Carlsberg don't make crowbars

[2xw]

Ayup,

I need a new crowbar for digging. I did a forum search and there's no advice.

There seems to be a dizzying array of shapes. We need one shorter than the length of a forearm. Should we get a titanium one? What about these fancy pry/destruction bars that look like something for the zombie apocalypse? What brand or supplier would you recommend?

Please tell me about your most reliable implements... and maybe throw in some pics!

 

[Babyhagrid]

Roughneck work well for me

 

[tim.rose2]

Short and cheap...

Heavy Duty Wrecking Bar 18in Durable Tool DIY Equipment Quality Forged Steel | eBay

This Dunnet Tools 18in Wrecking Bar Is The Perfect Addition To Any Tool Kit. With Two Specially Designed Heads, This Makes Any Job Requiring A Pry Bar Much Easier. Technical Specifications: This Is A 18in Wrecking Barr.

www.ebay.co.uk

Long and cheapish...

30" Wrecking Crow Bar Steel Crowbar Nail Board Puller Lever Pry Pull Breaker | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 30" Wrecking Crow Bar Steel Crowbar Nail Board Puller Lever Pry Pull Breaker at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I have several of each (or similar from ebay) scattered around various digs and others in the garage. Car boot sales are also good for digging tools but obviously you just need to kept an eye out rather than expect to find something.

Don't buy the 'heavy duty' crowbars which look like this:

24" CROW BAR WRECKING BAR PRY BAR NAIL REMOVER CROWBAR 600MM HEAVY DUTY TOOL 5032759002399 | eBay

Professional Tools 3 Year Warranty Included Made From Drop Forged Steel Size: 24"(600mm) Ideal For Dismantling Timber Work, Case Opening, Removing Nails Etc Chisel End And Swan Neck Perfect For Diy Use Style can vary Please Check Out Our Other Items.

www.ebay.co.uk

The key bit in the description is 'heavy'. They're about twice the weight and offer no advantage in a cave. I do have a couple I wish I hadn't bought!

 

[cap n chris]

FWIW in our current dig we have all three of the bars in Tim's post, above, plus an even longer bar. The 24-30" wrecking bar is good for prising rocks out of the ground or away from walls, providing it has something solid to form the pivotal point . The smaller bar is useful for clearing debris and chossy clay etc. I guess it depends on the nature of your dig.

Anecdotally I did once use a 30"+ bar to lever some boulders and discovered it resulted in nearly everything around me flexing,.so big leverages are something to be wary of. It's also amazing how big rocks can be made to move.... I won't show the footage.

 

[Pitlamp]

Don't buy too cheap or you'll find it's made of margarine, as soon as you start any serious riving.

Last 2 or 3 I've bought came from Settle Coal Company and they seem OK.
I favour the standard horse's head type for general use. Comes in a wide variety of lengths.

 

[PeteHall]

Wrong time if year for it, but most of my bars come from the local car boot sale for between 20p and £1. They are generally old and properly forged, unlike some of the modern crap you can buy (I usually use the term 'cheese' not 'margarine' as it looks solid until you put any force on it, but same idea as @Pitlamp)

I'll take whatever shape or size is available, so I generally have a good selection in the shed to choose from (and several underground in various places).

I once took a 48" bar down a dig, for a particular job, but definitely not for general digging.

Typically, I'll use a bar between 14" and 24".
A flat end is usually more use than a pointy end.
A 90° bend at one end tends to be more versatile than the type with a swept bend, but they tend to be heavier, so depends where you're using it if the extra weight is a problem.

I also have a good selection of large chisels (also from the car boot sale). These can be used like a crow bar, but you can also hammer on the end, so they provide two functions for one tool.

 

[legendrider]

I paid a tenner for a super Pokey Stick in a fleamarket in Barnard Castle. (Properly) home-made from a drill steel, about 30" straight with tempered point and chisel ends. Superb general-purpose piece of kit, man enough for the job but not too heavy to wield. Ideal for loosening packed fill ahead of driving spiles, levering boulders and a pretty nifty breaker bar.

