OK guys, here's our chance to be smarter than a college professor.

Professor who works with my son at MSU-N spent an hour looking on the web, for what the number stamped on a grain scoop means. He gave up and emailed  KSU, and they didn't seem to have an answer either. So the question came to me in a somewhat round-about manner. I don't have a clue either???

Anyone have an answer??

Sure got my interest on this subject.

I asked several people, tried looking on Google.

Sure interested in the answer.

P.S., Ed, do you still have a web site you posted once, I think it was Hungarian?

Showed all the " events going on in the "states", earthquakes/planewrecks/ect., lost it when going to new "puter"

Thanks Brian

I don't know the answer either, will be waiting for some one who can tell us.

But, I gotta hijack the thread with a bit of history from our farm.

Dad always bought a 16 inch shovel, because then he could even up the edges as it wore out, and use it much longer.  The shovels always wore first at the place where the edges turned up, dad would then grind down the edge to level.  After several years, the shovel began to be the size that would not kill a person using it.  Until then, he just didn't fill it clear full.

When I first started buying my own shovels, I didn't subscribe to that theory, as it seemed to me the bottom of the shovel got thinner as well, and wore out about as fast.  Evidently I used a shovel flatter than he, and he had more angle and wore the front first.  I never bought a shovel bigger than a 12.

The last 10 or so years I farmed, I never wore out a shovel, only used them for cleaning up, and wished I had a grain vac for that!

"There are two patterns of scoop, the Western and the Eastern which have different patterns of ribbing worked into the pan of the tool although it appears to be no difference at all in function. Scoops go in numbers from 8-12 which represents the width of the blade."

The quote above came from this link:  http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/1720/Home++Garden/Kinds+of+Shovels.aspx

I thought I remembered Dad telling me the number was the width of the blade, but I wasn't sure enough to say that without googling.

John, That's kinda what the guy from KSU said:

Mr Welch,

 

Sorry I'm not able to answer your scoop shovel questions and it appears there is little help with a web search and I'm even less help when it comes to using one.

 

I did look at different shovel sizes and it appears the number is in reference to blade size

 

 

Shovel        Blade Dimensions

 

Size

 

2            8 x 12
10        14.5 x 17.75
12        14.75 x 18.75
14        15.25 x   19.75

 

Blade sizes may vary 1/4 to 1/2 inch per size designation(larger sizes) and manufacturer but these were some basic dimension.  Just doing some wild math and assuming the average depth on a scoop shovel equals 6 inches of  the material with  a density of 120 lbs per cubic feet (sand, gravel, soil) on a the blade -- then the weight on a number 10 is ~ 100 lbs, #12 is ~120 lbs and #14 is ~140 lbs. I'm not sure the blade size is in reference is in number of scoops to complete a task since as the blade size increased the number of scoops should decrease. Your probably right in that the number designation is a reference to a standard volume or weight of material that may be "scooped" up. It maybe that the shovel size is in reference to volume of material per blade when the sides are considered.

 

The letter designations T and D are in reference to handle type.

 

Good luck in your search in an answer to this question.

 

Joe

 

-

 

Joseph Harner
Extension Engineer
Livestock & Grain Systems

 

Kansas State University
Bio & Ag Engineering
Seaton Hall 147
Manhattan, KS 66506-2917

 

So if the number has any relation to anything, I'm still not certain what it is. Might be like shoe sizes where they start at some point ??? and every succeding size is 1/3" larger. (I think??) One thing seems evident to me though. If it is like Prof Harner thinks and related to weight, multiplying the width times the length for a size 12 and then a 14, comes up with 8% more area. Going by his assumption that a 14 holds 140 while a 12 holds 120, that's an increase of nearly 17%. Doesn't work out for me.

Tom sent an email to a shovel museum?? somewhere. Maybe they will have some info. A shovel museum??