Best manure fork?

[Beentheredonethat]

I don’t need them often, but I moved the horses and use them now. I have discovered I have a bunch of manure rakes that are cracked, broken, and not very useful. I hate the metal ones with the thin tines because they never work well and bend.

What’s a good manure rake for picking up?

I googled this. Anyone every tried it?

Flex'n Fork® - Premium Horse Manure Fork - Fine-tine option available

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRhDGFR9kg

I would almost like a steel pitchfork with more tines like a manure fork, but thicker so at least it won’t break. For the most part, it’s not for stall cleaning.

[HPFarmette]

Kind of pricey. I just use the plastic future fork, a fine rake, and the regular pitchfork. Granted, three tools, but each one has its purpose…

[NancyM]

The BEST manure fork EVER (and I AM an authority on this subject) is the plastic fork that comes from Greenhawk. It is cheap, much cheaper than a Future Fork, or Dura Fork or Stall Fork. Greenhawk have put these other companies out of business I think. The Greenhawk forks do not break. Well, they do eventually, or if you drive a tractor over them or abuse them severely, but they are TOUGH. They do not break like the more brittle ones do. I have frozen conditions here, -25C in winter, and frozen poop can be chipped out with a Greenhawk fork with little chance of breakage, unlike other brands. The plastic is simply better quality. AND, you can often purchase replacement heads from Greenhawk, other than the entire fork, and sometimes on sale too. No comparison to other brands IMO.

[bdj]

I have a bedding fork, like this one: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/groundwork-10-tines-steel-bedding-fork-with-long-hardwood-handle?cm_vc=-10005 - it’s very strong and wonderful for heavy work, but it is pretty heavy. I get a much better work out using it than my cheap plastic manure fork!

I’m looking for a better plastic one, as the steel one doesn’t work as well when you’re trying to sift the bedding out (mostly because it has a smaller/narrower basket than the plastic ones), and I saw something similar to this one: http://www.myselleria.co.uk/P7007-polycarbonate-pitchfork-ounded-sides
at the local Southern States: It was pretty expensive ($38, I think) and only came with the “D grip” handle so I couldn’t convince myself to try it. I’m also looking at the Equitee one that you mentioned, OP (that one is $$, but has gotten some great reviews here on COTH) and now that NancyM has given such glowing testimony to the Greenhawk one, I have to look into that one too!

[bdj]

d’oh - double post.

[Gloria]

I have one of the equi-tee, and I’m really loving it. Can someone say they love a manure fork? Kind of weird. Anyway, it works well, and best of all, handle very well. This is a big plus as my left shoulder is in chronic pain and can’t handle awkward forks.

[twelvegates]

I have three manure forks from EquiTee. Two of them are the Shake’n Forks – one with the regular tines and the other with the mini tines, and the other is the Flex’n Fork with the regular tines. I got my first fork about eight(?) years ago and it is still working well.

I love them. Really love them.

They are one of the best investments I made in my equine interests, as far as ease of use and avoidance of repetitive trauma injures to the upper extremities.

If you have ANY questions about them, Joe Berto, the owner, will answer them honestly. He also repaired one of my Shake’n Forks after I left one of the stall doors open and it was pulled down and trampled badly.

I use the regular tines with shavings and the mini tines with sawdust/pellets. When I have lots of small stuff in the shavings, I also use the mini tines to help sift, though it takes a bit longer.

I don’t think you will be unhappy with EquiTee.

[candico]

Is the Flex’n Fork similar to the Forever Fork? Just saw this ad today, and am curious because although it is pricey the two year warranty and UV protection is a big plus!

http://www.bigdweb.com/Forever-Fork/productinfo/12106/

Especially if we have the Godzilla El Niño, I tend to use pitchfork for making drainage paths, etc in between picking out stalls and tend to break both plastic tines and wooden handles.

[twelvegates]

[QUOTE=candico;8273154]
Is the Flex’n Fork similar to the Forever Fork? Just saw this ad today, and am curious because although it is pricey the two year warranty and UV protection is a big plus!

http://www.bigdweb.com/Forever-Fork/productinfo/12106/

Especially if we have the Godzilla El Niño, I tend to use pitchfork for making drainage paths, etc in between picking out stalls and tend to break both plastic tines and wooden handles.[/QUOTE]

I don’t think it is quite the same, based on the pictures. I’ve had horses step on the Equitee tines plenty of times without issue. It is a bit hard to explain, but there is an engineered lever on the back of the Equitee forks that releases the pressure on the tines. I believe the Equitee baskets are warranted for at least a year. The tines are pretty flexible.

