Always allow enough time to pack up properly when you've finished a job. Cleaning your tools and putting them back where they belong help. Maintaining a safe and efficient work environment can save everyone a lot of time and inconvenience.
Put away tools and equipment too. The job's not done until you do! |
Used mainly for splitting timber logs that have been cut into lengths. Also useful for cutting tree roots and other stubborn vegetative material.
Use to clean up after a job has been finished. Useful for returning soil back to its original position.
Cameras are an ideal way of recording installation details like pipe layout and valve location. They also provide a handy way to record installation dates.
A claw hammer is sometimes also known as a nail hammer or a carpenter's hammer.
It is commonly used to insert (and remove) nails and plugs. They are inexpensive and readily available from most hardware stores.
Used to undo valve screws and remove control panels, or install new control panels on walls.
Always make sure that your cordless drill is charged before you take it out on a job. |
A tool with a heavy metal head that is used, for example, to drive in nails or wooden pegs. Also known as a lump hammer.
A hack saw can be used to cut through large PVC pipes or poly pipe. If you want to cut through smaller PVC pipes you should use a pipe cutter.
These are used to loosen the soil and roots of small herbaceous (or non-woody) weeds in disturbed sites.
Loppers, or long-handled loppers, are used to cut green material approximately 20-50mm in diameter. They can also be used to cut tree roots on the ground. Loppers are like long-handled, heavy duty secateurs.
Marker pegs or small flags attached to wires can be used to mark out a fence line so that it can be clearly seen. They can be used to mark specific points such as obstacles, corners, or the end of the fence.
Marking paint is used to mark out where boundaries or trenches should be located. It is a highly visible paint (often fluorescent in colour) and dries extremely quickly.
A pen that can be used to mark the lengths and sizes of irrigation pipes or fittings. An indelible pen is best as this will not wash off if the pipes/fittings get wet.
A mattock looks similar to a pick. However, the head of the tool has an axe-type cutting tool as well as a digging implement.
It loosens compacted hard ground and can remove large woody weeds.
A multimeter is a tool which can be used to measure the current, voltage and number of amps within an electrical system.
Used for breaking up very hard surfaces by hand.
Pipe cutters provide a clean and fast way to cut PVC pipe. You can also use a hacksaw to cut through pipes but pipe cutters are better.
The post hole auger or digger is a hand-powered tool used for digging post holes in heavy soils. It is not suitable for sandy soil.
A hand-held pruning saw can be used to cut through branches greater than 50mm in diameter.
It's small, good quality, and is operated with one hand. It is often supplied with a sheath that protects the blade.
A rake can be used to level ground and to pull materials together.
Never leave rakes lying on the ground with the prongs or tines up where people can stand on them.
Rubber mallets are often used in the horticulture and irrigation industry, when creating new paving or brickworks, or when pulling up (and returning) paving so that irrigation can be installed out.
The rubber mallet allows you to apply force to a paved area without damaging (or breaking) it.
Similar to a rake (but a lot larger), a screed is used to level the ground and smooth over the soil. It has a long handle and is usually about a metre across.
Screwdrivers are self-explanatory. They are used to drive in and remove screws. They are inexpensive and readily available from most hardware stores. Some screwdrivers have magnetic tips too.
They come in a range of sizes but the two most common are the Phillips head and the Flat head. The Phillips head screwdriver has a cross shaped end, whereas the Flat head screwdriver has a single flat end.
Secateurs are good for light pruning (cutting branches up to 20mm in diameter) and collecting plant samples.
Make sure the secateurs are sharp so the plant is not damaged when you cut the plant sample. It is a good idea to carry them in a pouch attached to your belt so you don't lose them.
Remember - when purchasing secateurs look for quality. Avoid buying the cheapest as they usually do not last very long. However, secateurs have a notorious habit of getting lost so price is a consideration!
A narrow-mouthed, long-handled shovel is used for digging narrow, deep post holes.
The pointy nosed shovel is used for excavation when large amounts of sand need to be removed. They are readily available from most hardware stores and can have either short or long handles.
A round-nosed shovel is used for digging into undisturbed ground. Shovels can have either short or long handles.
A square-mouthed shovel is designed to lift material off a hard surface, such as lifting aggregate off concrete.
Shovels can have either short or long handles.
A trenching shovel is lightweight and purposely built to create trenches in sandy conditions. It can also be used to carry out small excavations. It is inexpensive and available in most hardware stores.
The square mouth of the shovel helps keep a flat bed for the pipe to lie in. The handle (made either of plastic or wood) should be light and strong and preferably long handled to ease the strain on the back.
Used as a cutting tool to define the edges of areas of excavation. Spades usually have short handles.
A sealed glass tube is almost filled with colourless liquid but has a small air bubble. The glass tube is marked so that, when the bubble is positioned between the marks, the spirit level is precisely flat (horizontal) or upright (vertical).
This helps remove steel posts without damaging them and makes an otherwise difficult task very easy. (Also known as a star picket remover.)
A straight edge is a straight (not warped) piece of material made of timber, aluminium or steel.
It is a valuable tool with many uses, but is most commonly used for screeding or as an extension of a spirit level.
Tapes are used to measure the size of animals and/or plants and also to measure grid areas for observation.
This is a flat tape with measurements marked along its length. Better quality measuring tapes are made of fibreglass and are wide enough to rest in place when they are laid on the ground.
The measurements are usually metric (millimetres, centimetres and metres) on one side and imperial (inches, feet and yards) on the other. You will usually use metric measurements.
Thread seal tape is used around pipe joins and fittings to create an airtight seal and stop water leaks.
Trowels are used to loosen the soil and for weeding between small plants.
They are also handy tools to take with you when installing new irrigation systems as they are ideal for clearing trenches after the pipes have been laid. They can also be used to carry out smaller excavations, when spades and shovels are too large.
The builders' wheelbarrow is more strongly built than those used in back gardens. It has a welded steel chassis, base plate and heavy rimming around the outer edge of the steel tray. The handles are either wood or steel. The tyres are pneumatic. It has a capacity of 0.15m3.
Wheelbarrows are expensive and should be properly maintained to keep them in good working order:
Wire strippers are (obviously) used to strip wires. This is often required when installing a control unit in a new irrigation system; where you have to strip and join electrical wires together.
