Long Handled Tools

Core long-handled tools include shovels, spades, rakes, hoes, and forks, which handle digging, moving material, grading, weeding, and cultivating. These are the workhorses of landscape and grounds work. Buying quality on the tools used daily pays off, since a well-made shovel or rake outlasts several cheap ones under professional use.

Handle material affects strength, weight, and durability: fiberglass handles resist breaking and weathering, hardwood (ash, hickory) handles offer strength and a traditional feel and can be replaced, and the handle-to-head connection is where many tools fail. For heavy daily use, a strong handle and solid connection matter as much as the head.

A shovel typically has a curved, pointed blade for digging, lifting, and moving loose material. A spade has a flatter, squarer blade for clean digging, edging, and slicing through soil and roots. Shovels move material; spades cut and define. Most crews carry both, choosing by whether the task is moving or precise digging.

Different rakes suit different tasks: bow and garden rakes level and grade soil, leaf rakes gather light debris, and landscape rakes handle rock and heavy material. Using the right rake makes the job faster and easier. Matching the rake to whether you are grading, gathering, or moving heavy material is what makes the tool efficient.

Clean soil off after use, keep cutting edges sharp on shovels, spades, and hoes, dry metal to prevent rust, and check handles for cracks before heavy use, since a handle failure under load is a hazard. Sharp, clean tools work with less effort, and a quality handle that is cared for and replaced when needed keeps the tool in service for years.

Yes. Long-handled tools are stocked in quantities for outfitting a crew with volume pricing by quote, with replacement handles available. A.M. Leonard has supplied these workhorses to the trade since 1885, and standardizing the crew on quality tools simplifies replacement and keeps the work moving.