1616004 Soil Crumbler

This is part of Wolf-garten's modular garden tool system, consisting of an aluminum handle and a series of snap-in attachments. I own this Soil Crumbler, the Push-Pull Weeder attachment, and the 59-inch aluminum handle. Each piece is of high quality, is durable, and works really well. The Crumbler consists of a set of spiked wheels which I will call rowels (like the rowels on a spur) separated by a spacing bar, and a large cutting attachment that is essentially a stirrup hoe connected onto the frame behind the rowels. Pushing it back and forth through the soil (not too deep or it will get stuck) will, depending on the composition of your soil and the degree of moisture, break the clods up into smaller (and smaller) pieces while the stirrup loosens and turns the soil. It works especially well on hard crust after a winter of neglect or previously tilled soil that has become packed due to rain. If you plan to use it to turn soil that has not been previously broken and tilled at some point you will be exhausted and disappointed, but used for its intended purpose it will do a nice job of breaking loose crust, that can then be crumbled by the rowels. If the soil is too dry and the colds are very hard, they will get stuck in between the teeth of the rowels. This isn't always a problem, because you can keep pushing the unit back and forth and the other spikes will continue to work. At some point the rowels will become so clogged that you will have to stop and pick them out. But if the soil is really dry and full of hard clods the tool will not break it down, or not into small enough pieces to plant in. The same is true of wet soil. Don't use it in wet soil! It will only bring you heartbreak, and will annoy the tool as well. You can make a big mess of your garden bed trying to use this in wet soil. Wait until it is dry but the earth is slightly moist. Soil in good condition, relatively dry and with no very large clods, can be crumbled down to a powdery consistency. You can actually crumble the soil several times, and in various directions (I drive it across a section several times, then work it again at an angle perpendicular to the first). Worked this way, and using the stirrup to smooth it out, you can create a level and smooth planting surface pretty quickly. This is an excellent tool that can make garden prep much easier, and can save you time and an aching back.

I recently undertook a massive weeding and mulching project. Was given quotes of over $3500 to complete it, and I decided that was too rich for my blood. I bought this, along with some other tools, but this "soil crumbler" ended up being the hero of the job. Over the course of nearly 15 hours of hard labor, this thing probably cut in HALF the time it would have taken. It made quick work of breaking up the old, compacted mulch beds while also weeding like a beast. The u-shaped blade cuts under the weeds down near the roots and makes it a very rare occasion when you have to actually get down on your hands and knees to weed. Not only that, but I abandoned by standard edging tool in favor of running this along the edges of the garden beds. It doesn't create a super-clean edge, but it turned what probably would have been 5-7 hours of edging into perhaps a 1.5-2 hours job - including using a shovel to remove the resulting chunks of grass and churned dirt. This is now probably my favorite garden tool.

This product is made from pressed steel not forged pot metal. This makes it a lot stronger than the pot metal, which most reviews say eventually breaks. I rated this a 4 rather than a 5 because, it cannot be adjusted. It really does the job in breaking up clogs of soil so you can smooth the top soil. Don't expect it to get deep. It really wasn't designed for that. But it is made A LOT better than the cheap Chinese products on the market today.

Great product but non responsive customer service and support. Need help with a replacement but have not heard back! I've emailed x2 and called but have not heard back from anyone.

This tool did not hold up to my wife. The pendulum blade broke off and the steel to which it was mounted snapped and to pay to ship it back to the company should be illegal with their highly touted warranty. It's ashamed, she liked the functional properties of the tool but I guess her 120 pounds of womanly strength was just too must for the measly WOLF-Garton.

I purchased this tool to replace another wolf garten tool that began to peel and rust. The weed push and puller I originally had began to peel at the ends and rust within the first 6 months of use. I contacted the company's rep here in the US via e mail and was informed that the lifetime guarantee does not cover rust (in their defense I must say it is stated in the warranty declaration). They will cover a defective tool: just what that means I have no idea nor could they tell me. I was very surprised to be informed by them that the coating of the tool is made of zinc and expected to peel with use. So is the rust. The company would be glad to examine the tool (at my shipping cost) and if proven defective they would replace it. However based on what I described the warranty would not apply The tool did work as indicated but the warranty is a joke . The tool did work well: however be aware of the lifetime warranty. The cost of shipping the tool back to them would be more than buying a new one.

I’m familiar with this tool from years ago when I bought one under the Scotts brand using it until I wore it out. It really is a very useful tool for preparing gardens for planting or working up patches of soil in advance for planting. I wish there was a straight long handle about 5 foot long. The long handle Wolf offers is about 3 foot long with a flared spade like handle that isn’t as effective as the longer handle I had on my first one.

It was my fault, I didn't realize it was just the attachment and not the entire rod plus the soil crumbler. I should have read the info a little better. It probably does a good job but I wouldn't know.

I have been gardening for over 45 years, Well worth the Money!!!!! tried an unreputable website and got a junky piece of welded tin for $85 and could not get our money back. No recourse. Finally ordered 2 of the Real Wolfgartens and have been So happy with it - gave 1 for a gift. excellent quality. I originally had 1 made by Burpee i think for about 22 years. Lost it and was heartbroken until i found these. Best money ever spent.

Very excellent product

Big and sturdy! I did not see that it would need a special handle, with a "click system" - going to have to figure out what to use.

It works very well

Very useful for the farmers will save money reducing job efforts.