MARK

 

[pwhole]

I generally go for Roughneck Gorilla bars, as they're easily available, and the extra shank width is in the levering axis so very strong. And they come in a variety of sizes. I've got a really small pry bar (10"?) with nail remover that's come in handy several times.

 

[cap n chris]

Genius, Pete! Car boot sales!!! Why on earth hadn't I thought of that before??!!!

 

[tony from suffolk]

Although I've not used it in a cave, my brother-in-law kindly gave me one of his tyre-fitter's adjustable bars. It's adjustable for length & the angle of the beak end. Although there's the worry that in a cave environment the adjustments would seize, it works so simply that it'd take a lot for this to happen, & even with it fully extended it's as tough as a very tough thing. I've used it for grubbing out large tree roots & lifting up the corner of a large mobile home. I keep it in the car in case I come across an accident & something needs levering out.

 

[tony from suffolk]

Cont. Very similar to THIS ONE.

I can see it being very useful in a small space.

 

[PeteHall]

Genius, Pete! Car boot sales!!! Why on earth hadn't I thought of that before??!!!

Same place I get all my caving wellies (usually £1 a pair).

 

[Rob]

Massively depends on where you're taking it and what you want to do with it.

In general I do prefer the hoop ended type, as per Tim.Rose2's first two suggestions above.

However in a recent Eldon project I've also found a new love for our "Zombie Killer", which is about 1.4m long and mega fun. Only for surface digs really though....:

 

[AR]

I paid a tenner for a super Pokey Stick in a fleamarket in Barnard Castle. (Properly) home-made from a drill steel, about 30" straight with tempered point and chisel ends. Superb general-purpose piece of kit, man enough for the job but not too heavy to wield. Ideal for loosening packed fill ahead of driving spiles, levering boulders and a pretty nifty breaker bar.

I think I got my billhook from the same place many years ago - used to be a brilliant place to pick up rusty old tools to restore!

 

[tim.rose2]

I'm not saying the don't exist, but none of the crowbars I've purchased on ebay (or the few I've picked up at Wimborne Market) have been made of cheese or margarine. Been used to shift some pretty big boulders at times and left in damp corrosive mud to go rusty for months and still seem fine. The only problem I've had buying crowbars is that the heavy duty ones I mentioned before are too solid and weigh a tonne - not ideal if you'd got to drag them into a cave with a load of other heavy toys.

The other useful tool in the armoury is the 'long poking pole'. Mine is 4 x 60 cm sections of 16 mm threaded rod and 3 couplers. Not the most sturdy of implements, but the use of a long poking pole is all about poking the right spot rather than any serious levering. I've found it works a treat and being able to disassemble and put in a tackle sack is really helpful. We've had some pretty impressive heaps of rock from a 'gentle' poke.

Most places we dig quickly ends up with both a long and short crowbar being left. I've found we always seem to have a need for both sizes.

 

[Pitlamp]

Take care if poking upward chokes in Dorset caves; there was a mag 2.9 earthquake on Thursday not too far away (offshore from Eastbourne). Always best to be wary . . .

Earthquakes around the British Isles in the last 60 days

The British Geological Survey provides up-to-date information on recent and historical earthquakes, educational resources, and seismic hazard services

www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk

 

[tim.rose2]

Thanks for the heads up. A lot of our caves are mass movement rifts and effected by cliff retreat so the chokes are always exciting and always poked from a safe distance (hence the need for the long poking pole).

 

[Pitlamp]

Extremely wise words Tim!

 

[braveduck]

Take care if poking upward chokes in Dorset caves; there was a mag 2.9 earthquake on Thursday not too far away (offshore from Eastbourne). Always best to be wary . . .

Earthquakes around the British Isles in the last 60 days

The British Geological Survey provides up-to-date information on recent and historical earthquakes, educational resources, and seismic hazard services

www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk

Yes I hope the Channel Tunnel has no leaks !

 

[Goydenman]

Comments about crowbars left in various digs interesting..... don't feel quite so guilty now knowing I'm not the only one