When digging garden beds - Get the right tool for the job.... Use a broadfork!

 I answered a call this morning from a local gardener who just had to get a broad fork today;.. as in Right Now!
After a long ordeal with her BCS tiler that only scratched the surface of her central Virginia clay soil garden plots. The sweet potato slips waiting it out in a glass jar,.. just itching to grow...



The call came in around 10:45 on Saturday morning.
By noon she was using her new broadfork. - faster and easier than her smaller wooden handled fork.
With all the planting that needed to get done in her garden she said the Bulldog (Clarington Forge) fork she had would have taken forever. 
Based on my experience with our broadfork, what would have taken two or three days of digging will now be able to be done in a day or two.
Our gardening neighbor said it was great to have a tool that was quieter than a tiller so she could start gardening earlier and not bother the neighbors.
Before I left she reminded me of what Mr. Natural always said...

...and so she did!

You can buy your broad fork here at WayCoolTools.com

Save your back and garden easier!

Here in the mountains of central Virginia we have some of the heaviest clay soil this side of the Rockies.
Oh and yeah, the rocks... there is another challenge to producing marketable crops on a small scale.
We have gotten many requests for a broad fork that will stand up to the kind of soil conditions we have around here. A permaculture instructor we met told us that the round tine broad fork she was using snapped a tine in the soil she was working over in Nelson County, VA. What is a gardener to do!
Well, as you may have read in a prior blog post of ours we set out to meet that challenge head on and come up with a better broadfork. The end result is the Ultimate Broadfork - available at our online store: www.waycooltools.com listed under digging tools.

The secret to the success of this amazing garden tool in heavy soil is the wedge shaped tapered tines.
They are heat treated for strength and flexibility. They will flex but they will not bend or break.
The wedge shaped tines slice into the soil and break it apart as you pull back on the two heat treated tubular steel handles. The broad fork is light enough to chop the soil clods up by dropping the fork onto the clods or just using an up and down chopping motion that you would naturally use with your "D" handled fork.
Now instead of taking the better part of a day working the soil in your vegetable beds with your "D" handled fork, you can do the same job in a few hours using the Ultimate Broadfork.
For really heavy soil like ours, I still use the "D" handled fork from Clarington Forge to fine tilth and shape the beds for seed planting.
Now a word about heat treated steel tools.
Heat treating is a special process that allows for a lighter weight, stronger tool. Less metal, less weight and more strength.
The handles are stronger than wood and won't break or splinter.
One of the nicest things about using a broad fork, besides the fact that you can get more done in less time is that it's easier on your back. You can break up even the heaviest clay soil without stooping.
After all these years of bending over to prepare garden beds, it sure is a relief to have the Ultimate Broadfork.

New Propane Engine Conversion Parts and Tools

We're adding some new propane engine conversion products including engine diagnostics gear!
In order to meet market demand and improve engine performance we are offering commercial grade parts and diagnostics gear to help you achieve the performance you need. To help insure a successful conversion of your gasoline powered engine to clean, ethanol free fuel we are changing the way our propane engine conversion products are offered at WayCoolTools.com.

Here is our new three step process that will help you do a successful propane conversion on your gasoline powered small engine.
1) Tell us what engine you would like to convert from gasoline to propane.
2) We will send you an email to specify the key parts you'll need for your conversion and make suggestions for parts you will need to convert your engine to propane.
3) You can then go Here to order the parts you want for your propane engine conversion kit.

We're here to answer your questions by phone or email and look forward to hearing your success stories to share with others who want to go green like you.

Propane engine conversion process

Converting your engine to propane just got easier.
Simply fill out the form below and submit to us, we will respond with a detailed parts list which you may order on our shopping cart . This process usually takes 1-3 days. If you have a time constraint, contact us by email or phone after filling out this form.

Propane Engine Conversion Process Please provide more information so we may provide a parts list. this process takes 1-3 days usually.
Name *	First Last
Email *
Phone *	### - ### - #### if you are outside of the USA, give contact info in notes area below
Engine manufacturer *	Briggs and Stratton    Generac    Honda    Kawasaki    Kohler    Lct    Subaru-Robin    Tecumseh    Yamaha    Other(specify below)
Please specify manufacturer if other
Age of engine *	Less than 5 years   5-10 years   manufactured before 1995(usually not recommended)   unknown
Horsepower of engine *
Application engine is powering
model number of engine *
serial number of engine *
File Upload	if some information above is unknown, please send scan or photo of the gasket located between the carburetor and engine head
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Broadfork: made in the USA

The Ultimate Broadfork- Made in the USA!
A human powered rototiller.