[Beentheredonethat]

NancyM–Do you mean this fork?
http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=STE9223&stricSKU=STE9223 This is the kind I like, but the tines always break.

twelvegates–This one? http://www.equiteemfg.com/shaken-fork-effortless-auto-sifting-action/ That can NOT be right. $200???

[hosspuller]

Having a career in the plastics industry … I can say the various plastic forks material of construction is more critical than brand…

Polycarbonate is the toughest and most expensive.
next is ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)
finally polystyrene

The original “future fork” was made of polycarbonate. Mine lasted 20 years. Sunlight degrades all of these plastics and cold makes them brittle. So … choose black, don’t hang it on an outside wall, and try to figure out which plastic the fork is made of for best results.

The Greenhawk link says it is made from polycarbonate ABS ??? A mixture ?? or description writer didn’t know the difference.

The $200 fork seems to have a motor to drive the sifting action … The benefits of the free market drive for a better mousetrap or in this case a shit sifter :lol:

[twelvegates]

[QUOTE=Beentheredonethat;8273887]
twelvegates–This one? http://www.equiteemfg.com/shaken-fork-effortless-auto-sifting-action/ That can NOT be right. $200???[/QUOTE]

All of the EquiTee forks have the same type of head on them, but I thought this was the item you were asking about:
http://www.equiteemfg.com/flexn-fork-premium-quality-fine-tine-upgrade-available/

The Flex’n Fork has the lever on the back and is $60. The more expensive forks are motorized – you pull a trigger and they do all of the sifting for you. If you have any elbow or shoulder issues, the more expensive model is a God send, though the less expensive fork works very well and is extremely durable.

[Jarpur]

We like the ones with the ergonomic aluminum handles, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-DuraFork-Ergonomic-Aluminum/dp/B005VH3O9G. Got the last one at our nearest Dover, think it was under $20; we get years of use out of one.

Takes a few days to get used to them, but they really do seem easier to use. The neighbor who cares for our horses when we travel told me, after the last time, that she is finally a convert.

[candico]

[QUOTE=Jarpur;8275025]
We like the ones with the ergonomic aluminum handles, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-DuraFork-Ergonomic-Aluminum/dp/B005VH3O9G. Got the last one at our nearest Dover, think it was under $20; we get years of use out of one.

Takes a few days to get used to them, but they really do seem easier to use. The neighbor who cares for our horses when we travel told me, after the last time, that she is finally a convert.[/QUOTE]

That is my current favorite to use, but I start breaking the tines at about three months especially come the winter months when the piles of poop are heavy with rainwater and I start using them for digging out drainage trenches… You can buy replacement heads, but would rather have one that just lasts longer. I did have an issue with the purple Durafork’s heads breaking in less than a month. Don’t buy purple!

With the more flexible tines like on the Future Fork, do they just bend backwards and drop their load if it gets too heavy?

[Jarpur]

candico, we did eventually have to replace the head on our previous ergonomic fork (may have been a different brand than the one we have now); we used the head off an old wooden-handled Future Fork we had laying around. Didn’t quite fit, tended to wobble a bit, even with various adjustments.

It takes us years to begin losing tines on a fork, but we only clean two stalls and the sacrifice paddock (once in a long while, I’ll go pick the pastures), plus the trailer; we’re not in a wet climate, so don’t often have to pick up heavy, rain-soaked piles. I haven’t experienced the bending backward thing with any fork, including the Future Fork.

[msj]

I’ve also got an Equitee fork, thanks to twelvegates and love it!:yes: Mine has the narrower tines, like for sawdust or pellets. I no longer have horses but I do have a dog that leaves piles on the lawn so the Equitee is used about every 3 days. It lives outside now but I don’t know how it will be come winter as last winter I was dog-free, but certainly plan to have a dog this winter. It will continue to live outside, propped up against the post and rail fence enduring all the wind, snow, rain, sun, heat and cold but I don’t expect any of our winter or summer elements to be a problem. It really is a superior fork to any I’ve used.