It is a natural process that a tree stays wherever it starts its life. But recently we have seen mature, large and healthy trees at a garden center where there was no sign of trees in the past. So how does it get there from a nursery to the middle of a local garden? Well, a post-hole digger on steroids is used to pluck the tree from the ground, that’s how.
Tree Spades come in different blade styles in a variety of sizes depending on the height of the tree and its species. The spades sizes are in the range of 12 inches diameter with up to a whopping model of 118 inches. It can be mounted and fitted on many common construction vehicles, from flatbed trucks to Bobcats. Different companies have design variations, and most of the tree spades operate with a four blade system.
The four blades of the tree spade are fitted right onto the hydraulically-powered towers, which are then fixed to a hinged frame that is circular. It gives the blades more flexibility to surround the tree on all sides. The spade is needed to be adequately positioned right around the base of the tree, and once that is done, each blade is plunged into the earth with the help of hydraulic rams. The water is pumped onto each plate through a nozzle to lubricate the whole process.
The blades are plunged for several feet under the ground and converged right below the tree trunk that is when the tree is lifted from its hole and transplanted. In the case of truck-mounted models, an entire tree can be heaved onto the truck’s bed for transportation. The Arbor Co 2100 Super Spade is the perfect example of it. However, there are also larger units available, like the Dutchman 100-inch Truckspade, which can hoist a tree of 15-inch diameter from the ground, in a matter of minutes, along with its 15000 lb root ball.
Source: Dutchman Truck Spade (via: Gizmodo)