# US 4,396,214 A · Spade

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- Number: US 4,396,214 A
- Document ID: US4396214A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/033,201
- Filed: 1979-04-25
- Granted: 1983-08-02
- Earliest claimed: 1979-04-25
- Inventors: Walter Lesche
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4396214A

## CPC

- A01B 1/222: {Adjustable blades}
- B25G 3/26: comprising nails, screws, bolts, or pins traversing or entering the socket
- A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21)
- B25G: HANDLES FOR HAND IMPLEMENTS (attaching the blades or the like to handles of hand tools for soil working A01B1/22; handles of hand implements for harvesting A01D1/14; handles integral with brushware A46B)

## Abstract

A spade with a replacable blade with a tapered neck-socket connection with a spring pin lock. Footrest steps pitched downwardly on the blade to avoid the leg touching the tubular handle and an oversized two-handed tubular D-handle are provided.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A spade comprising:
(a) a grip handle with a hand grip on the top side
(b) a handle body rigidly and structurally attached and extending from the grip handle,
wherein the free end of the handle body terminates in a socket,
(c) a spade blade,
(d) a substantially straight tubular neck rigidly and structurally attached at an angle to the front face of the blade,
wherein the free end of the neck is tapered and matched to friction fit into the socket,
(e) a pair of off-set holes, one passing through both sides of the socket and the other hole passing through both sides of the tapered portion of the neck, and
(f) a locking pin means inserted into the pairs of holes to lock the neck into the socket,
wherein the off-set between the holes is sufficient to pull the tapered neck into the socket when the pin means is inserted through the pair of holes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The spade of claim 1 wherein foot rest steps are provided on the top edge of the blade one on each side, each pitched downwardly toward the outside of the top edge of the top of the spade blade sufficient to avoid the inside of a person's knee touching the tubular handle when the foot is pressed on the step.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The spade of claim 2 wherein the pitch of the footrest steps is in the range of five to twenty degrees from the horizontal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The spade blade of claim 1 wherein a shield support cover member is structurally and rigidly attached to the front face of the blade covering the neck and structurally and rigidly attached to the neck.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The spade of claim 1 wherein the grip handle is constructed in a "D" shape with the hand grip on the straight side and with straight tubular sections extending at right angles from the ends of the hand grip and connecting into the curved portion of the grip handle which in turn is structurally attached to the handle body.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The spade of claim 1 wherein the grip handle and the handle body are of tubular construction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The spade of claim 1 wherein the socket comprises a ring member force fitted into the lower end of the handle body, and the end edges of the handle body bent over the ring to secure it in place.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The space of claim 1 wherein the locking pin means is a rolled spring pin.

### Claim 9

A space comprising:
(a) a tubular "D" shaped grip handle with a hand grip on the straight side,
wherein straight tubular sections extend at right angles from the hand grip connecting into the curved portion of the grip handle,
(b) a tubular handle body rigidly and structurally attached and extending from the middle of the curved portion of the grip handle,
wherein the free end of the tubular handle terminates in a tubular socket,
(c) a spade blade,
(d) foot rest steps on the top edge of the blade, one on each side, pitched downwardly toward the outside of the edge of the top of the spade blade, the pitch being sufficient to avoid the inside of the users knee from touching the tubular handle when the foot is pressed on the step,
(e) a substantially straight tubular neck rigidly and structurally attached at an angle to the front face of the blade,
wherein the free end of the neck is tapered and matched to friction fit into the socket,
(f) a pair of off-set holes, one passing through both sides of the socket and the otherhole passing through both sides of the tapered portion of the neck, and
(g) a locking spring pin means that exerts a bias pressure against the opposite edges of the off-set holes,
wherein the off-set between the holes is sufficient to have the bias pressure pull the tapered neck into the socket when the spring pin means is inserted through the pair of holes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The spade of claim 9 wherein a shield support cover member is structurally and rigidly attached to the front face of the blade covering the neck and structurally and rigidly attached to the front face of the blade covering the neck and structurally and rigidly attached to the neck.