Bully Tools 11-Gauge Dibble Bar Tree Planting Tool, Rubber Grip T-Handle

I have never heard of a dibble bar before. However, I ordered some trees from my local nature conservancy, and in their planting tutorials they mentioned using a dibble bar to plant their seedlings. I figured if they suggested it, I should purchase one as I had hundreds of seedlings to plant. I have land in upstate NY, and the ground is full of rocks and dirt is clay like. So digging is a chore and back breaking work. But this dibble bar really made it easy to break into the dirt by pushing in, then pushing to create a pocket to plant the seedling and then getting the dirt back into the hole. It actually became a joy to plant these seedlings, and of course, now that it was easy to do and I could see progress of getting these seedlings into the ground, it further motivated me to continue planting. It made what could have easily been a chore, a pleasure! I love tools that provide function and help make work easier (isn't that the job of a tool?). This dibble bar is well constructed and sturdy, also not too heavy to manipulate/use. I love it!

I had 100 northern pecan trees and 100 red oak tree to plant from seedlings. Most tree was 14" to 20" tall with a few around a foot high from ground level up... This tool made quick and easy work of the task. If the trees get much larger than that, I'd suspect you'd have to cut multiple troughs in the ground, but under my circumstances, a single thrust into the earth was all that was necessary. After having experienced the personal hell associated with using a spade, shovel, and other tooling, I can honestly say this was a really wise purchase and I have zero regrets. I'm assuming from the build of this tool it'll last forever. The ground I was planting into had been rained on a few days prior which helped, but ranged from choice black Iowa soil to clay junk. The dibble bar worked fine in both soils and all the stuff in between. Buy with confidence.

Sturdy, well made and just the thing for planting lots of bare root seedlings. Plenty of depth to the blade for seedlings with longer roots, requiring more depth to the planting hole opened up. Nice cushioned handle, but gloves still needed if you want to avoid blisters. Stout metal, did not detect any flex at all, even in tight dry soil.

Actually worked pretty slick for planting trees! Was skeptical but did its job!

So ... this is a pretty good tool overall. Some have had problems with the weld breaking ... Not me. The tool is strong and I was able to plant 100 seedlings quickly with it. The grip is good and spongy and is firmly attached. Here's the thing ... it's all about who welded it together. When you get your tool, examine the weld. If it is concave or sloped inward, you have a hot, strong and penetrating weld with a good bond by someone that knows what they are doing. If it is humped up and bumpy ... AN AMATEUR WELDED IT ... BOOM !!! ... That's was a cold-shot weld and the tool will likely break right away. Examine it ... if the weld is humped up as described it will probably break. If so, send it back immediately and get another one. I'm pretty sure this company's QC has taken care of any past problems with weld quality as some limited other feedback might suggest. I would overlook that frankly. So I've welded for 43 years and know what I'm talking about with steel and I'm sure mine was welded by someone qualified ... I will keep it. I dinged it one star because the blade metal is relatively soft mild steel, cannot be hardened and will dull fairly quickly. Every 100 - 200 trees or so you will likely need to grind a new blade edge with a 120 grit sanding disk ... check the weld and keep if it is good. If had designed it ... I would have welded on a 3/8" cobalt edge and ground that sharp ... I didn't ... Get Over It ... Buy it anyway. It's a good value regardless. The Ironman ... Ret.

Absolutely awesome! If your planting tree seedlings this is a must. We plant about 2000-2500 trees every spring. We could do that without this awesome tool.

Love this tool. Very well made

We had some trouble with shipping, but the company is top notch and went above and beyond to make things right even where it was not their fault. This thing works great for small non branched bare roots in damp soil. I believe where people have had problems probably was in hard and rocky areas. Use the right tool for the job. Will buy again if needed.

For hand planting seedlings, it's the best tool I've used. Moves tough soil, no problems with bending, solid construction. I planted 2000 trees this year and wish I had bought two of these, so my helper could of kept up. My college helper raved about how easy it was to use the Dibble bar for making holes and closing them back up, a real time saver. Tim

They Do The Job.

Planted 150 saplings with it in only a couple hours

Fabulous tool for planting seedlings

🙂