We've had many requests for a Broadfork, and without further ado: here it is! We have collaborated with WW Manufacturing and consulted with Eliot Coleman on the design of this powerful garden tool. Constructed with extra strong, heat treated steel blades and aircraft quality, lightweight, tubular steel handles. The 7 tines are 10" long and tapered to a point. Overall it is 60" tall and 27" wide, yet weighs only 15 lbs.
The size allows you to deep till a 30" wide bed in one pass, improving tilth without disturbing soil structure. Perfectly designed to maintain your double dug beds in a fraction of the time (and effort) it takes to re-tilth with a digging fork.
It's very easy and stable to stand on this tool and use your weight and gravity to move the blades through the soil. An all body workout similar to a rowing machine, but you are outside listening to birdsong and feeling the sunshine as you "work" :-)
We will post a video soon, when the soil here dries out a bit, of the broadfork in action.

Get ready for storm season.... convert your generator to propane!

Nikola Tesla may have had it right when he came up with the idea of wireless electrical power transmission. While we are very thankful for the power lines they can be severely handicapped during the event of a hurricane, tornado, or severe storm. (or... Zombie Apocalypse)

What is your plan when the power goes out?

Once the power is out we tend to remember the things we are used to having and at times can  forget to be thankful for. (There’s so much to be thankful for –  electricity seems like a small thing these days)

·         Lighting

·         Heat/Air conditioning

·         Hot water

·         Communication: Internet, telephone, radio & television

·         Charging batteries

·         Flushing the toilet (if you have a well)

·         Taking a shower

·         Cooking

But, you are prepared! You invested in a backup generator, just in case of such an emergency. So you just need to get that gasoline powered generator out of the shed and put it to work powering your home. Or at least the essential things, like the refrigerator or freezer full of food.

Once you have worn yourself out from pulling the cord on your portable generator for a half an hour, you may begin to wonder why you decided not to get the propane powered generator! You see, propane does not have the problems that gasoline has, like going stale, varnishing carburetors and with ethanol in gasoline these days, propane also shines in the fact that it does not eat up the seals in your carburetor and gum up your fuel system. A propane powered engine starts up right away, no matter how long it's been sitting in the shed!

I bet you’re breathing a little easier knowing that about propane. You’ll also breathe easier because there is much less harmful emissions from a propane powered engine.

Did you ever go to the gas station after the power went out only to find out that the gas pumps RUN ON ELECTRICITY? I called a propane company and the guy there said that even when the gasoline stations can’t pump gas, that a propane delivery truck can deliver all the fuel you need – to your home or even at the corner market or the grocery store parking lot if you live in a remote area.

With that half hour of time you spent trying to get the generator started you could have easily converted your existing 4 cycle gasoline powered generator to run on clean economical propane using our easy to install PROPANE ENGINE CONVERSION KITS.

It can be done in a few easy steps using some simple to install parts.

The basic parts to convert your generator are:

The regulator system -  ready to install.

You can attach this to the frame on your generator using the clamps that are part of this unit.

This engine adapter plate w/ fuel orifice attaches behind the carburetor. (Using two bolts and some sealant)

The fuel supply line delivers the propane to your engine and goes between the regulator system & the adapter plate and fuel orifice.

The cylinder attachment line gets the fuel from your propane tank to the regulator system.

Once you have your parts installed you can use your engine with either propane or gasoline, so you have a dual fuel engine if you want.

 If switching over your gasoline powered generator to run it on propane makes sense to you. Visit www.shop.waycooltools.com and see our propane engine conversion section to find the kit that’s right for your engine.

Feel free to call if you need any help.

You could also send us an e-mail with the engine specifications and the generator you want to convert. We’ll reply with the the information you need.

Now and again, everyone experiences a power outage. We’re pleased to offer an easy and economical solution to making sure you have the power available to you, when you need it most.

Propane engine Conversions .... and Poultry

Larry T. of Louisa, VA sent in this video of his Troy-Bilt Horse Model Tiller that he converted to propane using one of our Do It Yourself propane engine conversion kits. (Click here to see the kits).
Running a propane powered engine compared to a gasoline powered engine is worlds apart in that don't get the smelly fumes, the engine needs less maintenance and the fuel doesn't go stale like gas. You do however get all the power you need with 104 octane fuel.
One of the first things I noticed when I saw this video besides the fact that it's the same model tiller as our converted tiller, is the chickens.

Propane engine conversions & poultry; homesteading at its best!