New power tool development

hi, is there a need for a tool that can loosen and aerate a small patch of soil in a garden? to prepare for planting tomatoes or strawberries etc.

I understand that things like core aerators exist, but I was thinking like a handheld powered tool for smaller plots to churn up the soil. does one already exist?

I am a mechanical engineering student and don't really have much gardening knowledge. I am hoping to develop a tool that can do the job I've described above.

any help would be appreciated

 

You can get a rotavator attachment for some strimmers. Ryobi do such kit, and have even established a standard for connectors to enable different manufacturers to make and sell interchangeable attachments.

I've never used such attachments, but was tempted to buy such kit at one point, figuring my need for a proper rotavator is so infrequent that it wasn't worth buying a beast. I've spoken to a couple of people who did that (bought the rotavator head for their strimmer) and they all said the same thing. It is pretty rubbish. It takes more muscle to hold it in the position you want it than it would to just dig the soil with a spade the old fashioned way.

Still, I wish you luck with your project.

 

The only problem that I see, is the infrequent necessity of use, to the spend required

It would be handy to have, but it would be cheaper to rent the BIG tool for a day than lay out for a smaller tool used once or twice

This is just IMHO as I have only been gardening seriously for nine months
The info is given from my age and observations

So wait for more knowlegeable answers before taking it as Gospel

Jack McHammocklashing

 

I agree with Jack McHammocklashing. I would also say if the area is that small why have one? Although in theory it could be useful for people with say arthritis, I think the cost would probably be prohibitive.

 

You will find that such a small cultivator already is on the market - see this link: Alternative digging tools tested and reviewed by Fred In The Shed

To be honest, for the job you describe, the best tool is the ordinary garden fork.

a-a

 

Without any garden experience you have an uphill battle, you will need to define the actual application of such a small tool.
It would be useless on hard, dry clay for instance.
If the soil is non-compacted sand or light loam a hand fork would require minmal effort.
I think your market would be aimed at partialy disabled people and elderly, but the tool must not be able to wrench their joints or tip over a mobily frame.
Good Luck if you give it a try.

 

this tool is next on my list .... would love a petrol driven one, but will settle initially on a mechanical version .... One of the most time consuming jobs is digging decent sized holes for planting shrubs/trees .... will be looking for one in stainless steel



here is info on the petrol driven one:

http://www.savemygarden.com/renting-a-post-hole-digger/

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs8w-n6JYb8[/url]

would take 30 minutes to dig that deep with a spade

 

Me thinks its a bit too big for a strawberry plant. Besides, its only supposed to "loosen and aerate a small patch of soil" not dig holes.

 

LOL

I was being polite and merely trying to say (in a round about way) that a hand held aerator is perhaps not a good idea .... you are better off with a garden fork (and if you want to punch holes in a small patch of soil, a large screwdriver may be a better bet)

if one is going to spend money developing a product, it is perhaps better to do so with a product that may sell

 

Reading that description made me think of something like a powered version of the 'garden claw'




With a longer projecting central spike to locate it securely and a circular safety guard that the rotating prongs would be depressed through, it could be depressed into the ground to provide a loose area of ground for planting.

 

I used one of these 2 weeks ago .... had never ever seen one before ....

 

Mantis?

 

Disambiguation or Stomatopoda ?

No, seriously, its almost impossible to invent a new garden tool, remember that agriculture is the world's oldest occupation, (Not, of course to be confused with the world's oldest profession), so Man (no sexism intended) has had aeons to find the right tool for the right job.

Of course the small electric motor or petrol engine has opened up new avenues in the last century, but look at most cultivating tools today and they still are remarkably like the digging stick or the reindeer antler used as a spade.

a-a

 

Not just gardening/farming tools. Tools in general.

Consider what may have been the first tool ever invented. A rock for hitting things with. Then tie it to a stick so you can get more force. Fast forward a couple of hundred thousand years and you have one of the most versatile tools ever. The hammer, which may now be made with lots of modern trickery, but a hammer is still fundamentally just a rock tied to a stick.

 

To Student (a name would have been nice)

Looking at Dim's video of the Auger, your time would be better spent developing a ratchet for that machines handle, so when it gets to Knee high you can raise the handle again,(Therefore not having to be able to touch your toes to complete the depth required)
If I had to use it most of the holes would only be two foot deep

Jack McH