Running a shovel on your 100? Where and how to mount one? (1 Viewer)

[REZARF]

Hey 'Mud I am going to add a half or full sized shovel to my kit. I have been rocking a folding alpine style for years (for snow) and although its got me out of a pinch a few times I am thinking about adding a beefier option. Looking for options on a 100 series obviously. Look for a year round full time solution.

Who's got one... and where did you mount it.... and how did you mount it? If I can't get access to it quickly (under a minute or so) then I don't want to carry it in that way or in that spot.

Also...
1/2 sized or full sized?
Wood, fiberglass, other?
Pointed, flat tip?
D-handle or straight?

I have a rear tire carrier and a roof rack as a starting point but I am open to ideas.

Post up a pic, that'll help... your long drawn out explanation doesn't do your mad shovel mounting skills any justice.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

Quick Fist products are great for mounting to many things: roof racks or a swing out as examples. A solid shovel is a great tool to have available.

 

[phatdragon]

Short shovel home made mount using Quick Fists.

sorry for the crappy pic.

 

[BEG]

I've always used Quick Fists to mount shovels. They're affordable, easy to access and easy to mount. When it comes to recovery stuff, I try to limit what I put on the roof, as much as possible. If you have a tire carrier already, that's where I'd mount it. You can also mount it to a Hi-Lift if you carry one.

As far as recommendations for a shovel, I prefer a fiberglass handle in a 30" length. I find this is a good compromise between a full-length shovel and an ultra-compact. The one I use is a Seymour S700. This is made by the same manufacturer that makes shovels for the "unhinged aquatic rodent" brand (aka Murder Spork) but this one has a regular, round point instead of fork tines (and no fancy red paint). Runs about $30 cheaper too.

 

[geanes]

Quick Fists mounted to Gamiviti rack and I use a Kobalt fiberglass shaft D-handle shovel. I have a smaller "camp" shovel mounted to my sand boards via 2 small tension straps.

 

[DirtDawg]

Another good option if you are running a hi lift is to get a shovel head that fits the jacks handle.

Amazon product ASIN B0017TB9Q2

 

[willbt]

Those are all great questions man and this is a debate I had with myself for far too long. I ultimately ended up with a shorty, flat tipped shovel that I bought from Home Depot for around $20 and mounted on my ladder with quickfists. I know it looks totally HashtagOverland, but its super quick to get too when I need it and it's very sturdily anchored. I know you don't have a ladder, but you could mount it to your tire carrier rather easily, I'd expect.

All of my recovery gear is in the way back anyway, so its no extra steps to walk around to grab it if I find myself in a predicament vs grabbing it off my roof... Plus I can still park in the garage without hitting the garage door.

I've had a few folks ask why I went with a spade shovel instead of a digging shovel. I went the the flat tipped for two reasons:
The first is, I hate digging, its the absolute worst and takes forever. I would rather winch if I have anchor points available or have someone tug me out if I'm with other vehicles. Also, the terrain that we typically travel is extremely rocky and digging is near impossible, so your essentially scooping material away from your wheels/low spots, not digging.
Second, a flat tipped shovel works extremely well to cut into snow banks to widen a trail. The majority of the times I've used my shovel (which is more than I thought it would have been) have been to cut into snow banks to make the trail more passable.

Just my two cents. Post photos of what you end up doing!

 

[saucebox]

Fiskars or bust for me. Steel handle welded to the head, D-handle at the top for various weird jobs like moving dirt around a stuck tire. No sun damage, just about unbreakable, and inexpensive.

I usually just strap it to the rack (which definitely takes longer than your sub 1-min interval). Quick fists are OK, but for me they're good like 1 or 2 times before they start to stretch and let the shovel wobble around. And if it's a permanent or semi-permanent mount, the sun seems to eat them up too.

https://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Shovels-and-Digging-Tools/Steel-D-Handle-Digging-Shovel

And you can get it on Amazon prime

 

[phatdragon]

Here are a couple better pics of the mount I made using Quick Fists and LED light tube mounts along with strap steel.

 

[DRANGED]

Those are all great questions man and this is a debate I had with myself for far too long. I ultimately ended up with a shorty, flat tipped shovel that I bought from Home Depot for around $20 and mounted on my ladder with quickfists. I know it looks totally HashtagOverland, but its super quick to get too when I need it and it's very sturdily anchored. I know you don't have a ladder, but you could mount it to your tire carrier rather easily, I'd expect.

All of my recovery gear is in the way back anyway, so its no extra steps to walk around to grab it if I find myself in a predicament vs grabbing it off my roof... Plus I can still park in the garage without hitting the garage door.

I've had a few folks ask why I went with a spade shovel instead of a digging shovel. I went the the flat tipped for two reasons:
The first is, I hate digging, its the absolute worst and takes forever. I would rather winch if I have anchor points available or have someone tug me out if I'm with other vehicles. Also, the terrain that we typically travel is extremely rocky and digging is near impossible, so your essentially scooping material away from your wheels/low spots, not digging.
Second, a flat tipped shovel works extremely well to cut into snow banks to widen a trail. The majority of the times I've used my shovel (which is more than I thought it would have been) have been to cut into snow banks to make the trail more passable.

Just my two cents. Post photos of what you end up doing!

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@willbt
Hey dude!!!

