WHY BUY A DUTCHMAN
Searching For A Better Alternative?

It was our goal all along to manufacture large truck spades. It was not enough, however, to produce what was the industry standard at the time. At Dutchman, we are forever striving to build a better, more refined tree spade. Common issues such as tall towers, small frames and weak blades all had to be addressed. Most of these concerns were shared by many, if not all, owner-operators within the truck spade moving industry. So we embarked on this challenge more than 6 years ago. It took us more than 5 years to perfect but the end result was a truck-mounted tree spade that is one giant leap forward.

Through the use of state-of-the-art technology and stress analysis tests, we were able to develop methods to cold form blades making them stronger than the original AR450 material used. We designed new methods and placement for support ribs, and added scraper plates to keep the soil from sticking. This now allows the user to wire basket trees without any obstruction on the outside of the blades.

After the blades were strengthened, we focused our attention on shortening the overall height of the spade itself. Many have complained before that their conventional spades cannot get under the canopy of the tree. In order to combat this issue, we had to first redesign the conventional way a cylinder operates. The end result was a new patented, multistage cylinder that does not have any oil displacement issues or side load concerns. The speed is consistent through out its stroke and has the power to get the blades in the ground. These cylinders now enable us to build much shorter towers then other brands. We also wanted to address concerns on how the blade is supported on the tower. Rather than guiding the blades on narrow track like the competition, we use the face of the tower itself. The surface area of the slider is many times greater than the small interior rails. The interior support ribs are also used to mount the blades to the slider housing. The width of these ribs is more than double the competition therefore holding the blade at a much wider position. The blades are pulled down the tower by the trunnion mounted cylinder in the center of the slider box as is position is the most favourable as it directly is in line with the direction of the tracking system.

Lastly, we wanted to address the constant concern of little operating space within the frame of the spade. We created a completely circular frame that has plenty of room inside to accommodate wide low branching trees. All frames are structurally much stronger than frames that are pieced together using hollow tubes and flat bar. The gates were made taller and have replaceable hardened steel bushings. Finally, the frame has a hydraulic locking mechanism to ensure a stable connection when digging.

These are just some of the advantages that Dutchman’s new truck spades can offer. We look forward to helping you customize your investment to help generate profits for years to come!

Sincerly,


Marlin Tillaart