered prongs. (Also known as a "sheaf fork. A two prong version better suited to sheafs, three prongs, a little better for loose hay & sheafs. )

Donald Trump, Not so much...
This example prongs are round steel rods bent & welded, it wont load & release as well as tapered prongs.

In all fairness to Mr. Albert & Mr. Trump,
I seriously doubt either one knew a good hayfork, Neither their guy in their Props Dept too.
Props Dept just had an order to come up with a "pitchfork" and these examples are what the local hardware store had on hand.
Of course during filming "Green Acres", A high quality fork was still a common thing at any hardware store.

Btw, Sheaf tossing is a common sport in Scottish Games.
A burlap sewn bale serves as the "sheaf", its picked up using a fork & tossed over a high crossbar.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Entirely in agreement with the gentleman above.Couldn't have put it better.
Many of the old ones were forged out of a large solid billet,by making cuts in it,and then straightening the partially cut-through parts,and forging them into tines.
Often it was done for the US market by small Alpine forges in Austria and Switzerland,all this steeply-falling water moving those Medieval helve-hammers...Ancient scenes,those...

While most of the not-total-crap forks today are made in Austria (as contracted work through Johann Offner, in specific), the majority of old forks in the USA were made right here on domestic turf and they were famous the world over for their superior quality. The last manufacturer of quality rolled-tine forks was Union Tools before they were bought by True Temper and the plant was shut down because it was "redundant".

 

[jake pogg]

While most of the not-total-crap forks today are made in Austria (as contracted work through Johann Offner, in specific), the majority of old forks in the USA were made right here on domestic turf and they were famous the world over for their superior quality. The last manufacturer of quality rolled-tine forks was Union Tools before they were bought by True Temper and the plant was shut down because it was "redundant".

Ah!Thank you,i appreciate the info.I live in a Not-very-agrarian part of the country,and so don't come across forks often at all.But when i do,i'm always most impressed with their complexity,from a forging perspective.On the pre-,and early-industrial era ones the traces of forging methods speak of an impressive degree of skill,and energy expended,on later ones i'm not too familiar with forging machinery....First time hear the term rolling as applied to tines,thanks,sounds like some cool old machinery...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

They were used for tapering and properly imparting the oval or lenticular cross section to the tines, as I understand it.

 

[Able_walker]

These are like the one I saw....found this picture online from some sort of exhibition...dang they might be the next big collectible

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And another display...pretty cool and informative.

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[Square_peg]

I use them for hay and other tasks, not a collector! The old hayforks are unsurpassed in design and weight. Probably same for old digging forks. What is usually in stores these days is a manure fork, too heavy and wrong for hay, too light for good digging.

You got it.

The new ones are clunky and too short.

I mostly use my hay fork for mulch. For a mulch fork your want 4-6 tines with 5 times being the sweet spot. A long handle is better. This one is a smidge over 6' tall.

A fork forged from a single piece of steel will have a telltale sign, the base of the forks will be thicker in the center and get smaller as the tines branch off. This is the normal result of forging a fork.

Digging forks should also be forged out of a single piece of steel.

There are also cultivating forks.

 

[Square_peg]

And another display...pretty cool and informative.

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We would use that 10-tine fork for picking up horse manure and the 8-tine fork for cow patties.

 

[Sosa]

These are like the one I saw....found this picture online from some sort of exhibition...dang they might be the next big collectible

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And another display...pretty cool and informative.

I used to have one of those. Me and a buddy took it on our schools roof and dug holes in the foam insulation. Good times

 

[Lieblad]

Fwiw,
Its no hard fast rule but European hayforks are often socket fitted haft. American are tangs with a collar.
Socket example.
[video]http://store.flobyoverskottslager.se/product/grep-4-klor[/video]

 

[Steve Tall]

Here's an article from 1907 about the manufacture of True Temper forks, which begins with:
"Twenty-five expert toolmakers and 18 assistants are required to manufacture a four-tine Manure Fork that one can buy for about 75 cents. Thirty-three intricate machines, forges and devices of special invention, and worth thousands of dollars, are also employed in the making of this Fork."

from The Iron Age, March 28, 1907, page 1018

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Good find, as always, Steve!

 

[jake pogg]

Thanks,everyone-incredible bunch of information...

 

[Able_walker]

Well after seeing the affection for certain old forks I couldn't resist at $15.00....I don't have a Garden but I sure like the look and construction...I used Obenaufs Leather Protector as per a Google search on the wood and parts that still had some paint and it really brought out the lustre of the old wood and surface.Perfect solid condition for an older tool that was meant to be used and abused.

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