12/7/2010 3:33:59 PM

12/7/2010 3:35:42 PM

crusher was better...and way hotter

12/7/2010 3:41:02 PM

Pulaski, Va, home of the Pulaski Mariners.

12/7/2010 3:46:19 PM

I too once built trails for a living. (or is that a fire line ... ???) however I prefer the pick mattock because the adze end on the Pulaski is wimpy

I worked here. ahhhh ... memories

12/7/2010 4:16:30 PM

It's a fireline. ^Where is that? It's pretty.

Pick mattocks are too heavy. They do make a "super pulaski" that has a wider adze end.
IMO the pulaski isn't a great line digging tool. The adze end is too narrow but a super pulaski doesn't perform enough to merit the extra weight. Also, the taper of the adze end causes the tool to get stuck a lot. It's only marginal for cutting stuff down. An actual adze hoe is waaay too heavy and either tool's steel is too soft. The only time I've like a pulaski is when it's real rocky.

My preference is a prohoe/rogue hoe


I love my hoe. It rakes half decent and the curve is at just the right angle. I can peel back buffalo hair like a mofo and it goes through roots easier than the thick edge of a pulaski. It's light and has a longer handle. The steel is harder than a pulaski so it stays sharp longer.

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 4:32 PM. Reason : And I can use the pick end to grub between rocks or roll logs. It digs efficiently too.]

12/7/2010 4:28:48 PM

that's an awesome looking tool, I've never used one! I actually think a heavier tool is easier to use (up to a point) cause you don't have to swing it as hard. that being said, we never had to carry our tools for longer than a mile or so.

I spent 4 summers in Colorado building trails, the pic I posted before is from Webster Pass which is near Silverthorne. those were some of the best times of my life, despite the pervasive windblown dirt that blackened my boogers

dang ... now I want to look at more pictures!!!

12/7/2010 4:58:26 PM

This hoe is old.

12/7/2010 5:18:27 PM

I wish I had spent my college summer doing fun things like building trails. Hell, working in a gift shop just to have a couple days off each week to play in one of the western national forests or parks would have kicked ass.

I think it's easier to use a lighter tool. The hoe isn't super light, it's about the same weight as a fire rake. Lighter + sharper + good blade geometry = less work

A pick mattock gets old real fast on a steep slope when you're already carrying 30 lbs of gear and water and wearing hot ppe.

12/7/2010 5:32:00 PM

I would opt out for the an Eastern NC Fire Plow myself.

12/7/2010 5:56:34 PM

12/7/2010 6:03:54 PM

^^You need a bigger pic


Tractors are nice and easy but if you're swinging a pulaski it's because a tractor won't go where you're at.

12/7/2010 6:48:43 PM

you could still do it! you work for the forest service, right? is it seasonal? there are a couple different agencies that build trails out West in summer and fall. if you're interested, I have a connection

you will meet the realest of hippies, the kind who wear Carhartts and eat raw garlic to keep mosquitoes away. The workplace can't be beat, and you can go see cool stuff on the weekends.

12/7/2010 7:19:16 PM

I work for the NC Forest Service permanent full time. I do have the occasional opportunity to get on hand crews for western fire dispatches. Unfortunately in the 5 years I've been working i haven't been able to go because of scheduling issues, lack of fire in the west, or too much fire in our own state. I did go to Texas for a southeast compact dispatch and that was a lot of fun, but we dug those lines with bulldozers (which is just as fun in a different way).

One day I'll get on a handcrew heading to some national forest, get to dig line and camp in the most beautiful places, see some extreme fire behavior, and get paid a shitload to do it.

12/7/2010 11:59:25 PM