I've got frozen ground to about 4 inches right now. I thought about buying one of those Pulaski Axes like Jones uses, but for 36.00 to run a week or 10 days, I can't talk myself into it. Anyone use just a standard mattock or pick axe? If not what do you use?

Matt

Mind you I only put in a few sets but was using back of standard hammer and it worked pretty well.

A shingle hammer is what I use. Back side is a sharp hatchet, other is a hammer head.



Jake

I bought a 4-lb steel mallot with a wooden handle, and welded a piece of 1/8 inch thick, 1 inch wide steel to one end so it overhung about 2 inches. It worked great on the first set until I hit a big rock and the steel bent. Then I un-bended it, and on the second set the wooden handle broke. You can go this way, but I wouldn't recommend it for more than one set.

just buy a full length axe type axe lol, sharpen it good and not with no stone lol, get a good long lasting edge on it with a grinder, be careful at ist or a glancing blow will put ya in the hospital, safety glasses are a real good idea, i thought i lost my other front tooth this winter when a frozen chunk popped me in the mouth, hurt so bad i had to go to the truck to look in the mirror to see if was still there as ahnds were cold and stiff, it was but it was loose for a time.

I went to Home Depot and found a small mattock/pick combo. It weighs about 3 lbs. and has a mattock blade on one end and a triangular pick blade on the other. It's got a fiberglass handle with a rubber grip surface. It works slick for me. Not a bad investment for about $15.

Remember when you're chipping away at frozen ground to have some kind of eye protection. Frozen ground and rock particles hurt the face and can damage the eyes.

Someone posted a while back that he just pounded a depression in the frozen ground with a hammer. Worth a try.

Use a piece of leafspring instead and you wont have the problem of it bending...works great

adze

The same construction pick I use to pull stakes.

I use a hatchet. Not the greatest thing in the world but it works.

I went over board and bought a 12 lb. wood splitter. Works great in the frozen ground.

A straight clawed framing hammer.You can pry up the frozen chunks. getting a hole started is the hardest part .ours was froze about the same last week.

I use a small garden hatchet... about 5-6$. Ain't broke it yet and all my sets I had to hack in the ground as its froze pretty good here. It also pulls duty chopping up half frozen beaver carcass on the line for bait.

I would LOVE to find 1 tool to do the stake pulling (abusive), hammering (6lb mini sledge right now) and digging (my garden hatchet. I may just have my hatchet welded onto my hammer.

Follow that advice you got about the eye protection. My glasses are all scarred up from frozen chips hitting them.

I wear a torch face mask. The best tool I have found is a sharp, heavy ice spud but a heavy splitting maul works well too. The only time I have been able to pound in a bed is when the ground is only frozen a few inches. Around here the ground can freeze to a foot or more deep.

I have a flea market hatchett nice buy, steel handle wood grips holds edge great, just chop my bowl grind it with my heel to smooth the lumps done, carry it anyhow for pounding stakes building cubbies making bait outta roadkill rabbits and squirrels and paw removal when skinning. Gotta love the fleamarkets,half my traps and trapping knowledge came from them.

Jackhammer.......

When I make flat sets I do that even if the ground is not frozen fast way to bed a trap
I use a 4 pound hammer with a ripper on the back seem to work

My teeth.