Pendulum type hoe

A pendulum type hoe comprising a handle;

• a fork secured to one end of said handle and comprising a pair of laterally spaced, parallel leg portions extending beyond said one end;
• said leg portions having elongated slots therein disposed at an angle relative to said leg portions whereby the longer axes of said slots are generally horizontal when said handle is disposed at a normal working angle;
• a blade having a pair of upwardly angled arms;
• the upper ends of said arms having inwardly turned flanges projecting inwardly through said slots toward each other;
• upper and lower reinforcing bars having end portions projecting through said slots, said flanges being sandwiched between said end portions of said bars, said end portions and flanges having a combined thickness smaller than the vertical width of said slots whereby to allow limited articulation of said blade with respect to said fork;
• means securing said bars to each other.

A pendulum type hoe for cultivating soil comprising an elongated handle;

• a fork secured to one end of said handle and comprising a pair of laterally spaced, parallel leg portions extending beyond said one end;
• said leg portions having elongated slots therein disposed at an angle relative to said leg portions whereby the longer axes of said slots are generally horizontal when said handle is disposed at a normal working angle;
• said slots being hourglass shaped and having upper and lower edge portions diverging in either longitudinal direction from relatively narrow middle portions of said slots;
• a blade having a pair of upwardly angled arms;
• the upper ends of said arms having inwardly turned flanges projecting inwardly through said slots toward each other;
• upper and lower reinforcing bars having end portions projecting through said slots;
• means securing said bars to each other, said flanges being disposed between said end portions of said bars, and said end portions and flanges being movable in a rocking motion within said divergent slot portions about a fulcrum afforded by said narrow middle portion whereby to provide limited back and forth tilting of said blade with respect to said fork during cultivation.

A pendulum type hoe for cultivating soil comprising an elongated handle;

• a fork secured to one end of said handle and comprising a pair of complementary fork sections, said sections being disposed on either side of one end portion of said handle and each providing one of a pair of laterally spaced, parallel leg portions extending beyond said one end portion of said handle;
• means detachably connecting said fork sections to said handle and each other;
• said leg portions having elongated slots therein disposed at an angle relative to said leg portions whereby the longer axes of said slots are generally horizontal when said handle is disposed at a normal working angle;
• a blade having a pair of upwardly angled arms;
• the upper ends of said arms having inwardly turned flanges projecting inwardly through said slots toward each other;
• a reinforcing member having bifurcated end portions projecting through said slots and affording laterally directed openings receiving said flanges;
• end portions of said flanges being angularly bent adjacent to the inner surfaces of said parallel leg portions;
• said bifurcated end portions having offset portions disposed over said bent flange end portions and providing protuberances larger than said slots whereby said flanges and reinforcing member are retained against lateral displacement by said offset portions abutting the inner surfaces of said leg portions, said reinforcing member being slidable with respect to said flanges in the direction of the longer axes of said slots and retained against such sliding movement by projecting through said slots;
• said hoe adapted to be disassembled by detaching said fork sections from said handle and each other, moving each fork section laterally outwardly until its arm portion is disposed beyond the adjacent bifurcated end portion of the reinforcing member, sliding said reinforcing member in the direction of the longer axes of said slots and removing it from said flanges, and moving each said fork section laterally inwardly off the end of the associated flange.