Sweet rig!! I just stumbled onto this post and was going to comment to OP about pointed shovel for digging vs. square tip. You make great points for the square (esp for snow

)

ALSO, I should've left you a note last night but had nothing to write on or with.

@REZARF ARF
I live in unrelenting desert-land where the UV destroys all so I'm weary of fiberglass and lean towards wood (probably annual or biennial spar urethane treatment, I've toyed with linseed oil on my home tools with S-facing winter sun, but it seems inadequate).....
BUT the fiskar ($26 @ HD: Fiskars 47 in. D-Handle Digging Shovel-96696925J - The Home Depot ) or similar all metal is quite appealing to me, not just for strength but for no maintenance.
I have yet to keep a shovel up top though. I JUST had my roof rack installed this summer (Rhino backbone and platform) and have yet to dial accessories for DD (probably nothing) and for trips (needs vary), and I'm pondering DIY fitments into the RR slots vs their overly co$tly accessories; DIY is always fun too!
Quickfists (as many have said) seem to be a great way to go, and of course there are a number of aftermarket options (tend to be specific to t-slot or c-channel racks, or tubular bars vs. stock side rails.

HOWEVER, there are standardized slots in your side rails that fit unistrut/superstrut camming nuts.... so with mods and DIY skillz you can fab brackets to mount stuff on the side rail (in my build thread I modded Rhino-Rack awning mount to fit via those slots). A shovel and/or axe (pulaski too) wold work on the siderail but i wouldn't put a high lift on the factory side rails...

Great topic and great responses. Yes, post pix of how it evolves!

I see full length and even garden shorties on roofs. I trend toward the D-handle short but functional size (25"-30"ish), and spade for digging (not that the desert or mountain hearth is very dig-friendly but still more-so than square-tip), also a spade-tip is a great scraper (learned this doing a hoods-in-the-woods leadership training program) by using the side of the blade.

 

[willbt]

@willbt
Hey dude!!!

Sweet rig!! I just stumbled onto this post and was going to comment to OP about pointed shovel for digging vs. square tip. You make great points for the square (esp for snow

)

ALSO, I should've left you a note last night but had nothing to write on or with.
View attachment 2052866View attachment 2052867

Hah! No way brother! I saw the GX last night and was like, yup! I'm parking next to that guy! Totally did not expect to see photos. What a small world.

 

[REZARF]

I have used this one for years in Colorado and now Montana for snow and it is one of the best tools I own for gobbling up snow... especially that hard snow pack and icy snow. It's amazing for snow, I just can't see it moving any rocky soil. It breaks down into three separate pieces. I like the look at the Fiskar shovel.

 

[hoser]

When I used the quickfists + dusty environment... the shovel always twisted/slipped a little. Drilling a small hole in the handle and installing a pin on the quickfist could prevent that, I suppose.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

I have used this one for years in Colorado and now Montana for snow and it is one of the best tools I own for gobbling up snow... especially that hard snow pack and icy snow. It's amazing for snow, I just can't see it moving any rocky soil. It breaks down into three separate pieces. I like the look at the Fiskar shovel.

These are great for avalanche debris, but to your point, useless for dirt.

 

[Deflagrate]

I don't offroad often enough to warrant a full size shovel, so I have an E tool folded up in the rear door pocket. Fits nice and snug, takes up almost no space.

 

[REZARF]

I don't offroad often enough to warrant a full size shovel, so I have an E tool folded up in the rear door pocket. Fits nice and snug, takes up almost no space.

I used to carry a pick instead of a shovel to move the rocks but There’s certainly more soil in Montana.

 

[geanes]

@REZARF ... I live in the unrelenting heat and sun of Central TX (103 today, but ONLY feels like 107). My rig doesn't fit in the car-hole, so I park outside all the time with the shovel mounted all the time too (I'm incredibly lazy). My "plastic" shovel from Lowes has held up incredibly well over 2 years now. It's still blue in fact which is amazing. I chose the "digging" shovel because I deal with caliche (hard and chippy when dry and like wet clay in rain), red clay, gravel (decomposed granite mostly) and sand. If I dealt with snow more, a square shovel would make more sense IMO. I think it's better to mount it on the bumper in some way like Willbt does than on the roof...if only for "aero" improvements for that mpg increase of .00001mpg

 

[DRANGED]

Hey 'Mud I am going to add a half or full sized shovel to my kit.

.. and where did you mount it.... and how did you mount it? If I can't get access to it quickly (under a minute or so) then I don't want to carry it in that way or in that spot.

I have a rear tire carrier and a roof rack as a starting point but I am open to ideas.

Post up a pic, that'll help... your long drawn out explanation doesn't do your mad shovel mounting skills any justice.

Re-reading the OP; yes pix over verbosity.

This applies to a LC100, the factory side rails have slots that fit superstrut/unistrut camming nuts (you might need to shave the 3/8 nut a little with a grinder). For my GX, I had to take off the back cover and slide the nut into the slot, but 100's siderail slot is deeper so I think the nut sill just drop the nut in from the side.

this is how i originally mounted a rhino-Rack awning to my factory side rail I took their bracket and bent another 90deg into it.

something similar would work for a shovel and quickfists.

HD has some 1/4" thick zinc or galvi 'L" braces that could be fine.